Wilmington in New Hanover County, North Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)

Magnetic Compass

U.S.S. North Carolina

Photographed by Brandon D Cross

1. Magnetic Compass Marker

Inscription. This is a stand or binnacle for a magnetic or compensating type compass. The compass sat in a chamber in top of the stand under the hood.

Below it were magnetized coils to correct compass errors due to the Ship's magnetism. The iron balls on the arms also compensated for the Ship's magnetic field.

This compass type always pointed to magnetic not geographic North Pole as did the Ship's gyrocompass.

BB55 relied on gyrocompasses for navigation. Magnetic ones were for back-up. This particular compass was used for navigation. The steering compass is located on the Bridge.
(caption)
Compensating Binnacle Mark 7, Bureau of Ships, US Navy, The Lionel Corporation 1942.

Erected by Friends of the Battleship North Carolina.

Topics. This memorial is listed in these topic lists: War, World II • Waterways & Vessels.

Location. 34° 14.189′ N, 77° 57.26′ W. Memorial is in Wilmington, North Carolina, in New Hanover County. It can be reached from Battleship Road NE 0.2 miles south of U.S.S. North Carolina Road, on the left when traveling north. Touch for map. Memorial is at or near this postal address: 1 Battleship Road NE, Wilmington NC 28401, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this memorial is in North Carolina’s Coastal Plain and on the Cape Fear Coast.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

and in the Tidewater.

Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At

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least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Sky II (here, next to this marker); In the Beginning: 15 Boats (here, next to this marker); Friendly Fire (a few steps from this marker); Flag Plot (a few steps from this marker); U.S.S. North Carolina Battleship Memorial (a few steps from this marker); Battle Ribbons and Kill Board (a few steps from this marker); The Navigators (a few steps from this marker); Boats on the Move: Large Boat Cranes (a few steps from this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Wilmington.

Also see . . . Binnacle. Wikipedia entry (Submitted on April 16, 2025, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.)

Photographed by Brandon D Cross

2. Magnetic Compass Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on April 16, 2025. It was originally submitted on April 15, 2025, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. This page has been viewed 157 times since then and 14 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on April 15, 2025, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.