Question about Abbreviations on a Nautical Chart

[Jason210]

Hi

I have an antique route chart from 1895 for North Atlantic crossings, and on the chart are lots of four digit numbers with abbreviations under them. The abbreviations usually include "oz", such as "gl.oz", "oz.cl", "gy.oz", "br.oz" etc.

Here's a sample of the chart:

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/42312567/chart%20sample.jpg

Can anyone tell me what these abbreviations mean?

Thanks
Jason

[Dreeemboat]

Have a look at this site...
mapserver.mytopo.com/mapserver/nautical_symbols/V2.html

[skipmac]

My guess is they describe the bottom at that location.

oz ooze

so

br oz brown ooze
gy oz gray ooze
etc.

[Seaworthy Lass]

Originally Posted by skipmac

My guess is they describe the bottom at that location.
oz ooze
so
br oz brown ooze
gy oz gray ooze
etc.

Skipmac is correct.
The other note on the chart is gl oz. This is 'globigerinida ooze', made up of shells of plankton .

[Andrew Troup]

So ... what anchor holds best in gl oz?

Does anybody make a "Globigerinida MaxiGrip"?

[TeddyDiver]

Dunno but might be something describing the sea floor.

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, Dreeemboat.

[sailorF54]

Originally Posted by Andrew Troup

So ... what anchor holds best in gl oz?

Does anybody make a "Globigerinida MaxiGrip"?

Do you REALLY intend to anchor in 2000+ fathoms ???

PS Globigerina, not Globigerinida which is the class, as opposed to species...

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by Seaworthy Lass

Skipmac is correct.
The other note on the chart is gl oz. This is 'globigerinida ooze', made up of shells of plankton .

Globigerinida ooze? Holy mackerel, never heard of such a thing. Now I have to go get my dictionary google the term to read up on it.

[jstevens]

Who'd a thunk the Hydrographic office in 1895 would be interested in the nature of the seabed at 2000 fathoms (or even feet)? In the middle of the Gulf Stream no less. They must have had some really long lead lines.

John

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by jstevens

Who'd a thunk the Hydrographic office in 1895 would be interested in the nature of the seabed at 2000 fathoms (or even feet)? In the middle of the Gulf Stream no less. They must have had some really long lead lines.

John

I always wondered myself what was of interest on the bottom at that depth 100 years ago. I think at least partly in case they wanted to lay a communications cable in the area.

I have read about how they measured the depth and yes a very long lead line, essentially very large reels of wire cables and a big weight. It would take quite a while to do a sounding. Going down wasn't so bad but reeling the cable back in took some time.

[Jason210]

Thanks guys.

I thought you guys were joking at first, when you explained these abbreviations - especially when I got to the 'globigerinida ooze'!!!

I would never have guessed this meaning!

[Snore]

Jason


The question begs to be asked.... Any idea what the "X" on the map marks???

[Jason210]

Originally Posted by Snore

Jason


The question begs to be asked.... Any idea what the "X" on the map marks???

In cutting I provided it does look intriguing... but on the chart there's a whole line of these all the way to Ireland so I think they are legs, although as you can see they are actually to the north of the shipping route. There's also a series number 4s in boxes too. The red dots are lighthouses. Here's a bit more detail for those who are interested:

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/42312567/No...5%20detail.jpg

It's strange to think, looking at this map, that in 1895, the most sophisticated piece of equipment they had was the clockwork chronometer. The first Marconi installation wasn't until 5 or 6 years later. So when those large liners left Liverpool, and lost sight of land, there were completely alone for five days, with up to 2000 passengers. Navigation was strictly by sun and stars, and when it was cloudy they used dead reckoning, and the engineer would send the captain regular reports of engines' revolutions, which were used to help determine the distance travelled.

[Jason210]

I found out from a historical forum just now that the interest in "ooze" was that nature of the seabed could be used to help a ship's crew determine the position, for example in fog, back in those days, especially if they were heading into an estuary.