One of my heroes

[Senior Ninja]

I think this might be an interesting thread.
Many of you in the Navy, especially those who served in submarines know Nathaniel Bowditch.
Nat Bowditch was a self taught mathematical genius. He lived during the American Revolution and developed a method of determining time on board a ship. The real trick in navigation is not Latitude, it's Longitude. Longitude is not so much where you are but when you are. Nat overcame many shortcomings, including stature, to become not only a ship's officer but a teacher of navigation to various ship's crews. Once he "swallowed the anchor" (retired) he wrote the definitive text of his time about both navigation and generally how to operate a sailing ship. "The American Practical Navigator" was sold to the the Government upon his death and continues to be revised and updated today. There's a copy on the bridge of most every ship afloat today. The young adult "Carry On Mr. Bowditch" volume biography was a text I used whenever I could in my teaching. It's out of print but available on Amazon. Know a young man who is maybe looking for motivation? Here's a book that he'll refer to all his life with the question, "What would Nat Bowditch do?"
Steve

[Mojave Bob]

It has been a good many years since I read "Carry On Mr. Bowditch", but I remember it as a MUCH better read than I had anticipated. I started reading it reluctantly, and ended up struggling to put it down. Definitely a recommended book!

[martha24]

Years ago I read "Carry On Mr. Bowditch" to my children by chance. I loved the book and Nathaniel Bowditch. I never recall him being in history books taught for school children, to bad too as there is so much that can be learned from his life.

I too would highly recommend the book. At times I've wondered if there were other biographies on his life as he was such an amazing person.

I loved the part sailing in to the Boston harbor in the fog on the way home and not being able to see a thing and when he arrives he said it was just a matter of math. If you know how fast you are going and what direction you are going, you don't need to be able to see anything to navigate.

I also loved the part where he taught navigation to sailors on board. It not only kept them busy and happy on long voyages, but once they got home they could get a better position on another ship. Of course the companies then had to find new crew members to replace them.

Actually I loved the whole book. Steve, thanks for bringing the subject up, it made for a very nice reflection.

[Senior Ninja]

Wow! I'm impressed! I read it a few pages at a time to a class that was formed to coach those who had not yet passed the Writing Proficiency Test. Turns out they had just not showed up the day of the test! They could write given some motivation. When I finished the book; I turned to my desk and picked up the "American Practical Navigator." Exclamations varied from, "You mean he wrote all that."
"No this is the modern book that the government updates periodically."
"He was a real person? That's a true story?"
"Yes," I replied with a big smile.
The story took on an entirely different meaning. We had now a common reference that was brought up by asking, "What would Nat Bowditch do?" Nat's quest for an education out of school, translation of Newton's Principa, and his notebook collection was also
material for discussion. "Success in school; success in life," was a new alien concept for them.
Teaching was so much fun!

[wired]

I just tried to get this for my Kindle but, als, it is not available in the e format...