MARINE CHRONOMETER

NAVIGATION-I PRACTICAL
 Marine Chronometer
• The chronometer is an accurate time keeping
instrument carried on board. It is essential
because the exact GMT is required each time am
astronomical sight is taken. There are two main
types of chronometers at sea :the traditional
spring tension type and the more modern quartz
type.
 Purpose
• Time on board of a ship is important for example to:
– determine speed with a traditional log,
– plan observations for celestial navigation,
– determine longitude by methods of celestial navigation,
– plan recordings or captures of radio transmissions (e.g.
weather forecasts)
• The determination of position by Celestial Navigation
methods requires correct (absolute) time information
down to the second. Roughly an error of 4 seconds
corresponds to a position error of 1 nautical mile.
 Introduction
• Accurate time keeping instrument
• To calculate exact GMT
• Types
– Spring tension
– Quartz crystal
 The spring tension chronometer
• There are two varieties of this type, 2-day and 8-day
varieties, so named because of the number of day it
would work after winding once. The former is more
popular on merchant ships.
• The face of the chronometer is similar to that of an
ordinary clock except for two additional, smaller dials
inset on the main dial. The first one contains the
seconds hand and is hence graduated from 0 to 60
seconds. The second small dial has a pointer showing
the number of hours elapsed since the chronometer
was last wound.
 STOWAGE
• The chronometer is slung by gimbals inside a
wooden box fitted with a glass lid. The box is
stowed inside a padded compartment in the
chartroom. This compartment also has a glass
top so that the chronometer may be read
without opening the compartment or the box.
The padding has two uses – keeps out
vibration and insulates the chronometer from
changes of temperature of the air outside.
 Chronometer Error
• No chronometer is expected to keep perfect
time. But if a chronometer gains or loses the
same amount each day i.e constant daily rate,
it is suitable for navigation because the precise
value of the chronometer error at any instant
can be obtained by simple extrapolation.
• The chronometer error is noted each day at
sea by means of radio time signals and the
error noted in the ‘Chronometer Error book’.
 Chronometer Error
• The difference between chronometer time and GMT is
called the chronometer error.
• The chronometer error is named fast or slow on GMT
i.e. if the time shown by the chronometer is more than
GMT then the chronometer error (C.E.) is Fast (– ve). To
get correct chronometer time and GMT the error must
be subtracted from the chronometer time.
• And if the time shown by the chronometer is less than
GMT then the chronometer error (C.E.) is slow (+ ve).
To get correct chronometer time and GMT the error
must be added to the chronometer time.
 Chronometer Error
• Error to be noted each day
• A Chronometer Error Book to be maintained
onboard
• The error value at any instant can be obtained
by simple extrapolation
• Daily error rate may change due to
temperature variation, vibration, shock,
magnetic influence, irregular winding etc
 Chronometer Error
• The chronometer error is the amount of time by which
the chronometer time differs from the correct time to
which it was set, usually UTC (Universal Time
Coordinated). The chronometer error is expressed to
an accuracy of one second and has an algebraic sign
according to:
– Chronometer-error = chronometer-time - correct-time
• The chronometer correction is the amount that must
be added algebraically to the chronometer time to
obtain the correct time. It is numerically equal to the
chronometer error, but of opposite sign:
 Advantages of Quartz Chronometer
• Accuracy
• Works in any position
• Immune to shocks/vibration, dust or humidity
• Not affected by magnetic fields
• Water-proof
• No daily manual winding required
• Can drive secondary units such as data loggers,
slave clocks etc.
• No electrical contacts or moving parts which can
wear out.
 Master & Slave Clocks
• From a mains operated quartz chronometer, slave clocks can be run.
• The master clock is always set to GMT and has a slave clock beside it,
indicating ship's time. other slave clocks are situated at various suitable
points on the ship, all set to ship's time.
• Once all the slave clocks are aligned with the master clock, they can all be
advanced or retarded simultaneously from the control panel on the
bridge.
• A three position switch is provided marked (-) for retarding and (+) for
advancing the clocks and the central position marked "Normal" for normal
running of the clock.
• Slave clocks fitted in the accommodation usually do not have "Second(s)"
hand. Radio room, wheelhouse and chart room clocks have second(s)
hand for showing silence period and plotting.
 Error log format
• The column headings of such a book would usually be ;
Date at Greenwich, GMT, Chronometer time, error,
daily rate, the temperature, the source of the time
signal and the initials of the observer.
• The daily rate should be small but if it is excessive
(exceeds about 6 seconds), or irregular, the
chronometer should be sent ashore at the earliest
opportunity to a repair firm for adjustment. Repairers
of ordinary watch are not competent to deal with
marine chronometer repair works.
 ERROR RATE
• Chronometer time (C) is the time indicated by a
chronometer. Since a chronometer is set
approximately to GMT and not reset until it is
overhauled and cleaned about every three years , there
is always a chronometer error(CE).
• The chronometer error in every 24 hrs is called
Chronometer Rate or daily rate and designated gain
or losing. Chronometer error is found by Radio time
signal, by comparison with another timepiece of
known error, or by applying chronometer rate to
previous readings of the same instrument.
 Error Rate
• This daily rate is used in the field to correct the time indicated
by the instrument to get an accurate time reading. Even the
best-made chronometer with the finest temperature
compensation etc. exhibits two types of error, (1) random and
(2) consistent.
• Average daily rate is found by using the formula

ADR = Error on last day observed – Error on first day observed

Date of last observation – Date of First observation
•
(ADR – Average daily rate)
 Advancing / Retarding of clocks
• The continent of the earth are divided into several areas and each area
keeps time, based on a somewhat central meridian through that area.
Each of these areas is referred to as "Time Zone".

• It should be noted that the zone time at any position will always differ
from GMT by a ful number of hours, because the central meridians used
for measurement of zone time in the different zones, always differs from
Greenwich meridian by multiples of 15deg.

• A ship crossing the limiting longitude of a zone, would therefore advance

or retard her clocks by one hour, at that instant. So, ships crossing these
limiting longitudes steaming Eastwards will advance their clocks and the
ships crossing these limiting longitudes steaming Westwards will retard
their clocks. In short, a ship steaming from zone zero to zone -12 would
have advanced 12 hours on her clocks and a ship steaming from zone zero
to zone +12 would have retarded 12 hours on her clocks.
 International Date Line (IDL)
• We have seen that a ship travelling in easterly direction from zone zero to
zone -12 would have advanced her clocks by 12 hours and a ship travelling
in westerly direction from zone zero to zone +12 would have retarded her
clocks by 12 hours. Thus two ships, one travelling eastward and the other
travelling westward, at same speed and traversing on the same parallel of
latitude, would be at zone 12 having same time, but different dates.

• To obviate this anomalous situation, the "Date Line" has been introduced
by International agreement. The Date line roughly corresponds to the
180th meridian.

• It deviates from this meridian so that the islands in the same group and
continuous land areas fall on the same side of the Date line.

• Ships crossing the Date line, on an easterly course retard their date by one
day, while ships crossing the Date line on a westerly course advance the
date by one day.
 QUERIES
What is a marine chronometer used for?

Marine chronometers are precise, specialized

clocks for finding longitude at sea. They serve as
portable time standards.
 QUERIES
What is chronometer error and correction?

The difference between GMT obtained directly

from a radio time signal and chronometer time (C)
is carefully determined and applied as a correction
to all chronometer readings. This difference, called
chronometer error (CE), is fast (F) if chronometer
time is later than GMT, and slow (S) if earlier.
 QUERIES
What is chronometer accuracy?

Accuracy of a Master Chronometer is independently

Certified at between 0 and +5 seconds per day variance,
which ensures the watch will never lose time and the
certified accuracy is superior to that of the general COSC
certified chronometers which are between -4 and +6
seconds per day.
 QUERIES
How do you check a chronometer error?

Adding the stopwatch time to the 1400 GMT gives the

GMT equivalent to whatever is on the chronometer. The
Difference between the two values is chronometer error,
named fast or slow depending upon whether the
chronometer is behind slow) or ahead of (fast) the
calculated GMT.
 QUERIES
What is chronometer rating?

Simply put, a Chronometer is a rating for a watch in

regards to its accuracy. However a Chronometer
rating not only applies to wrist watches; it can also
apply to pocket watches, marine and observatory
chronometers and various other scientific timing
equipment.
 QUERIES
Why it is called a chronometer?

A chronometer watch is essentially a fine-tuned

watch that keeps better time than most. This is
confusing on both counts when you dissect the
Greek root. Chronograph means “time writer”
and chronometer means “time measurer”,
which is what every watch does.
 QUERIES
What is chronometer explanation?

A timepiece or timing device with a special

Mechanism For ensuring and adjusting its accuracy,
for use in determining longitude at sea or for any
purpose where very exact measurement of time is
required. Any timepiece, especially a wristwatch,
designed for the highest accuracy.
 QUERIES
What are the two types of error correction?

The error correction techniques are of two

types. They are, Single bit error correction. Burst
error correction.
 QUERIES
What are the kinds of errors?

There are three types of errors that are

classified based on the source they arise from;
They are: Gross Errors, Random Errors, and
Systematic Errors.
Master & Slave Clocks