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ANTIQUE SHIP'S LOG
ANTIQUE SHIP'S LOG
Antique ship or yacht log by Massey.
A mid to late 19th century brass mechanical ships log.
The tail section has multiple fins and rotates when in the water to record the distance travelled in nautical miles, there is a fixed stabilising wing that prevents the log itself from spinning. The distance is recorded on the logs porceain dial, there is three dials - one reads 100 miles, the next dial records tenths of a mile and the last dial is divisions of one nautical mile. There is a rotating brass cover to protect the dials when in use.
The dial plate is marked MASSEY'S ANCHOR SHIP LOG, No.1, E.M.P.
Edward Massey was a leading London nautical instrument maker and he invented and perfected several nautical instruments. He received the first patent for a successful mechanical log - British patent 2601 in March 1802. The British Board of Longitude awarded Massey £200 for his invention and they recommended that the British Royal Navy purchase five hundred units for their fleet of vessels. Massey’s mechanical logs quickly became a commercial success and many ships used his "patent logs" throughout the nineteenth century.
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