Ontario Hughes-Owens Co. Ltd.

A binnacle is a housing for a maritime compass that both protects the instrument and allows it to be used at sea, for example, by putting the compass on gimbals that allow it to tilt with the motion of a ship, and illuminating the compass’s face. This binnacle was manufactured by the Ottawa-based Ontario Hughes Owens company during WWII, with components from other companies including Cansfield Electrical Works (CEW), an electrical equipment manufacturing company in Toronto. These may be the illumination apparatus of the binnacle. This binnacle no longer contains a compass.

Founded as an independent Ontario arm of the earlier Canada-wide and Montreal-based Hughes-Owens Co. Ltd., (Ontario) Hughes-Owens operated largely as an importation and sales company during the early part of its history. However, like many similar companies, it certainly did have some manufacturing or repair capabilities in the 1920s or 1930s.

With the onset of World War II, the company opened additional manufacturing facilities to produce aeronautical and maritime instruments for the war effort. Evidently proud of these efforts, the company took photographs of the factory at work, including images of the instruments in production. The binnacle is one of these, but also shown are a lifeboat compass, surveyor’s compass and other navigational-type instruments.

The images show how many women were involved in the production of navigational instruments during this period. Women are depicted working in production-line-type positions wearing matching uniforms, and also in more specialised and supervisory roles.

The Ontario Hughes-Owens company was purchased in 1951 by Sperry Gyroscope and became Sperry Gyroscope Ottawa Ltd.. Sperry Gyroscope operated the Ottawa factory until at least 1964.