. (A No. 2) Preliminary Sketch Showing the positions of Davis's South Shoal and Other Dangers recently Discovered by the Coast Survey and the sounding on the Old South Shoal, Bass Rip, Old Man, Pochuck Rip, & English: This beautiful and important sea chart or map depicts the waters immediately surrounding the island of Nantucket, Massachusetts, including Davis’ Shoal, Old South Shoal, and others. Uncommon, highly significant, and often underappreciated, this 1853 map reveals an important stage in the charting of the shoals off Nantucket. Though the unpredictable waters off Nantucket were l
. (A No. 2) Preliminary Sketch Showing the positions of Davis's South Shoal and Other Dangers recently Discovered by the Coast Survey and the sounding on the Old South Shoal, Bass Rip, Old Man, Pochuck Rip, & English: This beautiful and important sea chart or map depicts the waters immediately surrounding the island of Nantucket, Massachusetts, including Davis’ Shoal, Old South Shoal, and others. Uncommon, highly significant, and often underappreciated, this 1853 map reveals an important stage in the charting of the shoals off Nantucket. Though the unpredictable waters off Nantucket were long a nemesis to sailing vessels on the important London – New York shipping routes, they had never been properly charted. The harsh conditions, including rapid unexpected swells and frequent heavy fog, contrived to make the hydrographic survey of the hazards south of Nantucket one of the most dangerous and challenging projects of the early Coast Survey. The first survey party to tackle this area was lead by the indomitable Lieutenant Commanding Charles H. Davis. Starting at Old South Shoal, a known danger, Davis worked his way southward and soon discovered “New South Shoal”, which is here renamed “Davis Shoal” in his honor. Working seasonally, it took the Coast Survey to 1853, fully seven years, to complete the survey of the Old South Shoal and Davis’ Shoal. Bache himself discussed the difficult of accurately mapping the regions south and west of Nantucket in his 1852 Congressional Report: The most difficult piece of hydrography on our coast has been completed during the past season. The area of broken ground east and south of the island of Nantucket is nearly seven hundred miles in extent, and is spread with dangers, some real and some only apparent. The work which has been prosecuted there perseveringly for some seasons has made the position of the dangers fully known, and has in turn employed the resources and taxed the perseverance of some of the most able hy
Size: 2321px × 2153px
Photo credit: © The Picture Art Collection / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., /, /., 1853
