Charting Compasses
In navigation, charting compasses are two-legged metal drafting instruments that are used to delineate and mark circles and arcs when plotting a course. They could also be used as dividers.
They are defined by the presence of slots or holes on the tips of one or both legs. A marking tip, stylus or a metal nib is then inserted into the hole or slot.
Three different types have been recovered thus far from the Whydah site. Five are plain. Two have semi-circular bends about one-third of the way down from the pivot. Two have screw mounts at the end of one leg that held a nib in place.
A# 137053
A# 1489
A# 126170
A# 1423
A# 1547
A# 14084
A# 125495
A# 138294
William Dampier, a pirate, was one of history's greatest navigators.
