Over the centuries, navigation acquired an increasingly significant scientific component. Calculation processes and practical procedures to accurately determine vessel’s position at sea became increasingly more complex. In order to aid navigators in this process, new instruments were developed; either for measuring distances or assisting in the calculation processes.
The Maritime Museum’s collection of nautical instruments is quite substantial. Some of these instruments were designed and manufactured in Portugal, such as bearing compasses, or even some of the instruments used in the first aerial crossing of the South Atlantic, namely the artificial horizon sextant and course correction device.