The importance of the magnetic compass is known throughout history, and it played an important role not only in navigation, but also on land orientation. The use of the magnetic compass was quickly discovered and used in the Middle Ages, due to the influence of the Earth’s magnetism. In just a few centuries, the compass changed from a container with a floating magnet to a compact and robust device that was an indispensable aid in modern navigation.
In the Middle Ages, ships had a magnetic compass placed inside the conning bridge. At that time, all ships were built out of wood and the deviation of the compass was still undiscovered. The compass is now placed outside of the bridge, so to avoid the influence of magnetic fields from surrounding electronic devices, but due to the ship's iron structure, we can still have a large amount of deviation.
As deck watch officers, we have many daily tasks that we must perform regularly. The main duty of every officer is to carefully inspect and maintain all ship's equipment. One of the tasks is to control the deviation of the magnetic compass, thereby ensuring the accuracy and reliability of the device in emergency situations.
The use of a magnetic compass on board a ship has declined significantly in recent years, as we have many devices on the bridge that are more practical and provide more information for an efficient and easier navigation. Therefore, knowledge of the use of the magnetic compass has declined and will likely continue to do so if we do not maintain proper knowledge and motivate new officers.
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