On a 16-1700s ship, did the navigator have his own room/section of the ship to work? If so, where? Any articles I find just talk about how the navigate, not where.
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Welcome to the History Stack. Can you provide the articles and any previous research you have done to help us in our search? – EvanM Apr 23 '21 at 12:29
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3Exeter doesn't list navigator as a role. Obviously the person performing the tasks would work on deck when doing observations, but would probably work in the Captain's cabin when consulting charts. I suspect that the navigator was probably frequently the Captain, and therefore the answer is "anywhere on the ship he wanted to." – MCW Apr 23 '21 at 12:36
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1I have read often about the captain (including famous navigators) working himself with compass, maps and (what was the name of the north star pointing device to measure latitude?) and asking for speed measurement via knotted rope. Often captains had to show knowledge (including in the navy), it might be not just a political assignment, and many of the famous guys really knew their trade. – Luiz Apr 23 '21 at 13:03
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1I think you're referring to a sextant – MCW Apr 23 '21 at 13:28
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2Or octant, but both seem to have been introduced after 1700. Before then, the backstaff was used for the purpose. – kimchi lover Apr 23 '21 at 14:04
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3https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portuguese_discoveries#Celestial_navigation Astrolabes, quadrants, cross-staffs, already existed at the portuguese discoveries time. But this is explicitly not the focus of the question. – Luiz Apr 23 '21 at 15:15
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Possibly related - on how navigation was performed between the daily noon observations and when inclement weather interfered with them – Pieter Geerkens Apr 23 '21 at 21:59
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Generally, for your time period and, indeed, into the 19th century, navigation on a naval vessel was the province of the ship's master, though the ship's captain would, or should, have the same skills. On smaller vessels the captain might serve both roles. For the basics see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Master_(naval)
The master had his own berth, though like everyone else below the captain space was limited. In most ships, to spread a chart (ships use charts, not maps) a convenient table in the captain's cabin would usually suffice if contriving a great distance. Smaller scale could fit a fold down table in the master's cabin. most very early charts were kept in books called rutters. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rutter_(nautical)
One usually does not spread out some great big chart, but rather has a library of coastal charts as it is more important not to bump into anything than plotting your way across, say, the Atlantic. Using the equipment of the day, one tries for a noon sighting for determining one's location, then, according to the destination, adjusting course accordingly. This helps accounting for leeway, the tendency for the wind to not only drive the ship, but also push it sideways as it does so, so several days of no noon sighting might require a larger course correction. One does not really need to drag out charts until one is with a day's sail of an expected landfall. Consistent noon sightings can be recorded until one reaches near a pre-determined point . . . that's when the charts come out.
R Leonard
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2On a navy vessel, all of the officers would be expected to be competent in navigation (since any of them potentially could become captain of the vessel as the result of an engagement). The ship's Master would also have assistants called Master's Mates who would assist with navigation (since the Master couldn't work 24/7). – Steve Bird Apr 23 '21 at 18:52
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Absolutely true, one could not expect to pass for lieutenant if one could not demonstrate an ability to navigate, but the Master was usually a warrant officer, and, yes, with master's mates. – R Leonard Apr 23 '21 at 18:56
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This omits that dead reckoning with a traverse board was performed between the daily noon observations. – Pieter Geerkens Apr 23 '21 at 22:01
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1@PieterGeerkens - Said dead reckoning was also the only decent way to keep some rough track of longitude before the marine chronometer was developed in the late 1700's. – T.E.D. Apr 23 '21 at 22:33
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@T.E.D.: Yes! The dead reckoning, maps and errors link in my answer above is excellent, noting that what we see as errors relative to a Ptolemaic maps are mostly "reproducible yet unmeasurable" consequences of the route. Thus following the same route under the same technique would be remarkably consistent, even when technically inaccurate on a map. Similar to a surveyor distributing the transit errors evenly (due to Earth not being round) I suspect. – Pieter Geerkens Apr 23 '21 at 22:59
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Pieter - Re dead reckoning board, all well and good, but that has naught to do with the question asked. – R Leonard Apr 23 '21 at 23:30
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As an officer of wardroom rank, the master would have access to the wardroom facilities on an equal basis with the other wardroom officers: the vessel's lieutenants, purser, and surgeon.
Also, notwithstanding Wikipedia's claim, navigation despite it's importance would have taken up only a small fraction of a master's time onboard. Square-rig sailing was on the open sea was about staying in favourable winds and currents, away from dangerous shores. Actual care of the vessel's rigging, and supervision of the rigging crew, would have occupied most of a master's day. Working jointly with the helmsman, keeping a sailing vessel well-trimmed is a constant task of riding the wind and waves to beneficial effect. Two articles by Sam Willis (respectively on windward performance and maneuverability of sailing warships) are the best informed description of the process that I am aware of.
My sailing experience is almost all on two-person sloop-rigged (single mast, fore-and-aft sails) dinghy; but the basic pattern is of the nature of sailing more than of the specific vessel. Off the wind a compass course can be steered by the helmsman and crew is responsible for trimming sails constantly to keep them filled. The master and his mate would have supervised that trimming constantly to keep the sails full. Only upwind, at which square riggers were almost incapable, would sails be set with the helmsman responsible for keeping sails full.
Pieter Geerkens
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