HMCS FREDERICTON AT SEA

A3

By LIEUT. (NAVY) JAMES ZULIANI
Bridge watchkeeper

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Editor’s Note: This article is part of a series on HMCS Fredericton and its role combatting piracy and terrorism overseas.

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FOr THe DAiLy GLeANer/CpL. peTer reeD, FOrMATiON iMAGiNG ServiCeS

Charting the course: Lieut. (Navy) James Zuliani takes on the duties of acting bridge watchkeeper as the HMCS Fredericton patrols the Gulf of Aden. HMCS Fredericton is deployed on a six-month mission to the Arabian Sea, Gulf of Aden and Horn of Africa to conduct counter-piracy and counter-terror operations alongside NATO and coalition partners.

Read any textbook on navigation and it will invariably mention Henry the Navigator, a prince from Portugal who started the first school for navigators in the mid-15th century.

Before that, navigation was mainly conducted in sight of land.

Even by Henry’s time, the ability to know longitude (how far east or west one was) once out of sight of land was challenging.

It wasn’t until the 18th century that navigators were able to accurately establish their position using stars (celestial navigation) and an accurate timepiece.

Celestial navigation was the primary means of navigation until the late 20th century, when radio signals and later Global Positioning System (GPS) satellites became more widely accessible.

Navigation on board a modern Canadian warship such as HMCS Fredericton is much different than what Henry was used to.

We’ve minimized the use of paper charts and navigate on a computerbased system with input feeds from multiple sensors, including GPS.

Whereas an 18th century navigator might establish his position (fix) once a day, our navigation system fixes our position six times a second. This allows the navigator to focus on other tasks, and also reduces the number of people we need to man the ship.

While we primarily navigate by electronic means, all watchkeepers on board Canadian warships are also trained to be able to navigate by nothing more than a paper chart and a compass.

While not done nearly as often as it once was, it’s still used today to train the Canadian navigation specialists and to maintain proficiency.

While the methods of navigation have changed since the first sailors went to sea, the goal remains the same.

Navigation is the process of knowing where you are, where you’re going and how you’re going to get there.

With our modern equipment and highly trained navigators, the Canadian navy is one of the leaders in electronic navigation.

Naval word of the week

Knot: A measurement of speed (nautical mile per hour). In the 19th century, speed at sea was measured by throwing a wooden object that would remain stationary in the water. Attached was a line with knots tied in it which were spaced 47¼ feet apart. The line would pass through a sailor’s hand and the number of knots that passed in 30 seconds was counted. This would then be calculated to give the speed of the ship.