US WW2 “D-Day” Landing Ship Compass

The US Ordnance Department designed a standardized navigation compass for use in aircraft, naval vessels, submarines etc.

This elaborate design was needed as a way to filter out the effects of the metal in close proximity to the compass. It has a screw-type heeling compensator, a removable drawer-type compensator, a screw-type horizontal compensator, and a spider-type compensator, all for the elimination of errors caused by magnetism. Has a constant deviation corrector and a course setter. With a rotatable dial engraved with the compass card graduations. The compass mounted anywhere and rotates within the the framework of the body to give another thirty degrees of adjustment.

This particular compass was made by the Bendix Aviation Corporation in California for use by the Navy. It bears USN contract prefix NXSX.

As such it was used in aircraft, vessels such as LST (Landing Ship, Tank) and even as a backup compass on submarines.

It has a cast brass surface mount with drawing number 407993.

This particular compass was purchased at a garage sale by the consignor. The young man who sold it to the Consignor said it was gifted to him from a WW2 vet from his church who was at D-Day. All he could recall was that it was from a “tank.” He was not a military buff just a kid selling something he was given.