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The Genius of Captain Weems |
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BEFORE THERE WAS GPS
The Navigation Genius of Captain Philip Van Horn Weems
1889 - 1979
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In the 21st century we take knowing exactly where we are and where we are going (navigation) for granted. An inexpensive little black box gives us our latitude and longitude in a matter of seconds. But before the invention of the satellite Global Positioning System, and the GPS receiver, navigation was both an art and a science, and quite complex.
Captain Philip Van Horn Weems, the "Grand Old Man of Navigation," is renowned as a pioneer in the field. He modernized navigation by simplifying techniques; invented and adapted new, time saving methods; and most significantly, shared this knowledge through the tireless teaching of his discoveries and insights. His pupils were naval officers and adventurers. His advancements, which began during his career as a naval officer, now stretch across all types of navigation - from maritime to aeronautic, from underwater to outer space.
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Most tools developed by Weems were developed in an era before computers as we know them today. The tools developed by Weems simplified and automated the problems of navigation so that anyone with a high school education could master basic celestial navigation.
Delve into navigating the old-fashioned way and explore for yourself how mariners of the past paved the way for navigation today.
Captain Weems lived in Annapolis as a Naval Academy midshipman in the early 1900s and again from the 1930s to his death in 1979. The company he founded lives on today as Weems & Plath , located at 38°58.16' N 076°28.68' W, that is, 214 Eastern Avenue, in the Eastport neighborhood of Annapolis, just blocks from the Annapolis Maritime Museum.
In 2003, Captain Weems was inducted posthumously into the Maritime Hall of Fame in Annapolis. Through his accomplishments and inventions, we invite you to explore his contributions to the history of navigation.
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Click Here to visit the Annapolis Maritime Museum
Please use the select box below to access additional Contributions of Captain Weems:
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