The mariner’s compass, housed in a wooden box, was manufactured in the Russian Empire in the second half of the 19th century. Its body was designed in a hemispherical shape, making it an ideal tool for Onega seafarers as they navigated the White and Barents Seas.
The needle was placed at the top, balancing on a spike fixed to the bottom of the bowl. A small hollow cylinder was attached to its end. The movable compass card was composed of layers of vellum and paper, glued together. Eight diamond-shaped markings for the cardinal directions were printed on the card. Magnetic arrows were affixed to the card from the bottom.
To ensure that the compass maintained its horizontal position even when the vessel was pitching or swaying, a special mechanism was added. To compensate for any tilting of the ship, a gimbal assembly consisting of two rings, with axes perpendicular to one another, was added to the design.
Before Peter the Great came to power, Russia was cut off from warm seas. Russians mastered navigation in the north, driven by a desire to escape poverty in Novgorod and explore the forests, rivers, and seas with their fur game, sea animals, birds, and fish.
This process began in the early 11th century when Novgorodians bravely explored the islands and coasts of the so-called Cold Sea (the White Sea and the Arctic Ocean). On their flat-bottomed boats and sailboats, they traveled to Norway. In the 13th century, they started navigating the areas along the ice edge and visiting the island of Svalbard (Spitzbergen). By the late 15th century, Russians had mastered the route around Scandinavia and traveled to Denmark and Spain.
The Pomors knew their way along the shore. When they sailed further away, they skillfully navigated by the stars. According to the descriptions of sea voyages, Russian seafarers began using the magnetic compass in the 13th century. These devices may have come to the north from the west, which the Pomors had previously visited, or from India, in the south.
Mariner’s compasses with sundials were invented in the late 19th century. This was associated with navigation and trips to the Arctic region. Researchers noticed that in polar areas, near the magnetic and geographic poles, the needle of the magnetic compass would constantly change directions and could have an error of up to 180 degrees. The compass was also useless during magnetic storms.
