Commander C. R. Burgess, former Meteorological Officer in the UK Meteorological Office, Bracknell and in the Royal Navy, completed Meteorology For Seamen in 1950 soon after he joined the Marine Society as Secretary. His book has been a standard work for 30 years, combining the factual presentation of the subject with the then popular question and answer format. A further revision became necessary soon after his death in 1982, and the present authors - Lieutenant-Commander Richard Frampton & Patt Uttridge - with some trepidation accepted the task.
So many advances have been made in this science and the presentation of text books so changed, that it was decided to present a completely rewritten and revised text with new illustrations. The question and answer format has been abandoned as it is out of place in a book with aims to present the fundamentals of the subject and highlight those aspects of particular interest to all seafarers.
It does not aim to provide a simple explanation, as this is regularly and professionally done by the radio, television and the more elementary textbooks, nor does it delve into the highly complex explanations provided by research papers. The interaction of the seas and the atmosphere is considered, but no attempt has been made to treat this important subject fully, since there are many excellent works to which the seafarer should refer to improve his understanding.
Meteorology for Seafarers is therefore a technical book which aims to explain the complexities of the atmosphere and provide the information needed for professional seafarers aspiring to first class certificates of competency. If at the same time it encourages the seafaring reader to investigate and understand more clearly, the forces of nature which affect his daily life, then it will have achieved the full ambitions of its authors.
