1945 World War II (WWII) U. S. Navy Map or Nautical Chart of Bombay Harbor, India

This is a scarce World War II (WWII) era 1945 map of Bombay (Mumbai) harbor and vicinity issued by the U. S. Navy Hydrographic Office. It covers the western coast of what was then British India, from Arnala Island to Khanderi Island and inland as far as Kalyan and Bava Malang (Baba Malang) or Malanggad. Based on British surveys between 1855 and 1921 with additions to 1934, this chart offers extraordinary detail throughout including topography. The map shows considerable inland detail for a nautical chart, noting railways, rivers, towns, hills, etc. Bombay City in particular is beautifully detailed with streets, individual buildings, docks and forts noted. Countless depth soundings are noted in fathoms. The chart also notes several lights, buoys, radio beacons and notes on tides. This is the sixth edition of the chart first published in 1908. This particular map was printed in 1944 with small corrections and contains manuscript corrections dating to 1945. This map was prepared in 1944 as chart no. 2460 by the U.S. Navy at the Hydrographic Office under the authority of the Secretary of the Navy.

Cartographer

United States Hydrographic Office (1866 - 1962) was a brach of he U.S. Navy that prepared and published maps, charts, and nautical books to aid in navigation. Before the establishment of the Hydrographic Office in 1866, U.S. navigators were almost entirely dependent on British charts. There had been a few private enterprises that had prepared and published charts, but none had been able to do so profitably. The Office was established 'for the improvement of the means of navigating safely the vessels of the Navy and of the mercantile marine, by providing, under the authority of the Secretary of the Navy, accurate and cheap nautical charts, sailing directions, navigators, and manuals of instructions for the use of all vessels of the United States, and for the benefit and use of navigators generally.' This way the Navy Department could furnish navy and merchant ships with charts illustrating the results of surveys and explorations undertaken by naval officers. The charts were priced to cover the cost of paper and printing alone, not preparation. Its main objective was to survey foreign coasts, as the Coast and Geodetic Surveys were responsible for surveying domestic waters. The Hydrographic Office was transferred from the Department of the Navy to the Department of Defense in 1949 and was replaced by the Naval Oceanographic Office in 1962.   Further Details...

Condition

Very good. Minor wear along original fold lines. Blank on verso.