Pacific Islands Pilot Volume II (Tenth Edition, 1984)

By the Hydrographer of the Royal Navy

Historical Significance

The Pacific Islands Pilot Volume II is a cornerstone of British Admiralty hydrography, representing centuries of accumulated maritime knowledge refined through the rigorous standards of the Royal Navy. This Tenth Edition, published in 1984, documents the central part of the Pacific Ocean, covering Nouvelle-Calèdonie and Îles Loyautè, Vanuatu, Banks and Torres Islands, Santa Cruz Islands, Fiji Islands, Tonga Islands, Samoa Islands, Tuvalu, Kiribati (Gilbert and Phoenix Groups) and the Marshall.

Unlike recreational cruising guides, the Admiralty Pilots are official government publications designed for professional mariners, providing the primary authoritative data required for safe passage through some of the most intricate and coral-strewn waters on the globe.

This particular edition is historically significant as it captures the hydrographic state of the Central Pacific during the transition from traditional terrestrial surveying to early satellite-influenced data. It includes exhaustive descriptions of coastal features, port facilities, and navigational hazards that were often observed firsthand by surveying vessels over decades of exploration. For the maritime historian or collector, this volume serves as a critical primary source that chronicles the logistical and environmental reality of mid-Pacific seafaring before the total ubiquity of modern digital charting, making it an essential reference for any comprehensive nautical library.

Key Maritime Themes

• Professional Hydrography: The systematic recording of depths, coastlines, and underwater hazards according to Royal Navy standards.

• Coral Atoll Navigation: Technical guidance on entering and maneuvering within the restricted lagoons of the Pacific atolls.

• Maritime Meteorology and Currents: Detailed analysis of the trade wind patterns and the complex current systems of the Central Pacific.

• Port and Anchorage Logistics: A historical record of the infrastructure and facilities available at remote island outposts in the 1980s.

• Nautical Astronomy and Magnetics: Data regarding local magnetic anomalies and the astronomical observations relevant to Pacific navigation.

Geographic Relevance

This volume holds profound geographic importance for the study of the Pacific’s maritime relationship with New Zealand. It covers the island groups that have been historically and culturally linked to New Zealand through trade, administrative ties, and migration. For New Zealand-based collectors and mariners, the Pacific Islands Pilot provides the definitive international context for the waters immediately to our north, serving as the professional standard that governed the movement of commercial and naval shipping between New Zealand and the Central Pacific archipelagos.

Condition

Used in very good condition, some minor scuff marks on cover, inscription inside front cover and some minor foxing to page edges. 462 Pages