The emergence of time light signals for rating of marine chronometers

Abstract

Precise visual time signals for marine chronometer rating began with a shuttered oil lamp in about 1823, but dropping time balls became the favoured visual signal for chronometer calibration. Electric time light signals became practicable in the twentieth century and replaced or complemented time balls as principal signals at various locations from 1909 onwards, with the first known implementations in Mozambique, China and Argentina. They were listed by the British Admiralty for 46 locations worldwide between 1911 and 1947. Not all existed together. There were 29 listed locations in Europe but none in the British Isles or North America. Their locations and types are described in this article, with specific details of signals outside Europe. They existed in extraordinary variety, ranging from coloured lights that replaced time balls in New Zealand to steady or flashing white lights at many other locations. All used the moment of extinction as the time signal.

Keywords:

• time ball
• time light
• chronometer
• New Zealand
• Asia
• Africa
• South America
• Europe

Acknowledgements

My interest in time light signals started with research in New Zealand when I was tracing the history of time balls there. I am grateful to Ayla Koning-Thornton of Wellington City Council and to Jacques Pougnet, Secretary of the Mauritius Meteorological Society, for their help in accessing archives in New Zealand and Mauritius. Staff at the National Library of Scotland in Edinburgh kindly helped me to access twentieth century Admiralty lists that provided the framework for my research during the Covid-19 crisis.

Notes

1 I. R. Bartky and S. J. Dick, ‘The First Time Balls,’ Journal for the History of Astronomy, 7 (1981), 155–164.

2 R. Kinns, P. Fuller and D. Bateman, ‘Exploring the Portsmouth Time Balls,’ Journal of Astronomical History and Heritage, 24.3 (2021), 751–769.

3 Ibid.

4 The Time-ball of St. Helena. Editorial, The Nautical Magazine, 4 (1835), 658–660.

5 Madras, 1841. Note in The Nautical Magazine and Naval Chronicle for 1841, 363 (1841).

6 R. Kinns, ‘Time Signals for Mariners in South Africa,’ Journal of Astronomical History and Heritage, 24.2 (2021), 285–314.

7 The Time-ball of St Helena, 1835, op cit.

8 I. R. Bartky and S. J. Dick, ‘The First Time Balls,’ Journal for the History of Astronomy, 7 (1981), 155–164.

9 Sir David Gill, A History and Description of the Royal Observatory, Cape of Good Hope (London: H. M. Stationery Office, 1913).

10 I. R. Bartky and S. J. Dick, 1981, op cit.

11 J. Barrow, ‘Admiralty Office notice dated 22 October 1829, The Morning Post, 24 October 1829.

12 R. Wauchope, ‘Plan for Ascertaining the Rates of Chronometers by Signal,’ Edinburgh New Philosophical Journal, 8 (1830), 160–162 and 289–291. [The first part was submitted on 23 November 1829 and the second part, which included the diagram, was submitted on 1 February 1830.]

13 R. H. Phillimore, Historical Records of the Survey of India, Vol. IV. Published by Dehra Dun (U.P.), India, 1958; R. Kinns, ‘Time Signals for Mariners in India, Burma and Ceylon,’ Journal of Astronomical History and Heritage, 23.3 (2020), 523–552. R. Kinns, ‘Time Signals for Mariners in South Africa,’ Journal of Astronomical History and Heritage, 24.2 (2021), 285–314.

14 C. P. Smyth, 1853. Notice of the Time Ball at the Royal Observatory at Edinburgh. ‘Given at the request of the Council on 12 December 1853. A working model and diagrams were exhibited.’ Later published in Select Papers of the Society of Arts, 4 (1856), 191–96.

15 R. Kinns, ‘The 1833 Time Ball at Port Louis, Mauritius: The Forgotten Service for Chronometer Calibration,’ International Journal for the History of Engineering & Technology, 89.1–2 (2020), 264–275; R. Kinns, ‘The Time Balls of Mauritius,’ Journal of Astronomical History and Heritage, 23 (2020), 281–296.

16 R. Kinns, ‘Visual Time Signals for Mariners between their Introduction and 1947: A New Perspective,’ Journal of Astronomical History and Heritage, 25.4 (2022), 601–713.

17 The Admiralty List of time signals established in various parts of the World was published as a single document for the whole World at intervals from 1880 to 1911. Later lists, covering lighthouses and other navigation lights as well as time signals, were issued in parts covering different geographical areas. The title used in 1912–1920 was Admiralty list of lights and time signals, which changed to Admiralty list of lights, time signals, wireless direction finding stations and wireless meteorological signals in 1921 and then to Admiralty list of lights and visual time signals in 1922–1928. These were issued in nine parts, not necessarily all in the same year. This was changed again in 1929–1971 to Admiralty list of lights, fog signals and visual time signals in twelve parts. The usual practice was to reissue each part every three years, with supplements in intermediate years to record changes, allowing a list of time signals to be constructed for any given year. The different parts were not always published in the same year.

18 R. Kinns, ‘Visual Time Signals for Mariners between their Introduction and 1947,’ op. cit.

19 R. Kinns, ‘Evolutions in the History of Visual Time Signals for Mariners,’ in Essays on Astronomical History and Heritage: a Tribute to Wayne Orchiston on his 80th Birthday, to be published by Springer, New York, 2023.

20 D. Howse, Greenwich Time and the Longitude (London, Philip Wilson Publishers Ltd., 1997).

21 NORWAY – Christiania – Luminous time signal established. Nautical Magazine, 52, 1922.

22 MEDITERRANEAN SEA – Italy – Genoa – Time signal to be changed. Nautical Magazine, 24, 1914.

23 R. Kinns, ‘The Time Lights of New Zealand; Yet Another Way of Communicating Time in the Pre-wireless Era,’ Journal of Astronomical History and Heritage, 20.2 (2017), 211–222.

24 R. Kinns, ‘The Principal Time Balls of New Zealand,’ Journal of Astronomical History and Heritage, 20.1 (2017), 69–94.

25 New Zealand Nautical Almanac and Tide-Tables, and Information concerning the Principal Ports of New Zealand was published annually by the Government Printer, Wellington. Editions seen by the author are for: 1903 (1st edition), 1905, 1906, 1907, 1908, 1910, 1912, 1914, 1915, 1916, 1917, 1918, 1928, 1933, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1937 and 1938.

26 Ships and Shipping, New Zealand Times, 8, 22 February 1912.

27 R. Kinns, ‘Time Signals for Mariners in India, Burma and Ceylon,’ 2020, op. cit.

28 R. Kinns, ‘Time Signals for Mariners in Southeast Asia: Time Balls, Disks, Bells, Guns and Lights,’ Chapter 12 in Exploring the History of Southeast Asian Astronomy: A review of Current Projects and Future Prospects and Possibilities, ed. by W. Orchiston, and M. Vahia (Cham (Switzerland), Springer, 2021).

29 R. Kinns, ‘Time Signals for Mariners in Southeast Asia,’ 2021, op. cit.

30 The Mauritius Almanac was published from 1851 onwards in Mauritius. The complete title of the first edition was Bolton’s Mauritius Almanac and Official Register for 1851. This was later changed to The Mauritius Almanac and Civil Service Register and then to The Mauritius Almanac and Colonial Register. Editions were also printed in London.

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Roger Kinns

Roger Kinns was born in Winchester, England in 1944. He read Mechanical Sciences as an undergraduate at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge. He took an MASc degree in control engineering at the University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada before returning to Cambridge to complete a PhD in unsteady aerodynamics. Roger was Maudslay Research Fellow of Pembroke College, Cambridge from 1971 to 1975. He then joined YARD Ltd in Glasgow, Scotland to lead development and application of techniques for the acoustic design of ships and submarines. He has worked as an independent consultant since 1999. The Maudslay connection led to an enduring fascination with the history of engineering and particularly time signals worldwide.