The Sea Cadets

Woking & District

The following content is adapted from a Times article on 09/01/04 by Michael Evans.

The ADMIRALTY CHART - with a pair of dividers - has helped provide safe navigation for Royal Naval warships since the days of Nelson. It records navigational hazards such as rocks, reefs and wrecks.

But, along with other cast-off traditions - such as the daily tot of rum, all-male crews and Morse code - paper charts are making way for electronic charting using computerised systems. Under a £29 million contract announced today, every RN surface ship, submarine and Royal Fleet Auxiliary support vessel will be equipped with WECDIS (Warship Electronic Chart Display and Information System).

Navy officers say that that the new system will allow the Officer of the Watch to spend more time with has eyes actually on the sea rather than regularly having to refer to the chart table to keep abreast of dangers.

Navigators will be able to overlay on to the electronic chart other information, such as positions of 'friend or foe' vessels and aircraft. Screens could be located in several parts of the ship, such as the bridge and the operations centre.

The plan is initially to fit 48 ships with electronic charting, including the three Invincible class aircraft carriers, all submarines and Royal Fleet Auxiliary tankers.

The Merchant Navy has had a similar system in use for years, mainly because their ships don't have enough crew to spend time messing about with paper charts.

Although ships now rely on GPS (the satellite-linked Global Positioning System), specialist navigators can still use the stars and their doughty sextants §.

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