In December 1883 the U.S. Navy Hydrographic Office began to publish monthly Pilot Charts. These showed the positions and drifts of abandoned derelict sailing vessels and other dangers to navigation in the North Atlantic. During the years 1887-93 a total of 1,628 derelict sightings were made. The repeated sightings of 200 derelicts identified by name gave the first large-scale and long-term measurement of ocean trajectories. A new chart of these trajectories between 1883 and 1902 is presented showing features of the general ocean circulation and early evidence of the variability of ocean currents.
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