NEW YORK -- Every newly commissioned ship in the U.S. Navy's surface fleet carries a copy of Nathaniel Bowditch's "The American Practical Navigator" (originally published in 1802) on its bridge. This thick encyclopedia on maritime navigation is packed with data on the latitudes and longitudes of various landmarks -- from the Bugio Lighthouse in Lisbon, Portugal, to the Kannonzaki Lighthouse in Yokosuka, Japan.
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Stars and a lone light illuminate the USS Ronald Reagan, the Navy's only forward-deployed aircraft carrier, as the vessel sails through the Luzon Strait. © U.S. Navy
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