Summary

Harpoon type Nautical Log, A.1, designed by Thomas Walker, England, circa 1863. It was used for the calculations of a ship's speed on the HMVS Victoria in 1865. It is similar to the 1861 pattern for a Harpoon type Nautical Log designed by Walker, but with the addition of a float plate.

HMVS Victoria (also referred to as HMCSS Victoria) was a 580-ton combined steam/sail sloop-of-war built in England in the early 1850s for the Colony of Victoria. She was the second warship to be built for an Australian Colonial Navy, the first British-built ship given to a colony of the British Empire, and the first Australian warship to be deployed overseas when she supported New Zealand during the First Taranaki War. Her main duties were to protect the colony of Victoria, conduct hydrological surveys, recover passengers and crew from stricken ships, and serve as a lighthouse tender.

Physical Description

The log has two sections, the body and wind vane. These are connected by a mobile joint. There a ceramic white plate set into the body and label below it.

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