Georg Balthasar von Neumayer: marine sciences in service of sea trade

Abstract

Georg von Neumayer took over the lead of the Deutsche Seewarte as its first director in 1876. Holding this position for 27 years until 1903 he transformed the small institute into an overall accepted institution for marine meteorological and oceanographic research and analysis. During his tenure in office, sailing directions for all three oceans were compiled as well as the corresponding atlases, giving an overall view of the meteorological and oceanographic conditions as support to the growing German shipping. When steam shipping became more and more important he started the compilation of a handbook which was published two years after his retirement. As further support he created a new journal Der Pilote in which captains expressed the experiences made on their journeys and presented more scientifical oriented papers in Annalen der Hydrographie und Maritimen Meteorologie. With increasing deep water sailing the three sailing directions were published as reprints in the early nineties of the last century, still being the best information for yachtsmen available, testifying the quality of the work done a hundred years before.