Description

After the naval disaster of 1707 where four ships ran ashore due to navigational mistakes, the British government offered £20,000 (equivalent to millions today) for anyone who could determine longitude accurately. The reward was finally claimed in 1761 by Yorkshire carpenter John Harrison, who dedicated his life to improving the accuracy of his clocks. Inspired by Harrisons clock of the 1700s, the marine chronometer was developed out of the need to have a timekeeper of great accuracy that would function at sea. It was a necessity because it enabled the ships navigator to find Longitude out of the sight of land and thus his position on the seas and oceans of the world.