Having gained a considerable reputation as a private detective in matters concerning shipping and the high seas, Mark Compass was hired by the Penny Steamship Lines as a roving troubleshooter, solving various crimes on different ships of the line. A licensed ship’s captain, Compass has occasionally commanded different ships of the line in order to resolve some problem.
Now in semi retirement, Compass lives in a cabin suite aboard the S.S.Nautilus, a ship he frequently commanded in years past.