Navigation Instruments

By Carey Bourdier


Ships navigating the high seas worldwide use various types of navigational instruments and this also goes with the U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard who use many navigational instruments. There are various objectives and purposes for using navigational instruments. Some of these purposes are the determination of speed and direction of the ships, the ships arrival at its port of destinations, the position where the ships are presently, and other purposes. While these days, many navigational instruments rely on electricity and many ships have on-board computer systems, navigators still use many tools that have been around for centuries. Here are just a few examples of navigation tools, both old and new.

Some interesting navigation instruments used in ships are telescopic marine alidades. The alidade is used to find the relative bearing of another object in relation to the ship. When this instrument is used, it is usually mounted on a bearing compass repeater or bearing compass. It is equipped with a telescopic sight and prismatic optical system. Accurate bearings of objects in the distance are clearly obtained, through the telescopic marine alidade. This can be important data to acquire in many situations.

A three-arm protractor is also an interesting piece of equipment used in navigation. This instrument is also used inland and not in ships, although in these days, the GPS is more often used. When used in ships and while out on the water, this instrument is one of the quickest means to determine the location of the ship. The latitude and longitude can be determined through calculations made with data determined through the use of this instrument. Navigational charts are also used together with this instrument.

Binoculars and telescopes are interesting optical instruments also used in navigation. These are instruments used to make things look bigger when you look through these instruments. Binoculars are two telescopes that are the same and connected together and used with the person looking with both eyes. A telescope is only one scope and only one eye is used. With binoculars, a three dimensional image is seen because both eyes are used. Using a binocular can produce an image that is more natural for the person looking at an object. Even with objects that are far, the image seen will still be clearer and look bigger.

Navigational sextants are also instruments used in ships and in general navigation. A sextant is an instrument and device used to measure angles between two objects. Two mirrors are used and in navigation, the horizon is viewed through this mirror. The other mirror is movable and light from an object or the sun is used for its reflection. The angle between the two is then read through the scale in the instrument. Navigational sextants are very important instruments used in navigation because of the accuracy of these instruments.

Electronic equipment like sonar and radar are also very important in navigation. These are instruments used to determine and locate objects through the echo of signals bounced off the object. Radar is used with radio waves as medium and sonar with sound waves. Inland or through the air, radio waves are used and in the seas or underwater, sound waves are the mediums used. Radar and sonar have different applications because of the different type of energy used, radio waves for radar and sound waves for sonar.




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