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A binnacle is a waist-high case or stand on the deck of a
The construction of many early (mid-18th century) binnacles used
Before 18th century ''bittacle'', through French ''bitacle'', from
ship
A ship is a large watercraft that travels the world's oceans and other sufficiently deep waterways, carrying cargo or passengers, or in support of specialized missions, such as defense, research, and fishing. Ships are generally distinguished ...
, generally mounted in front of the helmsman, in which navigational instruments are placed for easy and quick reference as well as to protect the delicate instruments. Its traditional purpose was to hold the ship's magnetic compass
A compass is a device that shows the cardinal directions used for navigation and geographic orientation. It commonly consists of a magnetized needle or other element, such as a compass card or compass rose, which can pivot to align itself with ...
, mounted in gimbal
A gimbal is a pivoted support that permits rotation of an object about an axis. A set of three gimbals, one mounted on the other with orthogonal pivot axes, may be used to allow an object mounted on the innermost gimbal to remain independent of ...
s to keep it level while the ship pitched and rolled. A binnacle may be subdivided into sections and its contents typically include one or more compass
A compass is a device that shows the cardinal directions used for navigation and geographic orientation. It commonly consists of a magnetized needle or other element, such as a compass card or compass rose, which can pivot to align itself wit ...
es and an oil lamp
An oil lamp is a lamp used to produce light continuously for a period of time using an oil-based fuel source. The use of oil lamps began thousands of years ago and continues to this day, although their use is less common in modern times. Th ...
or other light source. Other devices such as a sand timer
An hourglass (or sandglass, sand timer, sand clock or egg timer) is a device used to measure the passage of time. It comprises two glass bulbs connected vertically by a narrow neck that allows a regulated flow of a substance (historically sand) ...
for estimating speed may have been stored in the binnacle as well.
Binnacle can also refer to the cluster of instruments and switches mounted in a circular casing on or near the steering column of a car.
History
The construction of many early (mid-18th century) binnacles used iron
Iron () is a chemical element with Symbol (chemistry), symbol Fe (from la, Wikt:ferrum, ferrum) and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 element, group 8 of the periodic table. It is, Abundanc ...
nails, which were later discovered to cause magnetic deviations in compass readings. As the development of the compass and understanding of magnetism progressed, greater attention was given to binnacle construction to avoid compass disturbances caused by iron.
With the introduction of iron-clad ships the magnetic deviation observed in compasses became more severe. Methods of compensation by arranging iron or magnetic objects near the binnacle were developed. In 1854, a new type of binnacle was patented by John Gray of Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...
which directly incorporated adjustable correcting magnets on screws or rack and pinions. This was improved again when Lord Kelvin
William Thomson, 1st Baron Kelvin, (26 June 182417 December 1907) was a British mathematician, mathematical physicist and engineer born in Belfast. Professor of Natural Philosophy at the University of Glasgow for 53 years, he did important ...
patented in the 1880s another system of compass and which incorporated two compensating spheres. These are colloquially known as "Kelvin's balls" in the UK, and "navigator's balls" in the United States. The Royal Maritime museum at Greenwich, London, has an extensive collection of binnacles.
The ship's "binnacle list" is the medical department's report of personnel at sick bay
A sick bay is a compartment in a ship, or a section of another organisation, such as a school or college, used for medical purposes.
The sick bay contains the ship's medicine chest, which may be divided into separate cabinets, such as a refrigera ...
, excused from that day's duty.
Etymology
Before 18th century ''bittacle'', through French ''bitacle'', from Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
''habitaculum'', a little dwelling.
See also
*Gyrocompass
A gyrocompass is a type of non-magnetic compass which is based on a fast-spinning disc and the rotation of the Earth (or another planetary body if used elsewhere in the universe) to find geographical direction automatically. The use of a gyroc ...
* Logbook
References
*Alan Gurney, ''Compass: A Story of Exploration and Innovation'', W.W. Norton & Company, 2004, .External links
*{{Cite EB1911 , wstitle=Binnacle , volume=3 , page=949 Sailing ship components Sailboat components