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5compass Correction

- A compass bearing must be corrected for gyro error or compass error to convert it to a true bearing that can be plotted on a chart. - Gyro error and compass error have multiple components, including gyro/compass deviation and magnetic variation, that must be considered and applied in the proper order when converting between true and compass bearings. - Leeway, the effect of wind pushing the ship off its heading, must also be accounted for but does not affect bearings.

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Ramanan Manimozhi
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182 views23 pages

5compass Correction

- A compass bearing must be corrected for gyro error or compass error to convert it to a true bearing that can be plotted on a chart. - Gyro error and compass error have multiple components, including gyro/compass deviation and magnetic variation, that must be considered and applied in the proper order when converting between true and compass bearings. - Leeway, the effect of wind pushing the ship off its heading, must also be accounted for but does not affect bearings.

Uploaded by

Ramanan Manimozhi
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Compass Correction

• Every Course, Track or Bearing that is put on or


taken off the Chart is TRUE – this means that the
direction is referenced to TRUE NORTH
• A Course, Track or Bearing taken from the ship
will have used the Gyro Compass or Magnetic
Compass – both these instruments are subject to
errors and need correcting before they can be used
on the chart
Gyro Compass
• A mechanical instrument that indicates
direction
• For a variety of reasons, the instrument can
have a GYRO ERROR
• Any Course or Bearing taken from the Gyro
Compass should have a “G” after it to
indicate its source eg 235˚ G
• Gyro Error is indicated as either High or
Low of True eg 3˚ H or 2 ½ ˚ L
• This indicates that the Gyro compass is
reading 3 higher than the true reading or 2.5
lower than the true reading
• EG 005 G 340 G
GE 2 H GE 2 L
003 T 342 T

150 T 265 T
GE 3 H GE 3 L
153 G 262 G
Magnetic Compass
• The magnetic compass uses the Earths
magnetic field to indicate direction
• Directions taken from the Magnetic
Compass are indicated with a “C”

• EG 235˚ C
• Magnetic compass are subject to Compass
Error (CE)
• Compass error is comprised of two separate
elements: VARIATION and DEVIATION
North Magnetic
Pole North Geographic
Pole (True North)

Variation
• VARIATION is the difference between True
direction and the Magnetic Direction
• It is named either East or West
• Changes direction and magnitude annually
and depends on your location
• Can be found on the Chart or will be given
to you in the question
DEVIATION
• Ships are made of steel and therefore are
subject to Magnetic forces- this causes an
error in the Magnetic Compass
North Magnetic
Pole North Geographic
Pole (True North)

Deviation

Direction
indicated on
Compass
• Deviation is named East or West
• Changes in strength and direction
depending on which way the SHIPS HEAD
IS POINTING
• Deviation is found from the DEVIATION
CARD
This Compass Error (Variation and Deviation) needs to be
applied to a Compass Bearing to get a True Bearing which
can then be plotted on the Chart.

Alternatively a Bearing taken from the chart, which will be True


needs to have Compass error applied to it to become a
Compass Bearing

The direction of the error and whether you are converting from
True to Compass or vice versa will tell you whether to add or
subtract.
This applies to Compass Error as a whole and to Variation and
Deviation as separate elements
Converting from COMPASS to TRUE
Each component must be placed in the correct order

Compass (Cadbury) True

Deviation (Dairy) Variation

Magnetic (Milk) Magnetic

Variation (Very) Deviation

True (Tasty) Compass

The same order must be used in the opposite direction if


converting from TRUE to COMPASS
• Error West, Compass Best (Bigger)
• Error East, Compass Least (Little)

• Compass Add East = True


• C ADE T
Deviation Table
• The Deviation Table shows the Deviations
of the Magnetic Compass for the direction
of the Ships Head ˚C
• As the Ships Head changes so does the size
and direction of the Deviation
• If you do not know the Ships Head you
CANNOT find the Deviation using the
Deviation Table

• Bearings CANNOT be used in the


Deviation Table
Deviation Card: Example

Ships Head˚ C Deviation Ships Hd˚ M


000 2E 002
010 1.5 E 011.5
020 1E 021
030 0 030
040 1W 039
050 1.5 W 048.5
060 2W 058
070 3W 067
• For values of Ships Head – True or
Magnetic which is not tabulated–
interpolation is required
Leeway
• Leeway is the term used to describe the effect of
the wind on the track of a vessel
• It is the difference between the True Ships Head
and the Watertrack
• Leeway does not affect anything other than the
Ships Head – IT DOES NOT AFFECT
BEARINGS
• Leeway is applied in a similar way to compass
Error
Water Track ˚ T – (from chart)
Leeway (wind on stbd side – add)
Ships Head ° T – beam/relative bearings applied here
Variation
Magnetic ° M
Deviation
Ships Head ° C – (what the compass will read)
Ships Head ° C – (what the compass reads)
Deviation
Magnetic ° M
Variation
Ships Head ° T – beam/relative bearings applied here
Leeway – (wind on Stbd side - subtract)
Watertrack ° T – (put on chart)
Watertrack ° T from Chart

Leeway (wind to stbd – add)


Ships Head True beam/relative bearing applied here

Gyro Error
Ships Head Gyro what the Gyro compass reads

Ships Head Gyro what the gyro compass reads

Gyro Error
Ships Head True beam/relative bearings applied here

Leeway (wind to stbd – subtract)


Watertrack ° T put on Chart

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