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What are the logs and journals?You can search for and download 164 volumes of logbooks of the Royal Navy’s voyages of scientific discovery, from series reference ADM 55. These volumes are the logs (navigational records) and journals (narrative accounts) of naval officers of ships engaged in exploration and surveying, which were used by the Hydrographic Office to produce charts and other data. Most of the logs were kept by naval captains, masters, lieutenants and masters’ mates, although there are a few logs which were kept by boatswains or assistant surgeons. Amongst this collection of Royal Naval logs, there are a several logs which were kept by merchant ships. The records were made between 1757 and 1861, with one exception; the logs of the ‘Morning’ (ADM 55/163 and ADM 55/164), which were made in 1904. The main areas covered in the logs are the Pacific, the Arctic, the Antarctic, Australia, the Americas and the west coast of Africa, although China, St Helena and other places are also included. Many famous officers kept logs held in this collection, including James Cook, William Bligh and Matthew Flinders. Searching the logsYou can search the logs by:
You can also search by entering the catalogue reference into the Quick search box at the top left of the page. It costs £2.00 to download a log book or journal. What could these logs help me to discover?These logs and journals are a first-hand account of the day-to-day activities of the exploration party, giving a picture of life aboard ship. The logs also include scientific information gathered during the voyage and detailed daily accounts of the weather they encountered. The meteorological observations in these logbooks have become a very valuable source of climatic information for scientists today. It is for this reason that the logbooks have been digitised as part of the UK Colonial Registers and Royal Navy Logbooks (CORRAL) project, which is funded by the Joint Information System Committee. What do the logs look like?To get an idea of what the logs look like, you may wish to view the log of the ship Felix Further researchYou can download an index of ships within catalogue reference ADM 55 The National Archives’ research guide Royal Navy: Log Books and Reports of Proceedings. Guide to the Naval Records in The National Archives of the UK, Randolph Cock and N. A. M. Rodger (Institute of Historical Research, 2006) If you are searching for ancestors who served in the Royal Navy, the following book may be useful: Tracing Your Naval Ancestors, Bruno Pappalardo (The National Archives, 2003). |
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