The White Falcon - 07.05.1976, Blaðsíða 3

May 7, 1976
Armed Forces Week 76
Page 3
•»More than 200 years of proud Navy tradition
Sea
chanties
Sea chanties were songs sung in the days of sail by crews as they worked
at heaving the lines or turning the capstan. The songs' rhythms caused
everyone to push or pull at the same time, hence causing a concerted effort
and better results.
Some believe the term is a derivation of the French word "chanter" which means
"to sing." Others maintain the spelling
should be "shanties," claiming the name
refers to the shanties along the Mobile,
Ala. waterfront where many of the tunes
were learned by sailors.
Whatever the origin, chanties were
divided into three distinct classes.
Short-drag chanties, used when a few
strong pulls were needed; long - drag
chanties, longer songs to speed the work
of long-haul jobs; and heaving chanties,
used for jobs requiring continuous
action such as turning the capstan.
One man, the chanty-man, stood high
above the working crew and sang the main
lines while the rest of the crew added
their voices strongly on the second
line. On the last word, a combined pull
made the ropes "come home."
A good chanty-man was highly prized
by officers and crew alike. Although he
had no official title or rate, he was
usually relieved of all duties to com-
pose new verses for sea chanties.
Portholes
Sometimes, novice seamen will ask
"how come holes on the starboard side
are called portholes instead of star-
boardholes?" Many old salts are ready
with explanations, but actually the
name "porthole" has nothing to do with
its location. The word originated dur-
ing the reign of Henry VI of'England
(1485). It seemed the good King insis-
ted on mounting guns too large for his
ships and therefore the conventional
methods of securing the weapons on the
forecastle and aftcastle could not be
used.
A French shipbuilder named James
Baker was commissioned to solve the
problem. And solve it he did by pierc-
ing the ship's sides so the cannon could
be mounted inside the fore and after
castles. Covers, gun ports, were fitted
for heavy weather and when the cannon
were not in use.
The French word "porte" meaning door,
was used to designate the revolutionary
invention. "Porte" was Anglicized to
"port" and later corrupted to porthole.
Eventually, it came to mean any opening
in a ship's side whether for cannon or
not.
Captain’s mast
The term "mast" refers to the cere-
mony that takes place when the captain
awards non-judicial punishment for re-
gulation infractions or official recog-
nition for "jobs well done." In the
days of sail, ceremonies were held under
the mainmast on a regular basis and
usually on a Sunday morning just before
devine services. Consequently, the
ceremony came to be known as "mast" in
recognition of the locality of the pre-
sentation.
Dog watch
Sickbay
In the
place a
tention.
few such
cifically
modem Navy, sickbay is the
sailor can receive medical at-
In the days of sail there were
places on shore designed spe-
for ill seamen, but onboard
most ships there were sick berths locat-
ed in the rounded stern. The contour of
the stem suggested the shape of a bay
and consequently the sailors began cal-
ling the ancient dispensaries sickbays.
Often we use "took
his sails" to describe
ponent in an argument,
that one nobel adversary
the wind out of
beating an op-
It simply means
presented such
a sound argument that his worthy oppo-
nent; was unable to continue the verbal
pugilistics.
Originally the term described a bat-
tle maneuver of sailing vessels. One
ship would passs close to windward usu-
ally ahead of another, and thereby
blanket or rob the breeze from the
enemy's canvas causing him to lose head-
way.
Horse Latitudes
The words of Samuel Taylor
Coleridge, "Idle as a painted
ship upon a painted ocean" well
describe a sailing ship's situat-
ion when it entered the horse
latitudes. Located near the West
Indies between 30 and 40 degrees
north latitude, these waters were
noted for unfavorable winds that
becalmed cattle ships heading
from Europe to America.
Often ships carrying horses
would have to cast several over-
board to conserve drinking water
for the rest as the ship rode out
the unfavorable winds. Because
so many horses and other cattle
were tossed into the sea, the
area came to be known as the
"horse latitudes."
Sea dogs who sailed
endured hardships
never suffer,
poor unpalatable
ing and boredom
of sea life. But
frustrating prob-
ting fire to
or pipes after
work.
the wooden ships
that sailors today
Cramped quarters,
food, bad light-
were hard facts
perhaps a more
lem was get-
kindle cigars
a hard day's
Smoking lamp
Matches were scarce and unreliable,
yet smoking contributed positively to
the morale of the crew so oil lamps were
hung in the fo'c'sle and used as match-
es. Smoking was restricted to certain
times of the day by the bos'un's. When
it was allowed, the "smoking lamps" were
"lighted" and the men relaxed with their
tobacco.
Fire was, and still is the great
enemy of ships at sea. The smoking lamp
was centrally located for the conven-
ience of all and was the only authorized
light aboard. It was a practical way of
keeping open flames away from the
magazine and other storage areas.
In today's Navy the smoking lamps
have disappeared but the words "smoking
is lighted in all authorized spaces*1 re-
mains, a carryover from our past.
He knows the ropes
When we say someone knows the ropes
we infer that he knows his way around at
sea and is quite capable of handling
most nautical problems. Through the
years the phrase's meaning has changed
somewhat. Originally, the statement was
printed on a seaman's discharge to in-
dicate that he knew the names and pri-
mary uses of the main ropes on board
ship. In other words, "This man is a
novice seaman and knows only the basics
of seamanship."
Chit
Dog watch is the name given to the 4
to 6 p.m. (1600-1800) and the 6 to 8
p.m. (1800-2000) watches aboard ship.
The 1600-2000 four-hour watch was origi-
nally split to prevent men from having
to stand the same watches daily. As a
result, sailors dodge the same daily
routine, hence they are dodging the
watch or standing the dodge watch.
In its corrupted form, dodge became
dog and the procedure is referred to as
"dogging the watch" or standing the "dog
watch."
Took the wind
out of his sails
One tradition carried on in the Nav>
is the use of the "chit." It is a carry
over from the days when Hindu traders
used slips of paper called "chitti" for
money, so they wouldn't have to carry
heavy bags of gold and silver.
British sailors shortened the word to
chit and applied it to their mess vouch-
ers. Its most outstanding use in the
Navy today is for drawing pay and a form
used for requesting leave and liberty.
But the term is applied to almost any
piece of paper from a pass to an offici-
al letter requesting some priviledge.
Jacob’s ladder
A jacob's
ladder is a m
portable lad-
der made from
rope or metal
and used pri-
marily as an
aid in boarding
ship. Origi-
nally, the lad-
der was — y |
a network of
lines leading
to the skysail
on wooden
ships. The
name alludes to

Biblical Jacob re-
that he climbed a
the
puted to have dreamed
ladder to the sky.
Anyone who has ever tried climbing a
Jacobrs ladder while carrying a seabag
can appreciate the allusion. It does
seem that climbing is long enough to
take one into the next world.
Master-at-arms
The master-at-arms rating is by no
means a modern innovation. Naval re-
cords show that these "sheriffs of the
sea" were keeping order as early as the
reign of Charles I of England. At that
time they were charged with keeping the
swords, pistols, carbines and muskets in
good working order as well as ensuring
that the bandoliers were filled with
fresh powder before combat.
Besides being chiefs of police at
sea, the sea corporals, as they were
called in the British Navy, had to be
qualified in close order fighting under
arms and able to train seamen in hand-
to-hand combat. In the days of
sail, the MAAs were truly "masters
at arms." The master-at-arms in
the U.S. Navy can trace the begin-
ning of his rate to the Union Navy
of the Civil War.
Knots
The term knot or nautical mile, is
used world-wide to denote one's speed
through water. Today, we measure knots
with electronic devices, but 200 years
ago such devices were unknown. Ingen-
ious marines devised a speed measuring
device both easy to use and reliable:
the "log line." From this method we get
the term "knot."
The log line was a length of twine
marked at 47.33-foot intervals by colo-
red knots. At one end was fastened a
log chip; it was shaped like the sector
of a circle and weighted at the rounded
end with lead.
When thrown off the stern, it would
float pointing upward and would remain
relatively stationary. The log line was
allowed to run free over the side for 28
seconds and then hauled on board. Knots
which had passed over the side were
counted. In this way the ship's speed
was measured.
Today any bound record kept on a
daily basis aboard a ship is called a
"log." Originally, records were kept on
sailing ships by inscribing information
onto shingles cut from logs and hinged
so they opened like books. When
paper became more readily available,
"log books" were manufactured from
paper and bound. Shingles were rele-
gated to naval museums—-but the
slang term stuck.
Logbook