Page 114 - Electronic Navigation Cyber Book

Back in the old days of merchant shipping, the ‘Quarter Master’ was a
vital member of the Bridge team. ‘Quarter Master’ was the title given
to the able bodied seamen whose primary responsibility was to steer
the ship according to the Master’s and Officer’s helm orders. Quarter
Masters kept watches and took turns on the helm all day when at sea.
This practice continued until automation took over in the field of
navigation. The significance of Quarter Master almost vanished off
when the revolutionary equipment ‘Auto-Pilot’ was invented. It was
during the early 1920’s when an automated steering and helm control
system was introduced onboard merchant ships.
Auto-Pilot system is considered as one of the most advanced and
technically sophisticated navigational equipment tools on ships. Auto-
Pilot is synchronized with the Gyro Compass to steer manually input
courses, with reference to the gyro heading. Auto Pilot steers the
manually input course by controlling the steering gear to turn the
rudder in the required manner. Furthermore, modern auto-pilot
systems are capable of being synchronized with the Electronic Chart
system (ECDIS) enabling to follow the courses laid out in the Voyage
plan. This feature cuts out the need of manual course changes and
alterations as the system will follow the courses and alterations as per
the voyage plan.

Auto-pilot system is surely an undeniable boon in modern navigation.
However over-reliance on the equipment and poor comprehension of
its efficiency and limitations has resulted in several accidents at sea.
This was also because of the inability of the operators to study the
equipment beyond its basic features.

The below notes are a brief outline of 10 important points to be
considered while operating Auto-pilot system onboard for safe and
smooth navigation.

© 2018 Digital Galaxy Index 114