Wednesday, October 23, 2013

"US to stop printing nautical charts"

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced Tuesday that to save money, the government will stop turning out the traditional brownish, heavy paper maps [nautical charts] after mid-April.

The agency will still chart the water for rocks, shipwrecks and other hazards, but sailors, boaters and fishermen will have to use private on-demand printing, PDFs or electronic maps to see the information, said Capt. Shep Smith, head of NOAA's marine chart division.

"Think of them as the roadmap of the ocean," said Smith, who grew up with charts of Penobscot Bay on his bedroom walls in Maine. "The navigational charts tell you what's under the water, which is critical for navigation."

Sea dogs say they will miss the charts, which also get used as decorations.

"It's the nautical history, you know, pirates and ships," said Newburyport, Mass., harbormaster Paul Hogg, who has a chart on his office wall. "It seems more nautical. There's just kind of, like, a feel to it."

There should be a historical feel to it, because the idea was Thomas Jefferson's. He asked for a survey of the U.S. coast in 1807, and ever since, a government agency has been charting American waters. The soon-to-be-eliminated maps date to 1862.

At New York Nautical, store manager James "Smitty" Smith saw the end of the old-fashioned maps coming. He sells far more of the on-demand maps on the lighter weight, whiter paper.

But personally, especially for decorations, he prefers the old maps because they are "more soothing on the eyes."

"There must be some art value in them because a lot of people love them," he said.


AP via myfoxny.com

13 comments:

rhhardin said...

I have the Nautical Almanac several years in the 60s and 70s, for navigating the Pacific as a passenger with protractor and watch.

Autopilots made it difficult by introducing a small continuous back and forth roll, which screwed up the bubble.

Bowditch is still an interesting book.

The Explanatory Supplement to the American Ephermeris and Nautical Almanac is the worst written book ever.

Eric the Fruit Bat said...

There will always be those of us who make a sacrifice to Poseidon and wing it.

chickelit said...

The GPO should salt away their exiting supply like the mint did with Carson City silver dollars. One day they can sell they at a premium.

AllenS said...

Don't worry, they won't quit printing money.

test said...

How can this be? Nancy Pelosi assured us there's nothing left to cut.

Aridog said...

The Navy, and other sailors, are set now to use National Imagery and Mapping Agency (NIMA) and its an unclassified, vector-based digital database containing maritime significant features essential for safe marine navigation. Great ... but try to get on the DNC network today.

http://www.nga.mil/portal/site/dnc/

Big fat 404.

Methadras said...

I'm pretty sure Google Earth has rendered them obsolete.

Methadras said...

Aridog said...

http://www.inga.lpn/portal/site/dnc/

Big fat 404.


Fixed it for you.

Aridog said...

Methadras .... :-)

I'm Full of Soup said...

I am betting very few Obama voters use these maps.

I'm Full of Soup said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Leland said...

So what is the over/under that NOAA's budget was actually cut in regards to the cost savings of not printing the charts?

Not complaining about the government ending a costly endeavor; I'm just wondering if this is actually a cost savings to the taxpayer.

Methadras said...

Aridog said...

Methadras .... :-)


AGHH!!! MY EYES!!! You fucker.