Maritime Knowledge Base
Browse questions and answers across marine machinery, merchant navy careers, shipboard operations and maritime glossary terms.
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Marine Machinery
Troubleshooting guides for pumps, boilers, purifiers, compressors and auxiliary systems.
Merchant Navy Careers
Questions about joining the merchant navy, exams, cadetships, ranks and sea-time.
Maritime Glossary
Plain-English definitions of shipping, engine-room, navigation and regulatory terms.
Shipboard Operations
Practical Q&A for watchkeeping, safety, maintenance routines and onboard documentation.
Results for "Gyrocompass"
What is a gyrocompass and how does it differ from a magnetic compass?
A gyrocompass is a navigation instrument that uses a fast-spinning gyroscope to find and hold true north, unaffected by the ship's magnetism, providing a true heading to the ship's systems.
Shipboard OperationsWhat is the difference between magnetic variation and deviation?
Variation is the angle between true and magnetic north caused by the Earth's field; deviation is the compass error caused by the ship's own magnetism. Together they make up compass error.
