Chip Log

A chip log, also sometimes referred to as a ship log, common log or speed log, is an instrument which is used to measure a ship’s speed and the distance it has traveled. The speed is determined by referencing the water flowing past the hull (water reference speed) or by the seabed (ground reference speed).

There are five different types of chip log which all work on different principles: the electromagnetic chip log, the pitometer chip log, the doppler chip log, the impeller chip log and the satellite chip log. See their individual glossary entries for more information on each.