Sperry's Mark XIV gyrocompass
was installed on most every American ship built during WW II, including
SS Joliet Victory. When transformed into survey ship USNS Michelson the
old gyro was retained. In Barcelona it failed.
Besides not being able to sail without a radio officer, we couldn't go
anywhere without a gyrocompass.Whoever was called to service the gyro was unable to repair it. There were some spare parts aboard, but not what was required. None could be found in Barcelona. A search uncovered none anywhere in Europe. Whatever it needed, repair parts had to come from the States.
A look at the tech manual reveals that the old mark XIV, powered by the ship's service 110/220 volts DC, ran on a bunch of obsolete electronics: old late 1930s vacuum tubes and a thing called a dynamotor. This bit of rotating machinery provided high voltage for the tubes, but required routine attention to wear of its carbon brushes.
After ten extra days tied up next to a Barcelona pier, the parts arrived, the gyrocompass was fixed and Michelson went out to sea.
