Company words, my photos.

1850 Physicist Edward S. Ritchie began developing the first U.S. manufactured marine compass.

1861 The US Naval Observatory put out a call for American Manufactured navigational instruments and called on Ritchie for help
June 1861. Ritchie completed and sent samples of his work - including the first ever liquid filled compass.
August 1861 Ritchie received an order from the US Navy for 26 compasses, 10 of which were liquid filled Ritchie began selling compasses under the name E.S. Ritchie & Co.

1867 The company name was changed to E.S. Ritchie & Sons.

1900 By this year, Ritchie had sold over 30,000 compasses to merchant vessels based upon the performance of his instruments and without the benefit of ever advertising.
E.S. Ritchie continued to grow and constantly modify the liquid filled compass. The philosophy of continuing development and improvement earned Ritchie many awards and medals including the Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia and a number of world expositions. A model of Ritchie’s first liquid filled compass is on display today in the Museum of Science in London, England; the only foreign product so honored.

1910 Louis A. Sherman founded the Marine Compass Company and concentrated on producing smaller instruments for commercial and fishing vessels as well as the emerging yachting markets.

1951 Marine Compass Company purchased E.S. Ritchie & Sons.
The two companies consolidated all operations under the name E.S. Ritchie and Sons and is still owned by the Sherman Family. The company is currently owned by Paul Sherman, grandson of Louis A. Sherman.

1950s Ritchie capitalized on technology that was developed during World War II. Spherical bowls, internal gimbals, jeweled pivot systems and lightweight aluminum dials were all developed to make the compasses more stable and accurate.

1960s Acrylic domes were developed to replace glass, and high-strength plastics replaced metal castings. These new materials helped to create compasses that were stronger and lighter.

1970s and 1980s Ritchie continued to increase the performance and longevity of its compasses.

1990s to present Ritchie has developed many products for expanding markets. They include the RitchieSport® Compasses for “on and off-road” vehicles. The Kayaker compasses are for the sea kayak markets; the Tactician compass for the small dinghy; and day sailors and the Trek™ series, which features Mossy Oak® Breakup™ and Shadowgrass™ camouflage coloration for the outdoor sports enthusiasts.
Research and design changes continue to be an ongoing process at Ritchie. Each compass undergoes a rigid evaluation of materials and performance as a part of a continuous product improvement program.

My words,

Richie does a fair business in restoring old compasses for boat enthusiasts. Many Riva boat owners for example have used this service, some at a charge, some no charge, I understand.

Nice. Suprisingly even with GPS, I used my compass to navigate to Catalina last summer.

I have a white compass on my helm that is similar to the one in the last photo. Very seldom ever use it so I just keep an old hat over it to keep it from getting sun baked.

Pretty hard to get lost on a river. You either go upstream or down.

IMO, there's something elegant about a well designed, well funtioning compass. Don't know what it is, but I like them. And, you never know when the GPS satelites will all be knocked out by Skynet!

Makes a nice decoration on my boat.

Thanks for the post sb. Interesting history lesson.



+1

Semper Fi 75

ps Bowline - Don't worry yet. Skynet doesn't go online until next year. They are calling it the switch to digital TV but that is just a cover story. The new "digital signal" will insert a subliminal message and brainwash the human population. But that's just my paranoid delusion.

This company often has the boat builder face printing if you want your compass restored for any reason. Look at the first photo - notice all the markings that would normally be out of sight? They keep records of all that stuff and can restore yours as when it was made for a boat builder when they read that off the compass that you send in.

Ritchie also stands behind their products with available parts and technical support. When my compass lost its seal, they sold me replacement parts for a few dollars and told me how to repair and refill the compass. Just like new, without the cost!

I like to support companies that take care of me!

Very stand-up type company, IMB.

My first modification to my new boat, was my X-21 in dash.



Excellent piece of equipement.