Accession No
6738
Brief Description
prototype navigation computer, instrument for solving spherical triangles, particularly for ascertaining longitude, by Henry Hughes and Son Ltd., English, 1935 (c)
Origin
England; London
Maker
Henry Hughes and Son Ltd.
Class
navigation
Earliest Date
1935
Latest Date
1935
Inscription Date
Material
metal (brass, wire); wood (mahogany); enamel; plastic (Bakelite); cloth
Dimensions
closed: 325mm width, 365mm depth, 333mm height
Special Collection
Provenance
Purchased from Charles Miller Ltd. in November 2021.
Inscription
H. H. & S. LTD.
LONDON
Description Notes
Prototype navigation computer, by Henry Hughes and Son Ltd., English, 1935 (c)
The unpainted and black painted brass instrument is made up of a circular base with four semi-circular parts at different angles, making it almost hemispherical. It includes a semi-circular scale is marked for North declination, an hour angle with micrometer setting, altitude and azimuth, and an optical illuminated eyepiece, set on a semi-circular articulating guide on a revolving circular base. It has a switch, lamps, a cable, and a plug. The whole instrument sits on a removable wooden plinth, secured with clips, with a drop on/hinged lid, secured with clasps and with a leather carrying handle (broken).
Complete.
References
Events
Description
Before the advent of GPS, finding your location at sea could be tricky. One method was to observe celestial objects like the sun, moon, and stars in order to calculate your position using trigonometry. But because both the surface of the earth and the celestial sphere are curved, this requires the use of ‘spherical trigonometry’. This instrument was designed to help with this process, specifically to solve the ‘navigational triangle’, or PZX triangle—a spherical triangle made up of three reference points (P, Z, and X). American inventor E. J. Willis had designed a similar, more complex instrument and there was competition between firms to perfect it. This one appears to be Henry Hughes and Son’s attempt at making a working instrument, but a practical design does not appear to have made it to market, perhaps due to its mechanical complexity and cost.
22/12/2021
Created by: Morgan Bell on 22/12/2021
FM:47515
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