Nathaniel Bowditch’s American Practical Navigator has been the cornerstone navigation reference for U.S. sailors since its first edition in 1802. Affectionately called “Bowditch” by generations of navigators, it covers celestial navigation, chart reading, tides, and seamanship in exhaustive detail. This April 1940 All Hands Bulletin article captures the enduring bond between the American sailor and his essential navigator’s manual at a moment when the rapidly expanding Navy was placing new demands on every officer and petty officer responsible for bringing a ship safely into port.
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