The problem of longitude at sea in the 18th century in Spain

Abstract

Few scientific subjects have generated so much literature or so many expectations as the reckoning of longitude at sea. Since the 16th century numerous authors, including several charlatans and opportunists, took on the study of a topic which, apart from presenting a challenge to the scientific community, could also offer substantial economic benefits to the person who managed to find the solution. A long inventory of essays could be listed which described methods which were only viable on paper, but absolutely impracticable on board ship. It would not be until the eighteenth century that this research led to even minimally precise processes, with strong support from the different European monarchs. But even when found, these processes would not be easy to apply. Few countries had a scientific or technical infrastructure capable of guaranteeing the assimilation of methods which involved advanced mathematical knowledge and/or handmade precision mechanisms. Obviously it was possible to find an ~7~t~ with the education to follow the advances being made in astronomy and instrumentmaking techniques, but this was in no way sufficient. We are not confronted here with a merely theoretical problem, but a practical one, whose solution could have important consequences for trade and the domination of the Atlantic. Rather than being an academic exercise, the

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