Time Signals for Mariners in India, Burma and Ceylon

The East India Company played an important role in establishing time signals for mariners in India. The Company was replaced in 1858 by the India Office, a department of state. Subsequent reports to London included details of time signals and their performance. In 1860, there were time balls at Bombay, Madras and Calcutta, but their dates of introduction varied. Navigation guides and lists of time signals worldwide showed the subsequent development of time signals in India, Burma and Ceylon. The geographical area now includes modern India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Sri Lanka. Many cities have changed names since visual time signals were made redundant by radio. A first time ball service in India was established at Calcutta in 1835, with a time ball at the Observatory and a secondary ball at Fort William. Later, there were three Calcutta time balls in parallel operation. An early time ball in India was operational at Colaba Observatory in Bombay during 1840. It was replaced temporarily by a flag, reestablished and then moved to Bombay Castle. A controlled clock was later installed near the time ball. A second time ball had been installed on the tower at the Prince's and Victoria Docks in 1891 and became the principal signal. A Madras time gun was operating in 1841. The first time ball at Madras was erected in 1853and subsequently transferred to the Government. It was unreliable in 1858-1859 and had to be rebuilt. It was still in service in 1878. The Madras time ball had been replaced by a semaphore signal by 1880, to be replaced in turn by another time ball in 1917. A time gun service continued throughout. A time ball at Karachi was announced in 1874 and time balls later existed there at three different locations. Rangoon had a time ball from 1893 and another was established in 1919 at Port Blair in the Andaman Islands. There were also time guns at Rangoon and Moulmein, and a time light at Rangoon. Colombo initially had a time ball, replaced by a semaphore signal which was in turn replaced by another time ball

Ancient history · Ceylon · Geography · History · Maritime Navigation and Safety