Perceptions of broaching-to: Discovering the past

Abstract

The article summarizes the key findings of an investigation into old bibliographical sources, aiming to determine how broaching-to was considered in the past; especially in terms of the magnitude of the problem and its perception in the older days. Several relevant citations have been identified: in voyager's records, in nautical journals, in training manuals, in encyclopaedias and even in literary sources. The fear of broaching-to is referred-to in a famous old British poem, inspired by a real 18th century disaster. © Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2011.