16 Facts About Marine chronometer

Marine chronometer is a precision timepiece that is carried on a ship and employed in the determination of the ship's position by celestial navigation.

The first true chronometer was the life work of one man, John Harrison, spanning 31 years of persistent experimentation and testing that revolutionized naval navigation and enabling the Age of Discovery and Colonialism to accelerate.

Term Marine chronometer was coined from the Greek words ?????? and meter in 1713 by the English cleric and scientist William Derham.

Purpose of a Marine chronometer is to measure accurately the time of a known fixed location.

The use of a marine chronometer to determine longitude by chronometer permits navigators to obtain a reasonably accurate position fix.

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Marine chronometer obtained a patent for his invention from Colbert, but his clock remained imprecise at sea.

Attempts to construct a working marine chronometer were begun by Jeremy Thacker in England in 1714, and by Henry Sully in France two years later.

Marine chronometer's design used a fast-beating balance wheel controlled by a temperature-compensated spiral spring.

Marine chronometer makers looked to a phalanx of astronomical observatories located in Western Europe to conduct accuracy assessments of their timepieces.

In typical use, the Marine chronometer would be mounted in a sheltered location below decks to avoid damage and exposure to the elements.

Mariners would use the chronometer to set a so-called hack watch, which would be carried on deck to make the astronomical observations.

The Hamilton 21 Marine Chronometer had a chain drive fusee and its second hand advanced in ½ second increments over a 60 seconds marked sub dial.

The development of a precise and inexpensive EinheitsMarine chronometer was a 1939 German naval command and Aviation ministry driven initiative.

Since the natural resonance of an oscillating balance serves as the heart of a Marine chronometer, Marine chronometer escapements are designed to interfere with the balance as little as possible.

In strictly horological terms, "rating" a Marine chronometer means that prior to the instrument entering service, the average rate of gaining or losing per day is observed and recorded on a rating certificate which accompanies the instrument.

At least one quartz Marine chronometer made for advanced navigation utilizes multiple quartz crystals which are corrected by a computer using an average value, in addition to GPS time signal corrections.