§ 32. Sir R. Rankinasked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he is aware that 486 liquid compasses which are liable to freeze, to leak and to become sluggish, are being supplied to new ships now building, instead of dry card compasses with the latest anti-vibrational suspensions; and what steps will be taken to remedy this?
§ The Financial Secretary to the Admiralty (Mr. George Hall)Long experience has shown that liquid compasses are superior in performance to dry card compasses, even if fitted with anti-vibrational suspensions. Liquid compasses have the great advantage of "steadiness" which is of first importance in a marine compass and by the use of an appropriate filling mixture freezing can be prevented at any sea temperature, and, indeed, at lower temperatures, and instructions about the importance of filling compasses with the correct spirit mixture have lately been issued to all shipbuilders. The correctness of the decision, which was taken in consultation with the Ministry of War Transport, has been fully confirmed by experience in the Royal and Merchant Navies during the war. Leaking and sluggishness do not occur in a well made compass.