THE AUTOMATIC PILOT.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 12 November 1924, Page 7

THE AUTOMATIC PILOT.

“The Berengaria, on which the Prince of Wales travelled to America, is one of the_largest "boats fitted with the automatic quartermaster or gyropilot ,” says the Morning Post. “Briefly, the system practically eliminates the errors common to hu. man judgment in the steering of a vessel, and once the course is set —, which is effected by turning a small" wheel to the desired degree —the master gyro-compass may be considered as in charge of the ship, though there is always a man at the wheel to deal with emergency conditions. It is seldom, however, that he is more than a passive onlooker of a wheel that in a curiously uncanny manner turns itself to the required extent, and thus compensates for the effect of both wind and waves from her course “The secret of the control is contained in the master compass, which may be placed in any part of the ship, and operates an electrical circuit whenever the bow deviates from the appointed route. The rudder, obedient to the compass, corrects the deviation, and having done so, returns to normal. The master compass, apart from steering the vessel, operates ‘repeater compasses’ on the bridge or elsewhere, and at the same time makes a permanent record on a moving chart of each deviation of the ship, whether under auto, matic or human control.”