Lost at Sea: The Search for Longitude (1998)

Lost at Sea: The Search for Longitude is a documentary that was first shown on PBS in 1998. Ten years later (2008) it was released on DVD. It is also available online. The total running time is ca. 54 minutes. Here are a few basic facts about it:

** Directed by Peter Jones

** Written by David R. Axelrod

** Narrated by Richard Dreyfuss

Lost at Sea is based on Dava Sobel’s popular book Longitude which was published in 1996 (paperback 2005). The book and the film tell the story about the long and difficult search to find the longitude when you are at sea and there is no land in sight.

The most important characters in this story are John Harrison (1693-1776) and his son William Harrison (1728-1815). The most important institution is the Board of Longitude, which was established in 1714. The board had the authority to offer a prize of 20,000 British pounds – a huge fortune at the time – to anyone who could offer a practical and accurate solution to the problem.

Harrison senior was a carpenter by trade, but he also made clocks and watches. At first it was merely a hobby, but later it became his main occupation. Working alone at first and later with his son, this self-taught clockmaker constructed several marine chronometers, which made it possible to determine the longitude at sea with a high degree of accuracy. Today these instruments are known as H-1, H-2, H-3, and H-4.

Several experts appear as witnesses in this film. Here are their names, in the order of appearance:

*** Dava Sobel, author of  Longitude (1996)

*** Andrew King, historian

*** William J. H. Andrewes, curator, Harvard University, Collection of Historical Scientific Instruments; editor of The Quest for Longitude (1996)

*** Suzanne Debarbat, astronomer, Observatory of Paris

*** Jonathan Betts, curator of horology, Old Royal Observatory; author of Harrison (2007)

*** Derek Howse (1919-1998), historian of navigation and astronomy; author of Greenwich Time and the Discovery of the Longitude (1980); a revised edition entitled Greenwich Time and the Longitude appeared in 1998

Lost at Sea is, in many ways, a good film. The problem of the longitude is presented in the beginning. After this we learn how the solution was discovered. Step by step. We also hear how the Board of Longitude repeatedly refused to offer Harrison the coveted prize, even though it was clear that he had fulfilled the conditions demanded by the act of 1714.

Why did the board refuse? Most members were not merely academic scholars, but also arrogant snobs, who could not accept that a self-taught clockmaker from a small town had discovered the solution to a difficult scientific problem.

At the time, many scholars believed the solution would be found by studying the moon and the stars. One proponent of this view was Nevil Maskelyne (1732-1811) who is also presented in the film. According to Derek Howse, Maskelyne was a “pompous” person. Dava Sobel adds to the description: while admitting that Maskelyne did important work in the field of astronomy, she calls him “an unpleasant” character.

Maskelyne did lunar observations on Barbados in 1764, and hoped to win the prize using this method. In the following year he was appointed as Astronomer Royal. In this capacity he became a member of the Board of Longitude. He had a conflict of interest. He wanted to win the prize. At the same time he was a member of the board which had the authority to award the prize he wanted. He should have recused himself from the board or abandoned the attempt to win the prize, but he did neither.

As a member of the board he made sure that the board issued a negative report about H-4 and set up several new conditions which Harrison had to fulfil if he wanted to remain in the race. It seems every time Harrison fulfilled one condition, the board would set up two new demands. With this board, there was no way he could win.

H-1, a huge and heavy clock, was tested at sea during a voyage to Lisbon in 1736. Harrison senior went on this voyage during which his clock performed not so well going out, but quite well going back. Much better than Harrison himself, who was seasick all the time!

H-4, a handy pocket watch, was tested at sea during a voyage to Barbados in 1764. Harrison junior went on this voyage during which the watch performed extremely well.

However, the board still refused to recognise Harrison’s achievement. Finally, in 1772, Harrison junior tried a new approach. He appealed to the king George III, who took an interest in the case. When father and son were granted an audience, the king supposedly exclaimed: “By God, Harrison, I will see you righted!”

In the end, Harrison got the prize and the honour, but only because Parliament enacted a special law. The Board never gave it to him or anyone else, for that matter. Fortunately, Harrison senior lived long enough to see the happy end, but he had to wait for many years to see it.

Lost at Sea is a good film, but not everything in it is perfect. To illustrate my point I will mention two things which bother me:

NUMBER ONE

H-4 was completed in 1759 and tested at sea during a voyage to Jamaica in 1761. Harrison junior went on this voyage during which the clock performed extremely well. But the voyage to Jamaica is not mentioned in the film. We only hear about the voyage to Lisbon in 1736 and the voyage to Barbados in 1764.

NUMBER TWO

The British actor Patrick Malahide appears as John Harrison in a couple of scenes where he talks about his plans and his inventions. But he is all alone when we see him, and his monologues are not really successful; his portrait of Harrison is not really convincing.

Having made these critical remarks, I wish to repeat that “Lost at Sea” is a good documentary.

John Harrison was a remarkable man. It seems he was not always clear when he had to express himself, but he understood his metier extremely well. His persistence with the clocks and his patience with the board is impressive.

William Harrison supported his father through it all, not only by undertaking the two long voyages at sea, but also by attending numerous meetings with the cantankerous Board of Longitude.

The story of Harrison and the longitude is interesting and dramatic. It is also important because it reveals the prejudice which many academic scholars had against a layman such as Harrison. For them it was not important to find the best solution as soon as possible. For them it was important that a solution should come from one of their peers. Harrison was rebuffed time and again in many different ways. Most men would have given up, when treated like that, but Harrison was not most men. He believed a timekeeper was a good solution and he was right. He believed he could build one that was accurate enough and he was right again.

A COMPARISON

It is obvious to compare Lost at Sea with another documentary that is based on Dava Sobel’s book from 1996. This film, which has the same title as the book – Longitude – was first broadcast on Britain’s Channel 4 in 1999. Eight years later it was released on DVD. It is also available online.

One obvious difference between the two films is the length: one is much shorter than the other. Lost at Sea runs for less than one hour (54 minutes), while Longitude runs for more than three hours (198 minutes).

Another difference is format and structure. Lost at Sea is a traditional documentary in which modern experts appear as witnesses from time to time, while Longitude is dramatized from the beginning to the end. Two storylines are intertwined here: the first one takes place in the 18th century where we follow the lives of Harrison senior and junior during their quest for perfection. The second one takes place in the 20th century where we follow the life of Rupert T. Gould (1890-1948), a former naval officer, who restored Harrison’s clocks during the years between World War One and World War Two.

When I compare these two documentaries, I have to say that Lost at Sea is good, but Longitude is great. In other words, the former deserves a rating of four stars, while the latter deserves a rating of five stars.

PS. For more information about this topic, see Time Restored: The Harrison Timekeepers and R. T. Gould by Jonathan Betts (2011); Finding Longitude by Richard Dunn & Rebekah Higgitt (2014); and Maskelyne: Astronomer Royal edited by Rebekah Higgitt (2014).

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Lost at Sea: The Search for Longitude,

A documentary film directed by Peter Jones,

Aired on PBS 1998, released on DVD 2008

Total running time: 54 minutes

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