Compass Variation and Deviation

All information on a chart, including your own plotting, is related to TRUE North.

Thus all bearings on a chart are related to TRUE NORTH. Compasses point to MAGNETIC NORTH, which varies from True North by an error called VARIATION.

Compasses also are subject to their own errors; this is called DEVIATION.

COMPASS BEARING = TRUE BEARING +/-  MAGNETIC VARIATION +/- COMPASS DEVIATION

Magnetic Variation is due to the differing positions of the Geographic North Pole and the Magnetic North Pole.  The boat’s compass and a hand bearing compass point to the Magnetic Pole, but all bearings on charts are related to the Geographic Pole (True North).

Around UK coasts variation is around 4° West to 7° West.   In other parts of the world it can reach more than 50° (East or West).  Because the Magnetic North Pole moves, the variation changes from year to year. The compass rose on the chart gives the annual change, around 7’ East per year around the UK.

(For an 1870 version of Variation at 18° , see Chart of 1870 )

We therefore have to convert our True bearings into Magnetic and vice versa.

The simple way to remember is that whenever the Variation is West, the Magnetic bearing will be greater than True (see diagram above), ie you have to add Variation to True bearing to get Magnetic (or subtract Variation from Magnetic to get True).

“Variation West, Magnetic Best”

“Variation East, Magnetic Least”

If you use a plotter correctly (see conventions ) it will do the sums for you.

Deviation

Compass Compensation – a good article

Boats themselves can also affect compasses due to their construction, steel engines, keel, ferro-magnetism, electromagnetism, (loudspeakers, mobile phones, hand held VHF) and deck cargo on large ships. This effect is called Deviation, and will vary with the heading of the boat.   You can plot a graph of the effect of change in boat heading on the Deviation, this is called a Deviation Curve. Deviation can be measured by ‘swinging the compass’, that is, checking the compass reading when the boat is on a known heading, round a 360° series of headings, and plotting the resultant errors. You can then read off Deviation and apply this to the boat’s compass heading to get a Magnetic course, or vice versa, apply it to a Magnetic heading to obtain a Compass Course

“The standard compass error is determined at least once per watch and, when possible, after any major alteration of course; the standard and gyro compasses are frequently compared, and repeaters are synchronised with the master compass.”

There is an example of a Deviation curve at the back of your RYA Training Almanac.  You need to be aware of deviation and its causes.

Swinging the Compass

1) Locate two transit objects (objects in line) and determine their true bearing on the chart
(2) Secure the boat at anchor so that these transits are exactly aligned. Swing the boat’s head until it is pointing due north.
(3) Read off the transit bearing on the compass and apply the variation.
(4) The difference between this result and the true transit bearing is the deviation on this heading. If the true bearing is greater, the deviation is named east; if it is the lesser, the deviation is named west.
(5) Repeat the procedure taking transit bearings on each of the cardinal points.
(6) From the results, make up a deviation card

Further errors are caused by boat heel, and the difficulty of reading when on a moving platform.  An electronic compass can be set up to remove the effect of deviation, but it is still a magnetic compass.

Hand bearing compasses usually show very small deviation effects which can be ignored if you use them away from a magnetic area.

Deviation can also be East or West, but the same logic applies:

“Deviation West, Compass Best”

“Deviation East, Compass Least”

Summary and Examples

Examples:

True bearing                = 273° (T)
Var                             =    5° W
Magnetic bearing         = 278° (M)

True bearing                = 008° (T)
Var                             =  13° E
Magnetic bearing         = 355° (M)

Magnetic bearing         = 273° (M)
Var                             =    7° W
True bearing                = 266° (T)

Compass bearing        = 177° (C)
Deviation                    =    5° E
Magnetic bearing        = 182°   (M)

More variation and deviation examples: complete the table below:

	True	Variation	Magnetic	Deviation	Compass
1	114	4 W		5 E
2		7 W	309		314
3	050	6 E			044
4		2 E	248	2 W
5	156		148	5 E
6	358	9 W			010
7	004		358	4 W
8		6 W		3 E	191

Answers

	True	Variation	Magnetic	Deviation	Compass
1	114	4 W	118	5 E	113
2	302	7 W	309	5 W	314
3	050	6 E	044	0	044
4	250	2 E	248	2 W	250
5	156	8 E	148	5 E	143
6	358	9 W	007	3 W	010
7	004	6 E	358	4 W	002
8	188	6 W	194	3 E	191

SOURCE: http://www.skysailtraining.co.uk/compass_variation_deviation.htm

One hundred years ago, on the afternoon of Aug. 16, 1918, British tanker SS Mirlo was steaming through wind-swept seas north of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. At about 4:30 p.m., a torpedo from German U-boat U-117 ripped into her hull, shooting up a column of water. The hit was seen seven miles away by the lookout at the Chicamacomico Coast Guard Station in Rodanthe, North Carolina. Flames leaped into the sky as a cargo of fuel gushed out of the Mirlo’s hull and caught fire.

Despite any fears that station keeper John Allen Midgett might have had about entering the flames surrounding the tanker, he mustered his crew and initiated rescue operations within minutes of the explosion. A veteran keeper at Chicamacomico, Midgett (left) came from a long line of lifesavers. Members of Midgett’s extended family had been surfmen for over 40 years. John’s relative Rasmus Midgett had received the Gold Lifesaving Medal for a daring rescue in 1899, and all but one of John’s crew bore the Midgett name.

After donning their kapok life preservers, Midgett’s crew threw open the station doors and hitched their motor surfboat’s carriage to a dray horse. Midgett stood in the bow of the oar and motor-powered boat holding the reins as the horse pulled the boat across the beach to the surfline. Having frequently drilled his men in launching procedures, Midgett’s boat and crew reached the water less than a half-hour after Mirlo’s explosion. Launching into the breakers proved more dangerous. It took four attempts to breach the heavy surf before the boat cleared the waves.

By 5 p.m., Midgett began motoring out from the beach. On the way, he spotted the first of Mirlo’s three lifeboats and directed its occupants to row toward land and wait for him to take them ashore. Next, Midgett steered his boat close to the burning wreckage. Through the flames, he spotted a capsized lifeboat with six victims clinging to it. Up to that time, no Coast Guardsman had been trained to rescue survivors from burning water, so Midgett improvised. His men wrapped cloth around their faces and one surfman used an oar to strike water ahead of the boat to open the curtain of fire. Midgett forced his way through floating debris while flames singed the boat’s white hull. He later learned that when the overturned lifeboat hit the water, it had 15 crew members inside; however, the fire became so intense the men had to choose between drowning and burning to death. Eventually, nine of them drifted away succumbing to one fate or the other.

After hauling the six survivors on board, Midgett escaped the fiery cauldron and motored downwind to locate the third lifeboat. It was drifting helplessly before the wind overcrowded with nearly 20 survivors so no one could man the oars. Midgett took the boat in tow and headed to shore where the first lifeboat was waiting. Even though the seas were heavy and night had fallen, Midgett and his men skillfully ferried the survivors 10 at a time to the beach through the large breakers. There, other lifesaving crew members waited to care for the tanker’s survivors.

Midgett and his five-man boat crew saved 42 British merchant mariners without the loss of a single surfman. Later, Mirlo’s captain, William Williams, wrote Midgett, “Had it not been for your promptness in putting out to sea, and going to the fire as you did, the loss of life would have been much greater.”

For their heroism, each Chicamacomico man was awarded the Coast Guard’s Gold Lifesaving Medal and the equivalent gold medal from the British government. In addition, the American Cross of Honor Society awarded the surfmen the prestigious Grand Cross Medal for bravery. Coast Guard Commandant Ellsworth Bertholf recommended the men for the prestigious Navy Cross Medal, however, the Navy never acted on his recommendation. John Midgett also received a ceremonial silver cup presented to him by the British Board of Trade.

In spite of Mirlo’s memorable last hours on the water’s surface, the site of the wreck on the seafloor has never been found. The day after the rescue, the surviving crew members were transported to Norfolk, Virginia, for recuperation before they returned to the United Kingdom. After attacking Mirlo, German submarine U-117 returned to her homeport of Kiel, where she sat out the rest of World War I. After Germany’s surrender, the U-boat returned to the U.S. as a war prize and toured American seaports as part of a Victory Bond drive. The Navy sunk U-117 as a target in 1921. After serving over 40 years in the Coast Guard, John Midgett was severely injured in a car accident in 1937. He lingered for several weeks and died in Norfolk the next year.

 

SOURCE: THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE

 

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BY: RENO B. BOLIVAR

Different Types of Hatch Covers that may help you to understand its uses

Hatch covers of ships are designed to be efficient and cost effective, as an initial investment and during service, and at the same time should suit the demands of the various types of cargo vessels. The major objective of hatch covers and coamings on ships is to prevent the ingress of water into the cargo hold and protect the goods from being damped and damaged.

Hatch covers also act as a barrier to the ship’s internal structure by enduring the green water loads in extreme weather, which can damage the internal structure of ship due to corrosion.

The various types or hatch covers that are mainly used on board are as follows –

Lifting type
Rolling type
Folding type
Sliding type
Roll stowing type

Lifting type or lift away type hatch covers are generally used on container ships, whereas rolling type are used on bulk carriers (to be specific side-rolling). Rolling type can be divided into end rolling, side rolling, and piggy back & telescopic. Folding type hatch covers are basically used on general cargo ships. However, these may vary depending on the stowage space and the type of cargo that is carried.

Folding type: Folding type hatch covers consists of two flat type topped panels which are operated via hydraulic arms. These may be fitted on both weather deck as well as tween deck. A major advantage in the design of folding type hatch covers is its large size which means less number of panels.

Rolling type: Rolling type hatch covers consists of two covers at the end of the hatchway. Wheels are fitted which help in the sliding of the panel either athwartship in case of side rolling or longitudinally in case of end rolling. These type of hatch covers are usually fitted on large ships. Hydraulic rams are required to raise them to rolling position as they are extremely heavy and have very large dimensions.

Lifting type: Lift away type hatch covers can be classified into two types –

a) Single panel covers,

b) Multi panel covers.

Single panel cover consists of a single cover for each opening, these can be seen mainly on bulk carriers. In case of multi panel covers, a single hold is covered via multiple number of covers, these are most commonly observed in cellular container ships in the case of longitudinal joints, and for multipurpose cargo ship in case of transverse joints.

Stacking cover type: These type of facility are used on ships having relatively smaller hatch cover. It consists of a hydraulically powered lifting crane facility whose purpose is to lift the covers longitudinally and stack it together at one end or over any empty stowage tank. It is relatively cheap and is used mostly in barges.

Designing a hatch cover does not mean just designing the cover and its coaming, there are various key components which ensure that the hatch cover stays intact and effective for a very long period. The key parts are as follows –

Bearing pads
Securing devices: cleats & wedges
Pontoons and panels
Operating mechanism
Stoppers
Drains & non return valves
Compression bars

It should be ensured that the maintenance of the above mentioned components are done on a regular basis in order to ensure the safety of the cargo and the effectiveness of the hatch cover & coamings.

Source: E-biztruss/ The Seamanship

By: RENO B. BOLIVAR

The 26 code words of phonetic alphabet are assigned to the 26 letters of the English alphabet in alphabetical order as follows:

Alfa, Bravo, Charlie, Delta, Echo, Foxtrot, Golf, Hotel, India, Juliett, Kilo, Lima, Mike, November, Oscar, Papa, Quebec, Romeo, Sierra, Tango, Uniform, Victor, Whiskey, X-ray, Yankee, Zulu.

SOURCE: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NATO_phonetic_alphabet

BY: RENO B. BOLIVAR

From a Chief Engineer(ex Torm) fighting cancer. He has been overly courteous to certain characters but still pinpointed the problem.

1. First of all cancer can
happen on any type of vessel you are sailing. Please never have the wrong idea that it only happens to people serving on tankers, yes but it’s true that crew working on ships which carry ca

rcinogenic cargoes are more prone to catch this disease.

2. Please read MSDS of all cargoes and daily use chemicals that you are using on board. It includes WD40, Paints, thinners, Diesel oil, Engine room chemicals, accommodation and deck cleaning chemicals. Do not use any chemicals if MSDS is not available on board.

3. If in MSDS it is mentioned that the chemical or paint or oil is carcinogenic then please take special precautions to avoid exposure to yourself. Exposure could be of any kind air, swallowing or skin contact.

4. Another very important point is – Please take a certificate from your Master in which it should be mentioned that during your service on board you were exposed to the chemicals which were carcinogenic in nature. If you have a certificate then it will assist you in getting proper medical assistance and diagnosis. Danish flag state provides medical assistance if you have served on Danish flag vessel and have this certificate .Danish government will assist you. Surely in future other flag states will also start this process, so seafarers should start this practice. I request all MASTERS who are reading this post should take steps from their own and start giving these certificate to their crew members.

5. Do not wash your hands with Diesel oil, thinner,WD40 or any such chemicals. These may cause cancer if used continuously. Please buy proper natural hand cleaner out of your own pocket in case your company is not providing you .Remember these chemical reside in your body for many months and your body takes too much time sometimes in years to excrete these. Start developing clean and hygienic habits.

6. Please buy PPE for yourself from your own pocket in case company or ship you serve is not providing you. I know many of you will not agree to it but we should understand that there are many grey and shady companies and characters in even good companies who are reluctant to provide proper PPE.

7. Wearing dirty boiler suits , socks,cotton gloves,etc which are soaked with heavy oil , paints, chemicals should be avoided.if worn for longer duration the skin comes in contact and it gets absorbed and then stays in your body . It may not effect immediately but exposure of longer durations will surely have ill effects.

8. It’s everyone duty to go to provision store . Remove all expired cans , food items, meat and meat products. I have personally seen meat stored in provisions that was more than eight months old in many reputable ownership and management companies. DO NOT EAT ROTTEN MEAT.

9. Check provision as soon as they arrive. Assist your chief cook . In case you find any rotten or expired food items return it . Never consume.

11. Coming back to provision , do not consume FRUIT DRINK which we usually get on board instead of Fruit juice . Fruit juices which we should be consuming should be without any preservatives.Avoid aerated soft drinks like Pepsi, coke ,sprite etc as well. I know plenty reputed celebrities film stars and cricketers advertising these products but trust me they themselves do not consume it. I wander sometimes why these celebrities endorse such unhealthy products for personal financial gains.

12. In case of spray painting, cleaning oil filters with compressed air wear proper masks. Remember dust masks of paper are not soluton or remedy in these jobs

13. In case you are non vegetarian then prefer eating fish rather than eating chicken or any other meat.

14. Fruits should be eaten daily while serving on board. But ensure they are properly washed . Peel off skin of apple and such fruits in case you find wax /chemicals on them. Specially watch out of chemicals on grapes

15. Consult a doctor and take one health supplement as during long voyages its not possible to have fresh provision.One tablet of Spirulina, and one tablet of any fish oil for omega-3 is beneficial. Vegetarian seafarers can take flaxseed for omega-3 supplement in case they don’t want to include fish oil.REMEMBER : Any health supplement taken on board should have a prescription as many port state control officials check crew cabins and crew are fined heavily in case they find supplements or medication in cabins are without proper prescription.

16. MASTERS please don’t feel offended but please do buy fresh and healthy provisions for crew members.please refrain from taking unhealthy provisions for the sake of extra commission . Remember a healthy crew will give you more output.

17. Request all seafarers to take adequate sleep whenever they find time. During your rest hours avoid using internet or watch movies while lying on bed. A good sleep always rejuvenates your body. It relieves you from stress.Avoid taking coffee and caffeine products just before you are going for sleep. Start taking TURMERIC milk instead. You can learn to make turmeric milk . I am sure many mothers are already aware of its benefits and they will guide you.

18. Avoid alcohol and smoking. I understand it will be hard initially but with your will power you can always moderate your lifestyle. Sailors are always winners.

20. In case you are taking shore water in fresh water tank then make sure it is Potable water and could be utilised for human consumption. Remember tank cleaning water provided by some ports are of poor quality and should not be utilised.

21. Ensure that fresh water carbon filters are in working condition. It’s good if water purification utilising reverse osmosis is installed in galley and is maintained well.Remember carbon filter acts as mineraliser and it adds up minerals inside water as water from fresh water generators is nothing but distilled water which is not beneficial.

22. All seafarers should drink adequate amount of water while serving on board especially during hot working conditions.

23. Do not allow any crew member to wear dirty clothes in eating areas. Dirty boiler suits /clothes should not be worn in galley, mess room including duty mess room. Duty mess room doesn’t means crew are allowed to eat wearing dirty unhygienic clothes on those places.

-Ariel Miasis
#MARINOph

NAVIGATOR
By: Reno Beltiar Bolivar

Navigator that’s what they call us, We are the masters of the seas and the watchers of the skies. We are destined to sail over a great distances, riding through the waves of uncertainties, facing the variable atmospheric conditions, leaping through different time zones grid by grid using the modern approach of navigation and seamanship. We are equipped with certain knowledge and skills just enough to adapt to the intermittent state that may threaten us vigorously either physical, mental or emotional. It’s pretty clear that we are built for this job not because we are the best but the fact that we are completely dedicated and always willing to go the distance for the one we have a deep regards with back home. We pushed ourselves willingly out of our comfort zone to challenged our limitations and to know on how resilient we truly are.
Being of this profession is not for the fainthearted, we need to be tough and be ready to any unexpected and unwillful events considering that our life is at stakes and is always on the edge. Battling to the wrath and the balance of nature and finding someways to defy it. Exposing to a tremendous waves and unparalleled winds more than enough to make the strongest of steel to ruin. The blisthering mayhem of the tundra and the scorching heat of the tropics are on the list. The differences in culture and beliefs, the bossy and insensetive superiors. But it is unlikely compare to the feeling of being isolated and abandoned. The chord of having a melancholic and nostalgic state of being separated from our love ones is sometimes unbearable and exaggerating. We’ve just hold on to whatever faith that we have. We immediately learned of being precarious and humour ourselves for not being mean and judgmental, that way good camaraderie and the predicament of being ruthless and conflict is avoided.

Becoming a sailor is a comprehensive life choosen field. It differs from other profession for the sense that it is an easy to learned, all around, ubiquitous type of work that we are dealing. Its wrapped up to be a versatile kind of undertaking. We can be a teacher, a doctor, astronomer, accountant, engineer, architect, a mathematician or even a good leader. They can’t steer and navigate the ship from one point to another and in contrary they cannot do mostly of what we can. But we may be able to disseminate information to others regarding to the field of our expertise, be likely to do some minor incision and could give actively an assessment with regards to medical and health concerns, we can easily recognise some terrestrial and celestial bodies- its motion, altitudes and bearing regardless of our location, we can properly plan and make some excellent budgeting with respect to the rise and fall of the stock exchange. We can use all our resources to be in our destination with the aid of involving speed, time and distance calculations.

We can do better in locating geographical places by applying the difference of latitudes, longitudes and making use of earth’s magnetism respectively. Be supposed to predict the weather beforehand and possible we can be an advocate of goodwill to serve and influence others for a common cause.

The only disadvantage that other people have a perspective on us is they were thinking and assumed us of being actively engaged in having more than one mate at a time wherever our ship be. Its too far from what they believe in and an opposite to what they judged us. We are professional enough and actually we are the most faithful, affectionate, endearing, God fearing individuals with regards to tending our strong relationship with our love ones back to where we came from. As long as we are dedicated to them and they’re to us then the bond is constant and it will always be.What we greatly required is to trust us wholeheartedly without any sense of doubt and regrets till we set our foot again back home.

To be a seaman is great indeed. A profession not to be ashamed of, but be proud to be foster with.
KUDOS MARINO…

BY: RENO B. BOLIVAR

Bulk carrier SHENG MING reportedly sank on May 28 some 180 nm west of Cape Town, after being towed around in legs for more than a month. Bulk carrier was under tow to Cape Town after she was disabled by water ingress in engine room, towage stopped some 40 nm off Cape Town, until May 23 she was towed around, on May 23 towage turned west. Probably, she was towed as far offshore as possible to avoid pollution, but still, her sinking is a mystery. Why couldn’t she be salvaged? Maybe the ship was doomed because of oncoming rough weather, and salvors decided to take her out to ocean as far as possible?
Previous news:
Bulk carrier with flooded engine room in trouble off Cape Town
Apr 27: Bulk carrier SHENG MING loaded with iron ore is in troubled off Cape Town, where she was towed by tug after her engine room was flooded. Reportedly the ship loaded her cargo at Pepel Transshipment Area Sierra Leone, she sailed from Pepel on Mar 30, bound for Port Elizabeth, South Africa, ETA Apr 17. She was disabled on Apr 12 being off Namibia coast, details of accident unknown. On Apr 14 she was taken on tow to be towed to Cape Town. On Apr 24 when being some 40 nm north of Cape Town, towage stopped, not clear why, as of 0200 YTC Apr 27 there were two tugs near distressed bulk carrier, SA AMANDLA and MAERSK TENDER. Probably condition of bulk carrier deteriorated, and she isn’t allowed to be taken to Cape Town or its’ anchorage.
Bulk carrier SHENG MING, IMO 9109392, dwt 71122, built 1995, flag Panama, manager Wealth Success Transportation, HK.

 

BY: RENO B. BOLIVAR

 

SOURCE: http://maritimebulletin.net/2018/05/31/bulk-carrier-sank-after-more-1-5-month-long-towage/

The International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW), requires that seafarers be provided with “familiarization training” and “basic safety training” which includes basic fire fighting, elementary first aid, personal survival techniques, and personal safety and social responsibility. This training is intended to ensure that seafarers are aware of the hazards of working on a vessel and can respond appropriately in an emergency.

According to STCW, The STCW 95 Code requires that you take this 5-day course of instruction. This course has to be renewed every 5 years, or under certain conditions, you have to show that you have at least 1 year of service on board vessels of 200 grt or more within the last 5 years. The components generally includes a Fire Prevention and Fire Fighting (Basic Fire fighting) course of 2 days, a Personal Survival Techniques (PST) course of 1.5 days, a Personal Safety and Social Responsibility (PSSR) course of half a day, and, First Aid / CPR (Basic First Aid) course of 1 day.^[1]

Basic Safety Training or BST is the starting point for persons seeking employment in the maritime industry.^[2]

Basic Offshore Safety Induction and Emergency Training or BOSIET is designed for marine personnel intending to work on an offshore installation in the UK maritime sector and forms part of a Common Offshore Safety Induction process.

 

BY: RENO B. BOLIVAR

SOURCE: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basic_Safety_Training

Seamanship is the art of operating a ship or boat.

It involves topics and development of specialised skills including: navigation and international maritime law; weather, meteorology and forecasting; watchstanding; ship-handling and small boat handling; operation of deck equipment, anchors and cables; ropework and line handling; communications; sailing; engines; execution of evolutions such as towing; cargo handling equipment, dangerous cargoes and cargo storage; dealing with emergencies; survival at sea and search and rescue; and fire fighting.

The degree of knowledge needed within these areas is dependent upon the nature of the work and the type of vessel employed by a mariner.

BY: RENO B. BOLIVAR

SOURCE: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seamanship