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Articles

1995: Vol. LXXII, No. 2

The Royal Naval Hydrographic Service 1795-1995

  • R. O. Morris
Submitted
July 30, 2015
Published
2015-05-20

Abstract

Two hundred years ago, on 12 August 1795, King GEORGE III signed the Order in Council setting up the Royal Navy's Hydrographic Office. This paper traces its growth from a handful of civilians sorting through a collection of surveys in the Admiralty attics to the surveying and charting organisation of today. It shows how chart folios, sailing directions and notices to mariners were introduced, how a corps of dedicated seaman surveyors was established, and how they and the cartographers have served Britain and the world through 200 years of peace and war.