Previously, [Vinnie] had been stopping the clock every evening, and hoped he would remember to start the pendulum in motion 12 hours later. This was a chore, so he decided to automate the process.

Would you believe a pendulum clock that can keep time accurately to within one second per year? If you answered “yes”, you’ve either never tried to regulate a pendulum clock yourself ...

From this point on, the gyro mechanism makes minor steering adjustments via the rudders, keeping the torpedo on a straight course. Perhaps when you hear the word pendulum you think of a clock's ...