What is a Protractor Sextant?

Professional Mariner Forum
1

Does anyone know what a Protractor Sextant is? Just curious.

2

Used to put a position on a chart, once you have found at least two (preferably 3) compass bearings to two or three objects. When you make the opening the correct angle, you place the protractor on the chart. Line up the two edges onto the two objects you sighted. The center of the protractor is where you are. These usually have a third ARM. Using the third ARM makes it much more accurate.

So to use this you need to be able to accurately measure bearings from you to objects, know WHAT you saw when you took the bearings, and then enter the correct angles on the protractor. OR just look on the GPS and put down that position!

3

Looks like a 3 arm protractor. Not a sextant of any kind. We used them for plotting visual relative bearing LOPs when the compass was out of commision or for plotting horzontal sextant angles.