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How do warships use gyrocompasses to aim guns and torpedoes?
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gyrocompass
The gyrocompass aboard the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) ship Rainier. Gyrocompasses are navigational instruments that use a continuously driven gyroscope to accurately seek the direction of true (geographic) north.
On warships, the gyrocompass serves as a critical azimuth reference for aiming guns and torpedoes.1
Because the gyrocompass is immune to magnetic interferenceâsuch as that caused by a ship's own steel structure or electric circuitsâit provides a highly accurate and reliable indication of true geographic north. By establishing a stable, precise directional baseline, the instrument allows fire-control systems to calculate the exact orientation of the vessel relative to its target. This ensures that weapons can be accurately trained and fired, even while the ship is maneuvering or experiencing the rolling motion of the sea.12