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RE: Boxing the compass
Posted by: Rainer Bruns ()
Date: January 15, 2001 02:47PM

<HTML>Hello CAL,
Your description depicts \'compass adjusting\', when the vessel is put on various headings of her gyro compass and the corresponding heading of her magnetic compass is noted on a deviation card. Deviation +/- local magnetic variation will give the navigator the compass error of the mag. compass vs true North. The Adjuster may correct some of the greater deviations by fixing small adjusting magnets at cardinal points around the mag. compass. As long as the navigator has the accurate dev. and var., he will know which course to steer in case of total failure of the gyro compass.

A helmsman, steering a vsl by compass with a qtr.point compass card (in contrast to the modern card showing the 360 degrees), must know how to \"box the compass\", since heading commands will come in cardinal/intercardinal points and/or fractions thereof.

Favorate pastime of training officers catching cadets daydreaming or goofing off:
Let them stand at attention and recite \"boxing the compass\" point by point. Do not know, if this is still done nowadays. Cheers, RB </HTML>

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Subject Written By Posted
Boxing the compass Yves D. 01/14/2001 08:45PM
RE: Boxing the compass Craig McLean 01/14/2001 11:35PM
RE: Boxing the compass Jake 01/15/2001 12:56AM
RE: Boxing the compass Craig McLean 01/15/2001 02:18AM
RE: Boxing the compass Rainer Bruns 01/15/2001 03:55AM
RE: Boxing the compass CAL 01/15/2001 12:40PM
RE: Boxing the compass Rainer Bruns 01/15/2001 02:47PM
RE: Boxing the compass Yves D. 01/15/2001 06:24PM


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