In a properly installed marine compass, the bowl and lubber's line rotate around which component?

• A. The compass card
• B. The hull
• C. The anchor
• D. The binnacle stand

Answer: (A)

The heading indication is built around a stable reference: the compass card. In a properly installed marine compass, the card provides the fixed scale of degrees. The bowl (the damped, liquid-filled housing) and the lubber’s line are the moving parts that rotate around that card. This arrangement lets the ship’s fore-and-aft alignment be read by where the stationary lubber’s line intersects the rotating card’s graduations. The damped bowl smooths out quick motions, while the card stays as the consistent reference for heading.