Establishment and early operation , engraving by
Conrad Westermayr The
Admiralty's first
Hydrographer was
Alexander Dalrymple, appointed in 1795 on the order of King
George III. The existing charts were brought together and catalogued. The first chart Dalrymple published as Hydrographer to the Admiralty (of
Quiberon Bay in
Brittany) did not appear until 1800. He also issued
Sailing Directions and
Notices to Mariners (NMs). Dalrymple was succeeded on his death in 1808 by Captain
Thomas Hurd, under whose stewardship the department was given permission to sell charts to the public in 1821. In 1819, Captain Hurd entered into a bilateral agreement with
Denmark to exchange charts and publications covering areas of mutual interest. This is thought to be the earliest formal arrangement for the mutual supply of information between the British and any foreign Hydrographic Office. Hurd developed the specialism of Royal Navy hydrographic surveyors. Rear-Admiral
Sir W. Edward Parry was appointed Hydrographer in 1823 after his second expedition to discover a
Northwest Passage. In 1825 some 736 charts and coastal views were being offered for sale by the Hydrographic Office.
Explorations by
William Frederick Mitchell In 1828 Captain Parry and the Royal Society organised a scientific voyage to the
South Atlantic, in collaboration with the Hydrographers of France and Spain, using . In 1829, at the age of 55, Rear-Admiral
Sir Francis Beaufort became Hydrographer. During his time as Hydrographer, he developed the eponymous
Scale, saw the introduction of official
tide tables in 1833 and instigated various surveys and expeditions. Several of these were by , including one to
Tierra del Fuego and
Patagonia in 1826. In 1831 Captain Beaufort informed
Captain FitzRoy that he had found a
savant for the latter's surveying voyage to South America,
Charles Darwin. After completing extensive surveys in
South America he returned to
Falmouth, Cornwall via
New Zealand and
Australia in 1836. By the time of Beaufort's retirement in 1855, the Chart Catalogue listed 1,981 charts and 64,000 copies of them had been issued to the
Royal Navy. In the 1870s, the Royal Naval Surveying Service supported the
Challenger expedition, a scientific exercise that made many discoveries, laying the foundation of
oceanography. The cruise was named after the mother vessel, . On her circumnavigation of the globe, 492 deep sea soundings, 133 bottom dredges, 151 open water trawls and 263 serial water temperature observations were taken. The Challenger crew used a method of observation developed in earlier small-scale expeditions. To measure depth, the crew would lower a line with a weight attached to it until it reached the sea floor. The line was marked in 25-fathom intervals, with flags denoting depth. Because of this, the depth measurements from the Challenger were at best accurate to 25 fathoms (150 feet), or about 46 metres. As the first true oceanographic cruise, the Challenger expedition established an entire academic and research discipline. During the late 19th century, the UKHO took part in several international conferences, including the
International Meridian Conference to determine a
prime meridian for international use and other conferences working towards the establishment of a permanent international commission concerning hydrographic matters.
Hydrographers to the Admiralty Board during this period included: Rear-Admiral
John Washington, Rear-Admiral
George Henry Richards, Captain
Sir Frederick J. O. Evans and Rear-Admiral
Sir William J. L. Wharton.
20th century During Rear-Admiral
A. Mostyn Field's term as Hydrographer to the Admiralty Board, the Hydrographic Office lent instruments to the
Nimrod Expedition of the British Antarctic Expedition led by
Ernest Shackleton in 1907. Following the sinking of the in 1912, the
Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) convention was established, and ice reporting and forecasting were introduced. During
World War I, while Rear-Admiral Sir John F. Parry was Hydrographer of the Navy, the Hydrographic Office produced numerous new charts and products to support the Royal Navy. Following the war, the First International Hydrographic Conference was held in London. It led to the establishment in 1921 of the
International Hydrographic Organization. In the 1930s, the systematic and regular collection of oceanographic and naval meteorological data started. In the
Second World War, while led by Vice-Admiral Sir John A. Edgell, chart printing moved to Creechbarrow House in
Taunton in June 1941. This was the first purpose-built chart making factory, and was designed by the Chief Draughtsman, Mr Jowsey. In 1968, compilation staff were transferred from
Cricklewood, London to Taunton, thus bringing together the main elements of the Hydrographic Office. A purpose-built office, named after Alexander Dalrymple, was opened. Charts were metricated and computerised in the later 1960s and early 1970s under the leadership of Rear-Admiral
Sir Edmund G. Irving (1960–1966), Rear-Admiral
George Stephen Ritchie (1966–1971), Rear-Admiral Geoffrey P. D. Hall (1971–1975) and Rear-Admiral
Sir David W. Haslam (1975–1985). For centuries, data had mainly been collected using ordinary Royal Navy ships. In 1953, the first purpose-built
survey vessel was launched: . With the use of the
echo sounder and other electronic equipment in the 20th century, there was a big increase in the quantity and quality of the data collected. The technology used to collect data also improved with the first commercial use of
multibeam survey technology in 1977; undertook the first
side-scan sonar of
Mount's Bay, Cornwall, in 1987. The work has since been continued by the
Bulldog-class survey vessels which form the "Hydrographic Squadron". In 1994, the Hydrographer of the Navy also became the Chief Executive of UKHO. The post was held by Rear-Admiral
Nigel R. Essenhigh (1994–1996) and Rear-Admiral John P. Clarke (1996–2001). ==Publications==