Gyro Failure

Question 1

Notice

Answer 1

o Your heading will slowly drift off.
o A good way to see this is your trails will all be spiraling on your radar.
o Your visual bearings will be off from what the ECDIS would have you expect.
o If the Lat/Long lines on the radar are replaced by dashes, there is a loss of GPS or Gyro.

Question 2

Response

Answer 2

o Immediately switch radar to Heads Up Relative Motion. Clear the trails.
o Immediately call the engineers to see if they can fix it.
o Have Mate plot a position.
o Call lookout and inform them of the situation, ask for extra-sharp lookout.
o Have helmsman steer off of magnetic courses (switch to the magnetic repeater at the helm).
o Utilize magnetic headings from your magnetic compass. Then add or subtract your next heading change to your current heading on your magnetic compass.
o Utilize EBLs on the radar for course changes (add or subtract the difference between your current and upcoming course and utilize EBL to show this difference). After the turn you steady up on the heading of the EBL that you set and then check the magnetic compass course and have that be your course (this avoids the errors of the compass’ deviation).
o (You could try to do the match using the ship’s compass card, but that would take a lot of math and a lot of time. Just utilize the heading change and EBL systems from above.)
o Talk about the vessel’s compass card and have the Mate do the math for you current and next heading, if there is time.
o Slow down to maintain control of your situational awareness.

Question 3

Radio

Answer 3

o Securite call that discusses your situation.
o Call nearby traffic that could be concerned.
o Call VTS.
o Call for tugs to escort. Call specific tugs if you know they are in the area.

Question 4

Anchor

Answer 4

o Notify your lookout. Have them prepare the anchor.
o Look for a good spots to anchor and talk about it.

Question 5

Continue

Answer 5

o Keep trying to make the situation better.
o Call for tugs again.
o Continue to call traffic as needed.
o Have the Mate calculate the headings with the Deviation Card if there is time.
o Look for a good spots to anchor and talk about it.

Question 6

Notes

Answer 6

o Gyro failures are usually a gyro drift where the heading of your vessel on ECDIS (and radar if in N Up) slowly drifts off (minimum is 10 degrees a minute).
o This probably will not happen in a sim test.
o If there is a gyro failure, the whole radar screen will spiral. You should clear the trails once you get it set to Heads Up, Relative Motion.