Collection: Maneuvering Board

A maneuvering board is used by mariners to help with navigation and is where routes are prepared. The maneuvering board looks like a table with a writing surface where maps can be consulted. It also has a compass with polar coordinates, linear scales and a nomogram with time, speed, and distance.

The maneuvering board provides mariners with a way of solving relative motion problems by utilizing marking devices, rulers, radar distance information and dividers. These boards have been used on ships and other seafaring vessels for generations and were used before calculators and computers were available.

Multiple ships operating in conjunction with one another used maneuvering boards to mark the relative positions of other boats in their formation. This helped to eliminate and clarify station-changing issues.