Day Job

On Veterans Day

Mark Treadwell — Sun, 11 Nov 2007 23:08:26 GMT

As I come up on 26 years of active duty service in the Navy, I have been reliably informed by my wife that it is in fact time for me to complete my Navy service and transition to some other line of work. When the 5-star Admiral at home speaks, you listen. Next Veterans Day will likely be a good time for me to look back on my Navy career and reminisce. For this year, I join others who offer their thoughts to those in uniform who have risked and lost much more than I.

Nautical Terminology: Turn A Blind Eye

Mark Treadwell — Sun, 24 Dec 2006 23:09:00 GMT

In 1801, during the Battle of Copenhagen, Admiral Horatio Nelson deliberately held his telescope to his blind eye in order to not see the flag signal from the commander to stop the bombardment. He eventually won the engagement. To turn a blind eye means to ignore intentionally. More here.

Nautical Terminology: Dungarees

Mark Treadwell — Sat, 07 Oct 2006 16:21:00 GMT

Webster defines dungaree as "a coarse kind of fabric worn by the poorer class of people and also used for tents and sail." I find it hard to picture my favorite pair of dungarees flying from the mast of a sailing ship, but in those days Sailors often made both their working clothes and hammocks out of discarded sail cloth.

The 1901 Navy regulations authorized the first use of denim jumpers and trousers, and the 1913 regulations originally permitted the dungaree outfit to be used by both officers and enlisted with the hat of the day. The cloth used then was not as well woven as it is today, nor was it dyed blue, but it served the purpose. Dungarees worn by Sailors of the Continental Navy were cut directly from old sails and remained tan in color just as they been when filled with wind. After battles, it was the practice in both the American and British Navies for Captains to report more sail lost in battle than actually was the case so the crew would have cloth to mend their hammocks and make new clothes. Since the cloth was called dungaree, clothes made from the fabric borrowed the name.

Nautical Trivia: U.S. Naval Base Guantanamo Bay

Mark Treadwell — Sat, 01 Jul 2006 20:51:00 GMT

U.S. Naval Base Guantanamo Bay -- it is more than just detainees

Nautical Terminology: Old Glory

Mark Treadwell — Wed, 14 Jun 2006 09:43:00 GMT

Today is Flag Day in the United States. At Colors, my Commanding Officer read an appropriate story that I reproduce here for this day of honor.

OLD GLORY

This famous name was coined by Captain William Driver, a shipmaster of Salem, Massachusetts, in 1831. As he was leaving on one of his many voyages aboard the brig CHARLES DOGGETT -- and this one would climax with the rescue of the mutineers of the BOUNTY -- some friends presented him with a beautiful flag of twenty four stars. As the banner opened to the ocean breeze for the first time, he exclaimed "Old Glory!"

He retired to Nashville in 1837, taking his treasured flag from his sea days with him. By the time the Civil War erupted, most everyone in and around Nashville recognized Captain Driver's "Old Glory." When Tennesee seceded from the Union, Rebels were determined to destroy his flag, but repeated searches revealed no trace of the hated banner.

Then on February 25th, 1862, Union forces captured Nashville and raised the American flag over the capital. It was a rather small ensign and immediately folks began asking Captain Driver if "Old Glory" still existed. Happy to have soldiers with him this time, Captain Driver went home and began ripping at the seams of his bedcover. As the stitches holding the quilt-top to the batting unraveled, the onlookers peered inside and saw the 24-starred original "Old Glory"!

Captain Driver gently gathered up the flag and returned with the soldiers to the capitol. Though he was sixty years old, the Captain climbed up to the tower to replace the smaller banner with his beloved flag. The Sixth Ohio Regiment cheered and saluted -- and later adopted the nickname "Old Glory" as their own, telling and re-telling the story of Captain Driver's devotion to the flag we honor yet today.

Captain Driver's grave is located in the old Nashville City Cemetery, and is one of the few places authorized by act of Congress where the Flag of the United States may be flown 24 hours a day.

Nautical Terminology: Toe the Line

Mark Treadwell — Sun, 21 May 2006 10:00:00 GMT

In the days of wooden warships, when men mustered at Quarters in the morning to check for presence and condition, it was customary to arrange them in neat ranks for counting, using the tar-filled seams in the deck as a reference for straightness. When the petty officer or Bos'n stood at one end and checked out the alignment, any man not properly located would be ordered to "toe the line." For midshipmen and boys, young fellows in training to be officers or sailors, standing for long periods toeing the line was a punishment for minor misdeeds. Today, of course, the phrase means that one should obey social rules.

Sinking Aircraft Carriers

Mark Treadwell — Fri, 17 Feb 2006 22:06:00 GMT

Almost two years ago, I posted the answers to a private trivia challenge I was involved in. In the interim, the US Navy has intentionally sunk the ex-USS AMERICA (Hull #66). That ship was subject to a series of real-world tests you rarely get to do -- survivability of a modern aircraft carrier when hit with modern weapons. The details and results are classified, but in the end the ex-AMERICA slipped quietly beneath the surface having survived the weapons, but not the scuttling charges.

Another carrier ~~will sink in the coming months~~ was sunk when the ex-USS ORISKANY (Hull #34) ~~will be~~ was sunk off the coast of Pensacola, FL. Delayed by the EPA, the sinking ~~will happen some time around~~ occurred May 17, 2006. The ex-ORISKANY ~~will be~~ is the largest ship intentionally sunk to become a reef.

That earlier post has all the links to the stories.

Nautical Terminology: Dead Horse

Mark Treadwell — Fri, 18 Nov 2005 08:58:00 GMT

When a Sailor pays off a debt to the command (advance pay, overpayments, etc.) they say they have paid off a Dead Horse. The saying comes from a tradition of British sailors. British seamen, apt to be ashore and unemployed for considerable periods of time between voyages, generally preferred to live in boarding houses near the piers while waiting for sailing ships to take on crews.

During these periods of unrestricted liberty, many ran out of money, so innkeepers carried them on credit until they hired out for another voyage. When a seaman was booked on a ship, he was customarily advanced a month's wages, if needed, to pay off his boarding house debt. Then, while paying back the ship's master, he worked for nothing but "salt horse" the first several weeks aboard.

Salt horse was the staple diet of early sailors and it was not exactly tasty cuisine. Consisting of a low quality beef that had been heavily salted for preservation, the salt horse was tough to chew and even harder to digest. When the debt had been repaid, the salt horse was said to be dead and it was a time for great celebration among the crew. Usually, an effigy of a horse was constructed from odds and ends, set afire and then cast afloat to the cheers and hilarity of the ex-debtors.

Nautical Terminology: Sideboys

Mark Treadwell — Thu, 13 Oct 2005 21:45:00 GMT

Sideboys are a part of the Quarterdeck ceremonies when an important person or Officer arrives on board or departs a ship. Large ships have sideboys detailed to the quarterdeck from 0800 to sunset. When the side is piped by the Boatswain's Mate of the Watch (BMOW), from two to eight sideboys, depending on the rank of the Officer, will form a passageway at the gangway. They salute on the first note of the pipe and drop their salute together on the last note.

In the days of sail, it was not uncommon for the Commanding Officers of ships sailing in convoy to convene aboard the flagship for conferences. It was also not uncommon for COs to invite each other to dine aboard their vessels. Unfortunately, there was no easy way to bring visitors on and off a ship while underway. Also, there was no dignified may for a high ranking officer to scurry up or down a rope ladder hanging down the side of a ship.

Often the boatswain's chair, a rope and wood sling, would be used to hoist the guest onto and off of the ship. The Boatswain's Mate would control the heaving by blowing the appropriate commands with a whistle known as a Boatswain's Pipe. The number of "strong backs" needed to bring the visitor aboard depended upon the size of the "load" being hoisted. Somewhere along the line, it was noted that the more senior the visitor's rank, the more sailors were needed to "man the side." Over time, the need to hoist visitors onto and off of Navy ships went away, but the custom of mustering the sideboys and piping distinguished visitors aboard ship remains.

Nautical Terminology: Passing Honors

Mark Treadwell — Sun, 07 Aug 2005 21:31:00 GMT

Passing honors are rendered by ships and boats when vessels, embarked officials, or embarked officers pass (or are passed) close aboard, usually 600 yards for ships and 400 yards for boats. The junior ship renders honors to the senior ship. Seniority is based on the rank (actually the lineal number) of the Commanding Officer or any embarked commander. The U.S. Navy will always return honors, but will not render them to foreign naval vessels unless there is an associated command relationship (NATO commands are common).

Such honors are exchanged between ships of the U.S. Navy, between ships of the Navy and the Coast Guard, and between U.S. and most foreign navy ships passing close aboard. While it seems simple, it takes care to prepare in advance and do everything correctly. Ships generally prepare by learning which vessels are in the vicinity and creating a seniority list for use on the Bridge. This simplifies things for the Officer of the Deck (OOD). There are numerous possible scenarios, but I will describe some of the most common from the point of view of the junior vessel.

The Junior Officer of the Deck (JOOD) or OOD takes station on the Bridge Wing on the side the senior ship is on. With the JOOD on the Bridge Wing, the OOD makes sure things go smoothly and informs the Commanding Officer.
The Boatswain's Mate of the Watch (BMOW) takes station at the general announcing system (1MC) microphone with a whistle.
The JOOD signals the BMOW (we used finger signals with our left hand at the small of the back) to sound "Attention" with the whistle on the 1MC (one blast for attention to starboard and two blasts for attention to port).
People on deck should then fall into ranks on the engaged side of the ship.
As the ships near their closest approach point (this takes some experience and judgment to get the timing right), the JOOD signals “hand salute” to the BMOW who blows one whistle blast. The JOOD salutes from the Bridge Wing.
At this point, the junior ship follows the cues from the senior ship. The senior ship should also signal hand salute.
The ships should then pass their closest point together with everyone topside (not in ranks) holding their salute.
The senior ship then blows two whistle blasts to signal “Ready, Two“ for everyone to drop their salute. The junior ship mirrors the two whistle blasts.
As the distance increases, the senior ship then blows three whistle blasts to signal “Carry On“ to let everyone continue with ship's work. The junior ship mirrors the three whistle blasts.
A successful JOOD breathes a sigh of relief.

If a merchant ship renders honors to a warship, they do so by dipping their ensign. The warship mirrors the dip, but never dips first.