Hydrographer of the Navy
Encyclopedia
Hydrographer of the Navy is a Royal Naval appointment. From 1795 until 2001 the post was responsible for the production of charts for the Royal Navy, and around this post grew the United Kingdom Hydrographic Office
. In 2001 the post was disassociated from UKHO, and the Hydrographer of the Navy is now a title bestowed upon the current Captain (Hydrography and Meteorology) on the staff of Commodore Devonport Flotilla.
appointed Alexander Dalrymple
as Hydrographer in 1795, with a remit to gather and distribute charts to HM Ships. Within a year existing charts had been collated, and the first catalogue published. It was 5 years before the first chart (of Quiberon Bay
in Brittany
) was produced by the Hydrographer.
Under Dalrymple's successor, Captain Thomas Hurd
, Admiralty charts were sold to the general public, and by 1825 there were 736 charts listed in the catalogue. In 1829 the first sailing directions
were published, and in 1833, under Rear-Admiral Sir Francis Beaufort
(of the eponymous Beaufort scale
) the tide table
s were first published. Notices to Mariners
came out in 1834, allowing for the timely correction of charts already in use. Beaufort was certainly responsible for a step change in output; by the time he left the office in 1855 the Hydrographic Office had a catalogue of nearly 2,000 charts and was producing over 130,000 charts, of which about half were provided to the Royal Navy and half sold.
In 1939, on the outbreak of World War II, the Hydrographic Office moved to Taunton, and the post of Hydrographer moved with it. In 2001 a chief executive was appointed to run the United Kingdom Hydrographic Office as a profit-making agency of the British Government, and at this time the roles of National Hydrographer and Hydrographer of the Navy were divided. The title of Hydrographer devolved to Captain(HM),HM stands for Hydrography and Meteorology, a sub-specialisation of the Royal Navy warfare branch. a senior officer on the staff of the Commodore of the Devonport Flotilla, and the senior Royal Navy officer within the HM branch. As of 2010 the post has been renamed Captain(HM Ops), but continues to carry the title Hydrographer of the Navy.
United Kingdom Hydrographic Office
The United Kingdom Hydrographic Office is an organisation within the UK government responsible for providing navigational and other hydrographic information for national, civil and defence requirements...
. In 2001 the post was disassociated from UKHO, and the Hydrographer of the Navy is now a title bestowed upon the current Captain (Hydrography and Meteorology) on the staff of Commodore Devonport Flotilla.
History
Before the establishment of the post, captains of Royal Navy ships were responsible for the provision of their own charts. In practice this meant that ships often sailed with inadequate information for safe navigation, and that when new areas were surveyed, the data rarely reached all those who needed it. The AdmiraltyAdmiralty
The Admiralty was formerly the authority in the Kingdom of England, and later in the United Kingdom, responsible for the command of the Royal Navy...
appointed Alexander Dalrymple
Alexander Dalrymple
Alexander Dalrymple was a Scottish geographer and the first Hydrographer of the British Admiralty. He was the main proponent of the theory that there existed a vast undiscovered continent in the South Pacific, Terra Australis Incognita...
as Hydrographer in 1795, with a remit to gather and distribute charts to HM Ships. Within a year existing charts had been collated, and the first catalogue published. It was 5 years before the first chart (of Quiberon Bay
Quiberon Bay
The Baie de Quiberon is an area of sheltered water on the south coast of Brittany. The bay is in the Morbihan département.-Geography:The bay is roughly triangular in shape, open to the south with the Gulf of Morbihan to the north-east and the narrow peninsular of Presqu'île de Quiberon providing...
in Brittany
Brittany
Brittany is a cultural and administrative region in the north-west of France. Previously a kingdom and then a duchy, Brittany was united to the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province. Brittany has also been referred to as Less, Lesser or Little Britain...
) was produced by the Hydrographer.
Under Dalrymple's successor, Captain Thomas Hurd
Thomas Hurd
Captain Thomas Hannaford Hurd was an officer of the Royal Navy, who rose to the rank of captain, becoming the second Admiralty hydrographer, a Superintendent of Chronometers and a Commissioner for the discovery of longitude...
, Admiralty charts were sold to the general public, and by 1825 there were 736 charts listed in the catalogue. In 1829 the first sailing directions
Sailing Directions
Sailing Directions is a 42-volume American navigation publication published by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency . Sailing Directions consists of 37 Enroute volumes, 4 Planning Guide volumes, and 1 volume combining both types...
were published, and in 1833, under Rear-Admiral Sir Francis Beaufort
Francis Beaufort
Rear-Admiral Sir Francis Beaufort, FRS, FRGS was an Irish hydrographer and officer in Britain's Royal Navy...
(of the eponymous Beaufort scale
Beaufort scale
The Beaufort Scale is an empirical measure that relates wind speed to observed conditions at sea or on land. Its full name is the Beaufort Wind Force Scale.-History:...
) the tide table
Tide table
A tide table, sometimes called a tide chart, is used for tidal prediction and shows the daily times and height of high water and low water for a particular location...
s were first published. Notices to Mariners
Notice to Mariners
A notice to mariners advises mariners of important matters affecting navigational safety, including new hydrographic information, changes in channels and aids to navigation, and other important data.Over 60 countries which produce nautical charts also...
came out in 1834, allowing for the timely correction of charts already in use. Beaufort was certainly responsible for a step change in output; by the time he left the office in 1855 the Hydrographic Office had a catalogue of nearly 2,000 charts and was producing over 130,000 charts, of which about half were provided to the Royal Navy and half sold.
In 1939, on the outbreak of World War II, the Hydrographic Office moved to Taunton, and the post of Hydrographer moved with it. In 2001 a chief executive was appointed to run the United Kingdom Hydrographic Office as a profit-making agency of the British Government, and at this time the roles of National Hydrographer and Hydrographer of the Navy were divided. The title of Hydrographer devolved to Captain(HM),HM stands for Hydrography and Meteorology, a sub-specialisation of the Royal Navy warfare branch. a senior officer on the staff of the Commodore of the Devonport Flotilla, and the senior Royal Navy officer within the HM branch. As of 2010 the post has been renamed Captain(HM Ops), but continues to carry the title Hydrographer of the Navy.
List of Hydrographers of the Navy
- 1795 - 1808 Alexander DalrympleAlexander DalrympleAlexander Dalrymple was a Scottish geographer and the first Hydrographer of the British Admiralty. He was the main proponent of the theory that there existed a vast undiscovered continent in the South Pacific, Terra Australis Incognita...
- 1808 - 1823 Captain Thomas HurdThomas HurdCaptain Thomas Hannaford Hurd was an officer of the Royal Navy, who rose to the rank of captain, becoming the second Admiralty hydrographer, a Superintendent of Chronometers and a Commissioner for the discovery of longitude...
- 1823 - 1829 Rear-Admiral Sir William ParryWilliam Edward ParrySir William Edward Parry was an English rear-admiral and Arctic explorer, who in 1827 attempted one of the earliest expeditions to the North Pole...
- 1829 - 1855 Rear-Admiral Sir Francis BeaufortFrancis BeaufortRear-Admiral Sir Francis Beaufort, FRS, FRGS was an Irish hydrographer and officer in Britain's Royal Navy...
- 1855 - 1863 Rear Admiral John Washington
- 1863 - 1874 Vice Admiral Sir George RichardsGeorge Henry RichardsAdmiral Sir George Henry Richards was Hydrographer to the British Admiralty from 1864 to 1874.-Early life:Richards was born in Anthony, Cornwall, the son of Captain G S Richards, and joined the navy in 1832....
- 1874 - 1884 Captain Sir Frederick Evans
- 1884 - 1904 Rear Admiral Sir William WhartonWilliam Wharton (hydrographer)Admiral Sir William James Lloyd Wharton KCB FRS was a British admiral and Hydrographer of the Navy.-Early life:He was born in London, the second son of Robert Wharton, County Court Judge of York. He was educated at Barney's Academy, Gosport and the Royal Naval Academy.-Royal Navy service:He joined...
- 1904 - 1909 Rear Admiral Mostyn Field
- 1909 - 1914 Rear Admiral Herbert Purey-Cust
- 1914 - 1919 Rear Admiral Sir John ParrySir John Parry was the grandson of Sir William Parry, the third Hydrographer
- 1919 - 1924 Vice Admiral Frederick Learmonth
- 1924 - 1932 Vice Admiral Henry Douglas
- 1932 - 1945 Vice Admiral Sir John Edgell
- 1945 - 1950 Rear Admiral Arthur Norris Wyatt
- 1950 - 1955 Vice Admiral Sir Archibald Day
- 1955 - 1960 Rear Admiral Kenneth Collins
- 1960 - 1966 Rear Admiral Sir Edmund IrvingEdmund George IrvingRear-Admiral Sir Edmund George Irving, KBE, CB was a naval hydrographer.-Early life:Irving was born in Sandakan, British North Borneo to the resident magistrate George Clerk Irving and his wife Ethel Mary Frances Poole....
- 1966 - 1971 Rear Admiral George RitchieGeorge Stephen RitchieGeorge Stephen Ritchie CB DSC is a former British admiral noted for his cartographic and hydrographic work.-Naval career:Ritchie was born in Burnley, 1914, of Scottish parents, Sir Douglas Ritchie and Lady Margaret Stephen Ritchie. He was educated at the Royal Naval College, Dartmouth from the age...
- 1971 - 1975 Rear Admiral Geoffrey Hall
- 1975 - 1985 Rear Admiral Sir David HaslamDavid HaslamRear-Admiral Sir David W. Haslam KBE CB was a Royal Navy officer.David Haslam was born in Derby and educated at Ashe Preparatory School, Etwall and, from 1936, at Bromsgrove School, Worcestershire .He joined the Royal Navy as a Special Entry Cadet in 1941...
- 1985 - 1990 Rear Admiral Roger Morris
- 1990 - 1994 Rear Admiral John Myres
- 1994 - 1996 Rear Admiral Nigel Essenhigh
- 1996 - 2001 Rear Admiral John Clarke
- 2001 - 2003 Captain Mike Barritt
- 2003 - 2005 Captain David Lye
- 2005 - 2007 Captain Ian Turner
- 2007 - 2010 Captain Robert Stewart
- 2010 - present Captain Vaughan Nail