Shipping, central to the rise of the Atlantic economies, was an extremely hazardous activity. Between the 1780s and 1820s, a safety revolution occurred that saw shipping losses and insurance rates on oceanic routes almost halved thanks to steady improvements in shipbuilding and navigation. Copper sheathing, iron reinforcing, and flush decks were the major innovations in shipbuilding. Navigation improved, not through chronometers, which remained too expensive and unreliable for general use, but through radically improved charts, accessible manuals of basic navigational techniques, and improved shore-based navigational aids.“Curse thee, thou quadrant!” dashing it to the deck, “no longer will I guide my earthly way by thee; the level ship’s compass, and the level dead-reckoning, by log and by line; these shall conduct me, and show me my place on the sea.”Captain Ahab in Moby Dick, Ch. CXIII

中文翻译：

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工业革命期间的海上安全

航运是大西洋经济崛起的核心，是一项极其危险的活动。在 1780 年代和 1820 年代之间，发生了一场安全革命，由于造船和航行的稳步改善，远洋航线的航运损失和保险费率几乎减半。铜护套、铁加固和齐平甲板是造船业的主要创新。导航改进了，不是通过精密时计，它对于一般用途来说仍然过于昂贵和不可靠，而是通过彻底改进的图表、基本导航技术的可访问手册和改进的岸基导航设备。“诅咒你，你这个象限！” 把它冲到甲板上，“我不再在你身边引导我的世俗道路；水平船的罗盘，水平航位推算，通过日志和线；这些将引导我，白鲸记，通道。CXIII