otnmbrd wrote:


BTW you don't need an "accurate clock" to use a sextant, but speaking of
"time" most any modern (or old, for that matter)watch keeps accurate
enough time that it could be used, especially if you checked it prior to
"doomsday"

My father-in-law was torpedoed at the end of WWII and spent 18 days in a
liferaft. They were able to track their longitude quite well because as
the radio officer he knew the error of his watch.

http://www.sv-loki.com/Davis/Clippings/clippings.html
more stuff at
http://www.sv-loki.com/Davis/davis.html

Jeff...accurate clocks were being used on many ships, long before
radio....radio just made it easier to monitor the rate

Agreed that many ships had clocks, especially larger ships and warships.
But a huge number did not, and I would guess that a large majority of
coastal shipping and fishing boats only rarely (if ever) had a celestial
fix.