Gyro Compass

Gyro Compass is a non-magnetic compass system used on ships. Unlike magnetic compasses, the Gyro Compass provides a more stable orientation against ship movements. This helps ships steer in the right direction and navigate safely.

Unlike magnetic compasses, the Gyro Compass does not rely on the Earth's magnetic field. Instead, it uses a high-speed rotating gyroscope. The gyroscope continues to move in a certain direction and remains stable against the movements of the ship. In this way, Gyro Compass ensures that the ship moves in the right direction. It is an essential navigation tool that helps ships navigate safely and accurately.

The Gyrocompass system applications are based upon two fundamental characteristics, which are:

Gyroscopic Inertia: The tendency of any revolving body to uphold its plane of rotation.

Precession: A property that causes the gyroscope to move, when a couple is applied. But instead of moving in the direction of the couple, it moves at right angles to the axis of the applied couple and also the spinning wheel.

These two properties and the utilization of the Earth’s two natural forces, rotation and gravity, enacts the Gyrocompass to seek true north.

Once settled on the true meridian the rotor indefinitely will remain there as long as the electrical supply of the ship remains constant and unaltered and unaffected by external forces.

Importance of these systems on the vessel:

Accurate Navigation: One of the primary purposes of a gyrocompass on the vessel is to provide an accurate and reliable reference for determining the ship's heading or course. Accurate heading information is essential for safe navigation, especially in challenging conditions, such as rough seas or when visibility is limited.

Eliminating Magnetic Variations: Traditional magnetic compasses can be affected by local magnetic variations caused by the ship's own magnetic fields, ferrous materials onboard, or magnetic anomalies in the Earth's crust. Gyrocompasses eliminate these concerns, providing a consistent and true north reference.

Automation and Integration: Modern gyrocompasses are often integrated into a ship's navigation system, allowing for seamless integration with other navigation instruments like GPS, chartplotters, and autopilot systems. This integration enhances navigation efficiency and safety.

Redundancy: In many cases, ships have multiple gyrocompasses for redundancy. If one gyrocompass fails, others can continue to provide accurate heading information, reducing the risk of navigational errors.

Usage and Errors.

Gyro compasses are pre-eminently used in most ships in order to detect true north, steer, and find positions and record courses, but due to the ship’s course, speed and latitude, there could appear some steaming errors. It has been found that on Northerly courses the Gyro compass north is slightly deflected to the West of the true meridian whereas on Southerly courses it is deflected to the East.

Modern vessels use a GPS system or other navigational aids to feed data to the Gyrocompass for correcting the error. An orthogonal triad of fibre optic design and also ring laser gyroscopes which apply the principles of optical path difference to determine the rate of rotation, instead of depending upon mechanical parts, may help eliminate the flaws and detect true north.

Gyro Compass is a device that requires maintenance and repair of ships. For this device to function properly, it must be regularly maintained and repaired when necessary. It is also important to install and set up the Gyro Compass correctly. These operations are usually carried out by qualified personnel.