How the Liverpool Tidal Institute was established: industry, navy and academia

Abstract

Abstract. This paper outlines the establishment of the Liverpool Tidal Institute in 1919. There is a particular focus on early patrons and supporters in the context of both previous tidal research on the accuracy of predictions and debates about the involvement of state actors in science at the end of the First World War. It discusses how, and to what extent, various actors – Liverpool University, the British Association for the Advancement of Science, the UK Hydrographic Office, and the shipping industry – became involved with the institute and what their roles were in its creation. It shows that industrial support was crucial in the establishment of this academic institute which later became a key contractor to the Navy.