Download - Tide Prediction Machines Philip L. Woodworth National Oceanography Centre, Liverpool SLOC Meeting 21 June 2013.

Transcript
Page 1: Tide Prediction Machines Philip L. Woodworth National Oceanography Centre, Liverpool SLOC Meeting 21 June 2013.

Tide Prediction Machines

Philip L. WoodworthNational Oceanography Centre, Liverpool

SLOC Meeting 21 June 2013

Page 2: Tide Prediction Machines Philip L. Woodworth National Oceanography Centre, Liverpool SLOC Meeting 21 June 2013.

Doodson-Légé Machine

Page 3: Tide Prediction Machines Philip L. Woodworth National Oceanography Centre, Liverpool SLOC Meeting 21 June 2013.

William Thomson, 1st Baron Kelvin

‘Father’ of TidePrediction (TP) Machines

Page 4: Tide Prediction Machines Philip L. Woodworth National Oceanography Centre, Liverpool SLOC Meeting 21 June 2013.

First (official) tidePrediction machine bySir WilliamThomson (Lord Kelvin)1872, now in Science Museum.

10 constituents.

Page 5: Tide Prediction Machines Philip L. Woodworth National Oceanography Centre, Liverpool SLOC Meeting 21 June 2013.

Edward Roberts

Another father ofTide Prediction machines

Page 6: Tide Prediction Machines Philip L. Woodworth National Oceanography Centre, Liverpool SLOC Meeting 21 June 2013.
Page 7: Tide Prediction Machines Philip L. Woodworth National Oceanography Centre, Liverpool SLOC Meeting 21 June 2013.

India Office Machine1877 made by A. Légé & Co., London to design of Edward Roberts. 20 (later 24) constants.

Page 8: Tide Prediction Machines Philip L. Woodworth National Oceanography Centre, Liverpool SLOC Meeting 21 June 2013.

Tide Prediction Machines

• Only 25 Tide Prediction (TP) machines were ever built (plus models and prototypes no doubt)

• Three machines were associated with Bidston: the ‘Kelvin’, ‘Roberts’ and ‘Doodson-Légé’ machines

• The DL machine with 42 constituents was one of the last and largest although not the largest ever (see below).

Page 9: Tide Prediction Machines Philip L. Woodworth National Oceanography Centre, Liverpool SLOC Meeting 21 June 2013.
Page 10: Tide Prediction Machines Philip L. Woodworth National Oceanography Centre, Liverpool SLOC Meeting 21 June 2013.

Kelvin Machine

• The Liverpool Tidal Institute was funded in 1925 by Charles Booth (Booth Shipping Lines) to buy a new 25-28 constituent prediction machine (the Kelvin machine) for its sole use.

• Doodson took a lead in its construction and operation and used the machine to start an important business in tide table production.

• The Kelvin and Roberts machines were used for D-day predictions etc.

• The Kelvin machine was given (or sold) to SHOM after WW2 and used up until 1966. (Moved to Brest in 1970).

• An explanation how it worked in Joyce Scoffield’s book.

Page 11: Tide Prediction Machines Philip L. Woodworth National Oceanography Centre, Liverpool SLOC Meeting 21 June 2013.

BidstonKelvinMachine

Page 12: Tide Prediction Machines Philip L. Woodworth National Oceanography Centre, Liverpool SLOC Meeting 21 June 2013.
Page 13: Tide Prediction Machines Philip L. Woodworth National Oceanography Centre, Liverpool SLOC Meeting 21 June 2013.

Bidston Kelvin machine now in lobby of SHOM at Brest

Page 14: Tide Prediction Machines Philip L. Woodworth National Oceanography Centre, Liverpool SLOC Meeting 21 June 2013.

Roberts Machine

• When HWT Roberts (son of Edward) died in 1929, the LTI (Doodson) took over the Roberts business.

• That brought the ‘Roberts’ TP Machine of 1906 to Bidston, which was larger than the LTI machine (it had 40 constituents) but in need of an overhaul which Doodson oversaw.

• Beware it is called the ‘Légé machine’ in Doodson publications

• The Roberts machine now in the Liverpool Museum.

Page 15: Tide Prediction Machines Philip L. Woodworth National Oceanography Centre, Liverpool SLOC Meeting 21 June 2013.

Roberts“Universal Tide Predicter” of 1906, winner of the “Grand Prix” of the Franco-British Exhibition of 1908

Page 16: Tide Prediction Machines Philip L. Woodworth National Oceanography Centre, Liverpool SLOC Meeting 21 June 2013.
Page 17: Tide Prediction Machines Philip L. Woodworth National Oceanography Centre, Liverpool SLOC Meeting 21 June 2013.
Page 18: Tide Prediction Machines Philip L. Woodworth National Oceanography Centre, Liverpool SLOC Meeting 21 June 2013.
Page 19: Tide Prediction Machines Philip L. Woodworth National Oceanography Centre, Liverpool SLOC Meeting 21 June 2013.
Page 20: Tide Prediction Machines Philip L. Woodworth National Oceanography Centre, Liverpool SLOC Meeting 21 June 2013.

Doodson Machine

• Doodson’s final involvement with machines was the DL installed in 1950.

• 42 constants

Page 21: Tide Prediction Machines Philip L. Woodworth National Oceanography Centre, Liverpool SLOC Meeting 21 June 2013.

Doodson-Légé Machine

Page 22: Tide Prediction Machines Philip L. Woodworth National Oceanography Centre, Liverpool SLOC Meeting 21 June 2013.
Page 23: Tide Prediction Machines Philip L. Woodworth National Oceanography Centre, Liverpool SLOC Meeting 21 June 2013.

A Couple of Other Machines

Valued by their Owners

Page 24: Tide Prediction Machines Philip L. Woodworth National Oceanography Centre, Liverpool SLOC Meeting 21 June 2013.
Page 25: Tide Prediction Machines Philip L. Woodworth National Oceanography Centre, Liverpool SLOC Meeting 21 June 2013.

Now in lobby of Norwegian Hydrographic Office Stavanger

Page 26: Tide Prediction Machines Philip L. Woodworth National Oceanography Centre, Liverpool SLOC Meeting 21 June 2013.
Page 27: Tide Prediction Machines Philip L. Woodworth National Oceanography Centre, Liverpool SLOC Meeting 21 June 2013.
Page 28: Tide Prediction Machines Philip L. Woodworth National Oceanography Centre, Liverpool SLOC Meeting 21 June 2013.
Page 29: Tide Prediction Machines Philip L. Woodworth National Oceanography Centre, Liverpool SLOC Meeting 21 June 2013.

One Other Machine

Not Valued by its Owner

Page 30: Tide Prediction Machines Philip L. Woodworth National Oceanography Centre, Liverpool SLOC Meeting 21 June 2013.
Page 31: Tide Prediction Machines Philip L. Woodworth National Oceanography Centre, Liverpool SLOC Meeting 21 June 2013.

Roberts machine

Page 32: Tide Prediction Machines Philip L. Woodworth National Oceanography Centre, Liverpool SLOC Meeting 21 June 2013.
Page 33: Tide Prediction Machines Philip L. Woodworth National Oceanography Centre, Liverpool SLOC Meeting 21 June 2013.
Page 34: Tide Prediction Machines Philip L. Woodworth National Oceanography Centre, Liverpool SLOC Meeting 21 June 2013.
Page 35: Tide Prediction Machines Philip L. Woodworth National Oceanography Centre, Liverpool SLOC Meeting 21 June 2013.

Most of the others we know where they are or what happened to them e.g.

- India machine now at Dehra Dun- Philippines machine

Others we don’t - but must be easy to find if we had the time e.g. Spanish and Argentina machines

Page 36: Tide Prediction Machines Philip L. Woodworth National Oceanography Centre, Liverpool SLOC Meeting 21 June 2013.

Plan now is for Julie Ledder to get either the Roberts machine or Doodson-Lege machine back on loan from NML for display in the JPB atrium when building work is finished – watch this space.