Passion for Hydrography

Were the people in the past more passionate about life in general? Whenever I read about the exploits of the discoverers & explorers of yesteryears I cannot but marvel at their tenacity. Their will to succeed against all odds.

One such Hydrographer was James Horsburgh of the erstwhile East India Company. Horsburgh started his life as a cabin boy in South England; perhaps shanghaied into this profession as so many were in those days. By 16 he was already a veteran sailor having sailed on several ships in the coal trade.

In 1780 he was captured by the French and incarcerated at Dunkirk. After several years he was released whereupon he immediately went back to sea – first to West Indies and thence to Calcutta.

In 1786 during one voyage his vessel was wrecked on a small island in the Indian Ocean at Diego Garcia due to an error in the chart. The point at which his ship was wrecked is known to the world as – (what else?) the Horsburgh point.

This incident changed the course of his life. He took it upon himself to map and record the entire Indian subcontinent. In those days if one wanted to pursue a career in Hydrography or whatever, one had to pay for it himself. Horsburgh purchased surveying and drawing instruments from England out of his pocket. He thereafter taught himself drawing, etching and spherics.

Then for the next twenty two years of his sailing he meticulously maintained an East Indian directory which contained a running log and sketches. Imagine the privations that he must had gone through to pursue his passion for that long! Not knowing whether he will succumb to illness or mishaps at any time during this long period.

At the end of it when he gave this directory to the authorities for publication, neither the Admiralty nor the East India Company was prepared to publish it. So Horsburgh published it at his own expense!

It was only after the publication that he was acknowledged as an expert in this field. The decades of perseverance had paid off. He was thereafter appointed as a Hydrographer to the East India Company. A post which he held for 26 long years till his death. All the time enriching the field that he had chosen.

A life truly committed to a passion.

At the eastern entrance to the Malacca Straits there stands a tall lighthouse tower with black and white horizontal bands and a white flashing light. This structure is known as Horsburgh Lighthouse.

Like a sentinel it guards the mouth of the straits keeping a vigil for the last 150 years. A fitting tribute to a great hydrographer.
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Exchange of communication between MMTN (Master of Motor Tanker Nagesh) who wanted some clarifications and SELF (self). Names changed to protect identities.

From MMTN:

Dear Raj,

Request please clarify following while using cmap on simrad ecdis.
1. the alarm window on the display panel shows "datum is not WGS 84", even though when you see the chart legend the information on horizontal datum is WGS 84.
2. the display on all chart areas shows circled "U". On quality rating window of charts it says "zone of confidence U, data not assessed".

Please reply ASAP.

Best Regards
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From: SELF

Good Day,

Sorry for the late reply.

Reg 1. Datum is set on two places. The chart geodetic datum which is set by the chart maker and on which you have no control. Most electronic charts are prepared in WGS 84 datum but there are a few exceptions.

The other is the external device geodetic datum which is generally the GPS. Sometimes you need to change the GPS datum to match with that of the chart. By default GPS is set to WGS 84. I think this has been changed on your ECDIS by an operator. Please check this setting - the method of which should be explained in the Simrad manual.

On most Ecdis it is under the Datum and Units section.

Reg 2. Please ignore it. Except for some ENCs all charts will show Zone of Confidence as un-assessed. In your case you are viewing C-Map charts and not ENCs. On some Ecdis you can get rid of this symbol by viewing the charts in C-Map mode (rather than S52 mode). I think Simrad also allows such viewing.

Best Regards
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From MMTN:

Dear Raj,

Thanks for your advice. All ok now.

Captain