Freiberger Sextants

[Jammer Six]

Why do all Freiberger sextants end up on wrecked vessels in India?

[Jim Cate]

Crikeys, mate, I hope that mine doesn't do that!

Had it for nearly thirty years, but have not traversed Indian waters... only the Eastern fringe of the Indian Ocean. Survived that one...

Jim

[gjordan]

Because India has a huge ship breaking(maritime wrecking yard) business, and most ships arrive with everything needed for its last voyage. The breakers want hundreds of tons of steel to recycle, and used to overlook the charts and sextants. I once met a cruiser with hundreds of charts, for all over the world, that came from a scrapped ship. They were all corrected right up to the last voyage. I suspect that they have wised up to giving away things that they might sell. _______Grant.

[gordwedman]

There is a vendor on eBay, sweta4086, who sells a lot of sextants from the ship breaking operation and there are quite a few Tamaya sextants as well as Freiberger. I have purchased other items from him twice without issue.

[Tellus]

Freiberger Präzisionsmechanik was a company in former GDR /Eastern Germany. They produced mainly for Navy and Army but even for mining services. After fall of the iron curtain they are specialised for measuring systems in mining. In Western Germany Cassens & Plath is the leading manufacturer of nautical instruments.