Traditions of Seamen and Women.......

[sail7seas]

I often wonder about long observed traditions of men who go to sea.

Though we cruise often, we aren't seamen but I always sense there are many habits and customs by which they often honor their Captains, their ship and their fellow crew. Things they may do or say or observe as long held tradition of seamen.

I once heard when a Captain leaves a ship, sometimes the crew will request the ship's horn (whistle) be sounded as he goes down the gangway as an honor of respect to him. Anyone ever heard that? (Not if he goes off for the day but leaves his command.)

Can anyone share some of these traditions they may know about.

[iamaqt2]

I read the title phonetically and all I could do was :eek:

My mind must be somewhere in the Mariana Trench at this point :p

[rkacruiser]

I often wonder about long observed traditions of men who go to sea.

Though we cruise often, we aren't seamen but I always sense there are many habits and customs by which they often honor their Captains, their ship and their fellow crew. Things they may do or say or observe as long held tradition of seamen.

I once heard when a Captain leaves a ship, sometimes the crew will request the ship's horn (whistle) be sounded as he goes down the gangway as an honor of respect to him. Anyone ever heard that? (Not if he goes off for the day but leaves his command.)

Can anyone share some of these traditions they may know about.

Yes, you are correct about what happens when a Captain is retiring a leaving and disembarks from his last command. I recall reading that a recently retired HAL Captain (I do not recall the name) left his ship in Port Everglades, his own ship's horn was sounded as well as the other vessels in port. What a send-off that must be for a person finishing their career!:D

[Bill B]

Some superstitions/'traditions' observed by commercial fishermen on the west coast of Canada:
- you NEVER sail on a Friday;
- you NEVER whistle onboard;
- you NEVER write the number 13 (in the log book it is always written as 12+1 or 14-1);
- you NEVER wear anything black (black is the colour of funerals);
- NO flowers allowed on board (again... funerals);
- NO women allowed onboard (they're simply 'bad luck') ;)
- all coffee cups must be hung up facing astern.

[woodofpine]

I read the title phonetically and all I could do was :eek:

My mind must be somewhere in the Mariana Trench at this point :p

You ARE a Guttersnipe!:D;):D I LOVE IT! Great minds...;)

Clean yourself up and read "Hen Frigates: Passion and Peril, Nineteenth Century Women at Sea" by Joan Druett.

[Bill B]

My mind must be somewhere in the Mariana Trench at this point :p
Ever heard the expression - "channel fever"? ;)

[GayleArc]

rkacruiser, That was Captain Jack.

[FRANKIEDNYC]

:) On US Navy vessels, everytime the Captain arrives or departs the vessel a bell is rung on the quarterdeck and an announcement made (name of ship) arriving or (name of ship) departing no matter how often he comes and goes.

[sail7seas]

:) I heard if the Captain enters the Officers' Bar, a bell is rung and he has to buy a round of drinks. :D Don't know if true or not but it's a fun story.

[Jade13]

Some superstitions/'traditions' observed by commercial fishermen on the west coast of Canada:
- you NEVER sail on a Friday;
- you NEVER whistle onboard;
- you NEVER write the number 13 (in the log book it is always written as 12+1 or 14-1);
- you NEVER wear anything black (black is the colour of funerals);
- NO flowers allowed on board (again... funerals);
- NO women allowed onboard (they're simply 'bad luck') ;)
- all coffee cups must be hung up facing astern.

Hmm, no women, flowers, black, Friday, or Number 13 (that's me).......

[Bill B]

:) I heard if the Captain enters the Officers' Bar, a bell is rung and he has to buy a round of drinks. :D Don't know if true or not but it's a fun story.
He who rings the bell in the wardroom buys a round for everyone. I (sort of) remember ringing the bell in the wardroom of HMAS Onslow (sub) when she was visiting Esquimalt... cost me a fortune because all the Aussies suddenly switched from drinking beer to 12-year-old scotch... LOL.

[iamaqt2]

Ever heard the expression - "channel fever"? ;)

Nope... haven't heard that one... care to enlighten?

[sail7seas]

From "Wiktionary":

channel fever (uncountable)

1.(dated, nautical) the excitement on board ship as she approaches her destination with the prospect of liberty ashore.

[Bill B]

Nope... haven't heard that one... care to enlighten?
Imagine a bunch of guys who have been at sea for a month (or more) with no women and you are entering the channel on the way into home port... ;) ... that's 'channel fever'!

[DizzyDallasDi]

Imagine a bunch of guys who have been at sea for a month (or more) with no women and you are entering the channel on the way into home port... ;) ... that's 'channel fever'!

My first husband was in the Navy and I don't recall him ever talking about channel fever but he always did smile slyly when reminiscing about his shore leaves. ;)

[Taxguy77]

Some superstitions/'traditions' observed by commercial fishermen on the west coast of Canada:
- you NEVER sail on a Friday;
- you NEVER whistle onboard;
- you NEVER write the number 13 (in the log book it is always written as 12+1 or 14-1);
- you NEVER wear anything black (black is the colour of funerals);
- NO flowers allowed on board (again... funerals);
- NO women allowed onboard (they're simply 'bad luck') ;)
- all coffee cups must be hung up facing astern.

Never sail on Friday is a very old superstition. In the 19th century, a merchant decided to dubunk this superstition with his next ship so he:
Laid the keel on a Fri the 13th, launched on a Fri, and set sail on a Fri 13th.

The ship was never heard from again. :eek:

[woodofpine]

Maybe not tradition... but...

Until 1970 sailors on British war ships were issued modest daily allotments of 'grog' (watered rum). US Navy vessels were 'officially' alchohol free beginning in the Civil War. But by WWII, US Navy vessels had large industrial laundry facilities serving officers and enlisted. British ships had minimal laundry serving upper officers only (with salt water soaked lower ratings). According to Tristan Jones, during the busy North Atlantic lend-lease convoying of '39-'41, British and US navy vessels (typically destroyers) periodically made 'deals' and tied-up whereby British laundry would pass over to the US ship for a few hours laundry followed by crates of rum upon return.

[Sulo]

as cruise passengers, when we board the ship, we always put our right foot on the ship first as we step from the walkway to the vessel itself. Don't know where that superstition came from though.

As sailors, we acknowledged many superstitions. Like putting a silver coin under the mast every spring when stepping the mast. On any ship, never, never, ever say the word "rabbit". I believe too, at one time, it was considered bad luck to have macaroni on board.

Our first drink of the season on board we would always pour a little 'tot' of the grog overboard for King Neptune.

And no, my husband would never start a voyage on a Friday. He would leave on a Thursday night and sail just a short distance, just so he wasn't officially starting out on a Friday.

Oh boy, the things you do......!

[USN59-79]

as cruise passengers, when we board the ship, we always put our right foot on the ship first as we step from the walkway to the vessel itself. Don't know where that superstition came from though.

As sailors, we acknowledged many superstitions. Like putting a silver coin under the mast every spring when stepping the mast. On any ship, never, never, ever say the word "rabbit". I believe too, at one time, it was considered bad luck to have macaroni on board.

Our first drink of the season on board we would always pour a little 'tot' of the grog overboard for King Neptune.

And no, my husband would never start a voyage on a Friday. He would leave on a Thursday night and sail just a short distance, just so he wasn't officially starting out on a Friday.

Oh boy, the things you do......!
From my years in the Navy I am used to turning left to salute the ensign and then saluting the officer of the deck and requesting permission to come aboard. Not quite the same as just showing your cruise card. Not getting underway on Friday has me worried, though as we are boarding the Amsterdam this Friday for a long cruise.

[sail7seas]

Some of these responses are great. These are the sort of traditions about which I hoped to read.

[RetiredMustang]

When a U.S. Navy ship captain arrives/departs his ship, four bells are sounded and the word is passed "(Name of ship) arriving/departing." So, if the CO of USS Enterprise came aboard, four bells would be rung, and the word passed "Enterprise, arriving." Higher ranking officers rate more bells, up to eight. The four-star admiral who is the Chief of Naval Operations (the Navy's highest uniformed officer) would rate eight bells and would be announced as "Naval Operations, arriving." Why not "Navy, arriving"? -- that's for the Secretary of the Navy.

If you enter a Navy club covered (with your hat on), and fail to remove it before the bell by the bar is rung, you indeed buy the house a round of drinks. It is not just the officers' club, it's all clubs (chief petty officers' club, etc.)

Channel fever is indeed a condition wherein you cannot sleep on the last night before returning home from deployment. It often results in "channel turns," where the engineers put a few more rpm (turns) on the main shaft than the CO/officer of the deck ordered, so that the ship arrives a bit earlier.

The ensign you salute when you board/depart a U.S. Navy ship is not a low-ranking officer, but the U.S. colors (flag).

Many of the customs and traditions of the U.S. Navy are derived from the Royal Navy; although some no doubt came from The Netherlands and other sea powers, the Royal Navy did indeed rule the waves, and was the service from which the U.S. Navy derived.

A good resource is the U.S. Navy Heritage and History command website. It has tons of info, but a good page for this topic is http://www.history.navy.mil/nhc11.htm

Dave

[Taxguy77]

From my years in the Navy I am used to turning left to salute the ensign and then saluting the officer of the deck and requesting permission to come aboard. Not quite the same as just showing your cruise card. Not getting underway on Friday has me worried, though as we are boarding the Amsterdam this Friday for a long cruise.

ooohooh:eek:

[galipemi]

:) I heard if the Captain enters the Officers' Bar, a bell is rung and he has to buy a round of drinks. :D Don't know if true or not but it's a fun story.

The tradition we'ver heard about on Navy ships has been modified fr the HAL ships. I can confirm that there is a bell at the corner of the bar in each and every OB (officer's bar) on each HAL ship. However, rule of thumb onboard is he/she who rings the bell buys for everyone currently in the OB. You can perhaps understand why it's not necessarily fully explained to the folks on their first contract :p:D There have been many a round bought by the unwitting, myself included :o

[Oceanwench]

Some of the 7-day cruises will be leaving Port Everglades on Fridays.

[sail7seas]

Retired Mustang:

Great link. Thank you.

[Himself]

I have learned more than a little as I read this thread.

[RevNeal]

The four-star admiral who is the Chief of Naval Operations (the Navy's highest uniformed officer) would rate eight bells and would be announced as "Naval Operations, arriving." Why not "Navy, arriving"? -- that's for the Secretary of the Navy.

While the four-star Admiral is currently the highest uniformed officer in the US Navy, it is not the highest possible rank in the US Navy. The Wartime Rank of Fleet Admiral -- 5 Star Flag Officer -- still remains listed on official US Navy rank insignia precedence charts (FADM) and could be used in time of War. If it is ever needed, the President could appoint a Fleet Admiral and the Senate would confirm it. The last US Navy Fleet Admiral to hold that rank -- Chester Nimitz -- died in 1966.

[juswannasay]

When a U.S. Navy ship captain arrives/departs his ship, four bells are sounded and the word is passed "(Name of ship) arriving/departing." So, if the CO of USS Enterprise came aboard, four bells would be rung, and the word passed "Enterprise, arriving." Higher ranking officers rate more bells, up to eight. The four-star admiral who is the Chief of Naval Operations (the Navy's highest uniformed officer) would rate eight bells and would be announced as "Naval Operations, arriving." Why not "Navy, arriving"? -- that's for the Secretary of the Navy.


Dave

You also need to include the customs of "manning the rail" and passing honors. When entering or leaving a harbor in which other US Navy ships or US Coast Guard cutters are either anchored or underway, a junior ship is obliged to salute a senior ship with some of its crew lined up on one side in dress uniforms, of course and have these crew members or "side boys" initiate a hand salute in unison to the senior ship. The senior ship would then have its sideboys stationed on one side to acknowledge the junior ship's salute, by returning their salute. The junior ship which was finally recognized by the senior ship then could instruct its men from saluting. Determining seniority was based on the seniority of the ship's captain or CO (Commanding Officer) as determined from a published hierarchy list of US Navy senior officers. Saluting commands were broadcast from the bridge by a Boatswain's pipe or whistle and command announcements from the Boatswain (pronounced "Bosun") Mate on watch.


Jim Hamilton, a former Coastie Quartermaster

[bob brown]

Yes, you are correct about what happens when a Captain is retiring a leaving and disembarks from his last command. I recall reading that a recently retired HAL Captain (I do not recall the name) left his ship in Port Everglades, his own ship's horn was sounded as well as the other vessels in port. What a send-off that must be for a person finishing their career!:D
That is a nice honor. In the airline world, oftentimes when a Captain is retiring, he brings his entire family aboard his final flight, and when taxiing in to the terminal, the airport fire trucks will give his aircraft a 'water-cannon salute. Very impressive!

[NHRedSoxFan]

Some superstitions/'traditions' observed by commercial fishermen on the west coast of Canada:
- you NEVER sail on a Friday;
- you NEVER whistle onboard;
- you NEVER write the number 13 (in the log book it is always written as 12+1 or 14-1);
- you NEVER wear anything black (black is the colour of funerals);
- NO flowers allowed on board (again... funerals);
- NO women allowed onboard (they're simply 'bad luck') ;)
- all coffee cups must be hung up facing astern.

As far as the whistle, on Cape Cod and the Islands it's

"Whistle for a breeze in a calm. When the wind comes, stick a knife in the after side of the mainmast to hold it."

[funlovin'cruiser]

Well, it's not really a sea-faring tradition, but here are some traditions amongst the HAL crew that I learned on the Ryndam last summer after making friends with DJ Armen who was a major instigator in the below:

1. Fog Watch: All new to ships employees are assigned "fog watch". Depending on their department and the supplies available, it can either be pretty easy to figure out that you are being duped or you totally buy into it. Armen had a newbie fitted out with binoculars, a flashlight and 2 ping pong paddles. They were brought to the bridge, where the officer of the watch briefed the newbie on arm signals for fog watch (I am not 100% sure, as I was not there, but Armen's arm gestures looked something like the tarmac operators at airports). The person is then given a two-way radio and sent out to the bow of the ship in the dead of night (usually they give them a 1-3am shift). The bridge can see the person down below and the officer on duty and Armen began to ask for signals from the newbie as to any fog in sight. Apparently it involved arm gesturing AND flashlight flashing. Anyway, after about 30 minutes, they finally radioed in to the newbie on the bow that it was all a joke and to get to the bar for a stiff drink.

2. Also from Armen - one of the favorite ways that officers and crew (not the concessionaires like spa, photos, shops, casino, etc) like to get to the newly embarked concessionaires is to get the Engine Control Room to print up a power bill. Because so much of their pay is different from crew and officers (their companies are actually renting rooms from HAL on board) when a new spa attendant (for example) is presented with a bill for a month's worth of electricity with the Chief Engineer's signature, they usually believe that it is real. Armen told me that one of the Ryndam's massage therapist was presented with her bill only 10 days after arrival at the end of the month and it also contained the left over usage from the cabin's previous tenant, whom she was told left without paying her bill and now she was responsible for it. Apparently the girl was so sure that it was real that she insisted on leaving the lights off and the door open so that the light from the hall spilled into her room for the next week until someone told her that it was all a joke.

Reminds me so much of my college and sorority days :D

[bob brown]

Traditions and pranks can be a lot of fun, and can make the newbie being initiated made to feel that they are going thru the rituals to make them fully accepted by their peers.:cool:
On the other hand, I have heard of some pranks backfiring on the 'perpetrators', when the newbie takes some direction too far before it can be stopped...:eek:

[Bill B]

The 'classic' hazing prank for green deckhands is -
Wrap him in yards of tinfoil and send him walking around the docks taking orders to "raise you left hand"... "do jumping jacks"... "stand on your head"... "sit down & raise both legs"... to help the Capt. 'tune the radar'... LOL.

[sail7seas]

LOL..... Fun stories. :)

[Copper10-8]

Yes, you are correct about what happens when a Captain is retiring a leaving and disembarks from his last command. I recall reading that a recently retired HAL Captain (I do not recall the name) left his ship in Port Everglades, his own ship's horn was sounded as well as the other vessels in port. What a send-off that must be for a person finishing their career!:D

That send-off in Port Everglades was for long-time HAL Captain Jean 'Jack' van Coevorden on 06 DEC 08. However, after being 'whistled off', he's been back in command of several dam ships in 2009 and early 2010 as relief captain;)

[Copper10-8]

That is a nice honor. In the airline world, oftentimes when a Captain is retiring, he brings his entire family aboard his final flight, and when taxiing in to the terminal, the airport fire trucks will give his aircraft a 'water-cannon salute. Very impressive!



I worked p/t for America West Airlines as a ramper for five years. A couple of the "newbee" innitiations we used to pull is to send the new guy up to the cockpit to ask the captain for the keys to the aircraft. Also, we sent them all over the airport/LAX asking other airlines for a can of jet blast or have them stand behind one of the engines (not while running, of course) and yell real loud for an echo check

[luvs2travl]

I can remember my dad (a Lt. Commander in the Navy during WWII) telling a story of a chief on one of his ships sending a Seaman Third Class down to the Engine Room for a "bucket of steam" that was needed in the Galley. Don't know how many times this poor 3rd Class made runs down to the Engine Room trying to get that "bucket of steam" back to the Galley before someone finally told him what the heck was going on, but dad used to get a big kick out of relating the story. :)

[jimmy2x]

Just a couple things. As has been pointed out, the tradition of buying a round if one enters the bar with his hit on was usually indicated by a sign near the bell or engraving on the bell which said "He who enters covered here, buys the bar a round of cheer". For many of us this was an expensive lesson that only had to be taught once.:)

The ceremony of crossing the equator is also time-honored. Until one goes thru the ceremony he is a "polywog" and afterward becomes a "shellback". I would give details, but would have to kill you all afterward.;)

I still have my shellback card from 1973 and a duplicate, but much larger version hanging on a wall in the den. Very much a prized possession.

[bob brown]

Don't they do a similar initiation when crossing the International Date Line?

[I_r_a]

It is bad luck to kill an albatross.

Ira

[RuthC]

Don't they do a similar initiation when crossing the International Date Line?
I don't remember HAL doing anything similar when I crossed the dateline. Officially we did it at 2:00 AM, so few of us we awake for any kind of celebration.

I do remember getting a bar bill for the day that did not exist. :eek:
Westbound we had a blank Daily Program for the missing day, and eastbound we had two Daily Programs with the same date.
That was kind of fun.

[mikefang]

Don't they do a similar initiation when crossing the International Date Line?

If you cross the Equator at the International Date Line you become a 'Golden Shellback' but the ceremony is for crossing the Equator.
Mike

[sail7seas]

HAL does a crossing the Equator ceremony, don't they? I'm sure I've seen some of those 'messy' photos. :D

[RuthC]

HAL does a crossing the Equator ceremony, don't they? I'm sure I've seen some of those 'messy' photos. :D


Oh, yes! :D And it was a heck of a lot of fun, too. I even kissed the fish.

[sail7seas]

Yuuuuk........
You are a very good sport, Ma'am Ruth :D

[jimmy2x]

Don't they do a similar initiation when crossing the International Date Line?

Not in the USN.