The Shovell Disaster -- Flamsteed House, Royal Observatory, Greenwich, London, UK
N 51° 28.679 W 000° 00.122
30U E 708176 N 5707243
An interpretive sign inside Flamsteed House explains the historical importance of what became known as the Shovell disaster, which shocked a nation and galvanized work on solving the maritime longitude problem
Waymark Code: WMT46P
Location: London, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 09/22/2016
Views: 2
The Shovell disaster shocked Britain and galvanized the King and His Government to seriously underwrite work on solving the maritime longitude problem.
The sign reads as follows:
"THE SHOVELL DISASTER
On 22 October 1707, four Royal Navy ships struck the treacherous Gilstone Ledges off the Isles of Scilly. Adm. Sir Cloudesley Shovell and over 1300 of his men died.
For a fleet without accurate navigational techniques, charts or instruments, the Shovell Disaster was an accident waiting to happen. Nevertheless, the nation was shocked."
In 1714, Parliament's Longitude Act created the Board of Longitude, which was dedicated to solving the longitude problem. The Board promised a prize of £20,000 to anyone who could create an accurate maritime clock for use at sea.
In 1760, after 40 years of labour and 3 previous timepieces that while much advanced over clocks of the time, were still not accurate enough at sea, John Harrison built "H4," the first accurate marine clock that could withstand conditions at sea. The problem of finding longitude at sea was solved. Harrison received the £20,000 longitude prize from Parliament in 1772, 65 years after the Shovell disaster.
Type of Historic Marker: Interpretive sign
Historical Marker Issuing Authority: Royal Museums Greenwich
Age/Event Date: 01/01/1707
Related Website: [Web Link]
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