Peter Frederick Shortland (1815 – 18 October 1888) was a British naval officer and hydrographic surveyor. He was noted for his work in North America, and for surveys involving deep soundings, particularly in preparation for the laying of submarine cables.

Biography

Peter Shortland was born, probably in England, in 1815, the son of Thomas George Shortland, a captain in the Royal Navy, and Elizabeth Tonkin. He entered the Navy on 15 January 1827, passed his examinations in December 1834, and was appointed sub-lieutenant. He was first involved in surveying work at

Port Phillip Port Phillip (Kulin languages, Kulin: ''Narm-Narm'') or Port Phillip Bay is a horsehead-shaped bay#Types, enclosed bay on the central coast of southern Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. The bay opens into the Bass Strait via a short, ...

as mate of .. Reprinted in: In 1838 he was given leave of absence to study mathematics at Pembroke College Cambridge, graduating first class in 1842, and becoming a fellow of the college. He was promoted to Lieutenant, and was sent to join the North American Survey under the command of

William Fitzwilliam Owen Vice Admiral William Fitzwilliam Owen (17 September 1774 – 3 November 1857), was a Kingdom of Great Britain, British naval officer and explorer. He is best known for his exploration of the west and east African coasts, discovery of the Sea ...

, becoming commander of the ''Columbia'' in 1844. The North American surveys were very detailed, and continued until 1865. In the

Bay of Fundy The Bay of Fundy (french: Baie de Fundy) is a bay between the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, with a small portion touching the U.S. state of Maine. It is an arm of the Gulf of Maine. Its extremely high tidal range is the hi ...

the survey included all rivers and creeks as far as they were navigable, and also possible sites for a canal to link the Bay of Fundy with Northumberland Strait. In 1848 he was promoted Commander, and took charge of the North American Survey in 1849. In 1855-6 he was involved in sounding the depths between the SW point of

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...

and

Cape Breton Island Cape Breton Island (french: link=no, île du Cap-Breton, formerly '; gd, Ceap Breatainn or '; mic, Unamaꞌki) is an island on the Atlantic coast of North America and part of the province of Nova Scotia, Canada. The island accounts for 18. ...

to determine the best route for a

submarine telegraph cable A submarine communications cable is a cable laid on the sea bed between land-based stations to carry telecommunication signals across stretches of ocean and sea. The first submarine communications cables laid beginning in the 1850s carried tel ...

. This was the last link in the connection from

St. John's, Newfoundland St. John's is the capital and largest city of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador, located on the eastern tip of the Avalon Peninsula on the island of Newfoundland. The city spans and is the easternmost city in North America ...

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Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

. Overall Shortland's survey work in North America resulted in the publication of 15 major charts In 1865-7 Shortland was employed in surveys of the coast of

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, and the

Malta Channel Malta Channel separates the European island of Malta from the southern tip of Sicily. The channel serves as a sea route link to Europe for the Maltese. Virtu Ferries and Ponte Ferries take people and cars from Malta to Italy and vice versa. In W ...

, commanding . This involved surveying depths of up to . In 1867 he was sent with ''Hydra'' to Bombay, to make deep soundings on a line from Bombay to Aden, again in preparation for the laying of a submarine cable, part of the telegraphic link from Britain to India via

Suez Suez ( ar, السويس '; ) is a seaport city (population of about 750,000 ) in north-eastern Egypt, located on the north coast of the Gulf of Suez (a branch of the Red Sea), near the southern terminus of the Suez Canal, having the same boun ...

. The cable was opened for public use on 14 March 1870. While carrying out this survey he made a number of improvements to the methods used for deep soundings, which led to a request from the

Hydrographer Hydrography is the branch of applied sciences which deals with the measurement and description of the physical features of oceans, seas, coastal areas, lakes and rivers, as well as with the prediction of their change over time, for the primary p ...

to publish an account of the voyage. Shortland retired in November 1870, on reaching the age of 55. He then went on to study law at Cambridge, being called to the bar in January 1873. In 1887 he published ''A short account of the laws which govern Her Britannic Majesty's navy''. He died in Plymouth on 18 October 1888. He was survived by his wife Emily and their children, who published his work on Nautical Surveying in 1890.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shortland, Peter Frederick 1815 births 1888 deaths Royal Navy vice admirals Fellows of Pembroke College, Cambridge English barristers British hydrographers