The Rambling Soldier ([info]sharpiefan) wrote in [info]anything_aos,
2007-10-13 02:34:00
  • Previous
  • Memorize
  • Share
  • Next
  • Mood: tired

Timekeeping at sea

Let's start with something important, yet relatively simple...

The day at sea was divided into watches, each watch being four hours long, apart from the two dog watches, which were only two hours each. (This allowed Stephen Maturin to joke that they were cur-tailed...) This gave seven watches, allowing the crew to rotate which hours they were on duty from day to day. The crew were divided in half (confusingly, into starboard and larboard watches). One day, the larboard watch would be on deck during the Middle Watch, the next night it would be the turn of the starboard watch.

The ship's day ran from midday to midday, signalled by the middies and lieutenants taking the sight. (This explain's Jack's "Call noon, Mr Hollom!" in M&C; he was marking the start of a new day.)

The watches were:

Afternoon: 12:00 noon to 4:00pm
First Dog: 4:00pm to 6:00pm
Second Dog:6:00pm to 8:00pm
First: 8:00pm to 12:00 midnight
Middle: 12:00 midnight to 4:00am
Morning: 4:00am to 8:00am
Forenoon: 8:00am to 12:00 noon

Each half an hour, the glass was turned and the bell struck. There were eight bells to each watch, apart from the two dog-watches.

So, "Two bells of the forenoon watch" meant nine am.

Simple, when you know how!
Tags: life at sea, useful facts

  • Post a new comment

    Error

    Anonymous comments are disabled in this journal

    switch

    Your IP address will be recorded 

     
    Help
  • 19 comments

[info]tootsiemuppet

October 13 2007, 07:42:16 UTC 4 years ago

I made a bookmark once with the watches on it because for some reason I just cold not remember. Very helpful!

[info]sharpiefan

October 13 2007, 08:20:18 UTC 4 years ago

I aim to please. (Which just demands to use of a cannon icon, somehow...)

[info]snakey

October 13 2007, 09:04:24 UTC 4 years ago

*resists remark*

Thank you, this is hugely useful! *still cannot get his head around the day beginning at noon, no matter how many times he's reminded*

[info]sharpiefan

October 13 2007, 09:10:29 UTC 4 years ago

Yep, that is weird. But it only happened at sea, where the ritual of the noon sighting occurred. When in port, the day began at the same time as everybody else's...

[info]tootsiemuppet

October 13 2007, 09:15:25 UTC 4 years ago

That has to mess with your head afer you've been at sea for a while..

[info]snakey

October 13 2007, 09:16:07 UTC 4 years ago

Wasn't there all sorts of controversy when they wanted to make the day start at midnight? *has vague memory*

[info]tootsiemuppet

October 13 2007, 09:16:06 UTC 4 years ago

... *groan*

[info]sharpiefan

October 13 2007, 18:38:18 UTC 4 years ago

*is turning into Jack Aubrey*

Apart from the violin playing. And I don't have yellow hair...

[info]tootsiemuppet

October 13 2007, 20:12:34 UTC 4 years ago

So in all other respects you are like Jack?

... *sidles up to you* Well, hello thar.

[info]sharpiefan

October 13 2007, 20:36:24 UTC 4 years ago

I knew that was coming...

*spies the real Jack, coming to reclaim his Gilly*
*passes her over*

[info]snakey

October 13 2007, 20:49:36 UTC 4 years ago

She beat me to it. :D Only in my case, if you were Jack, you'd have ended up in a cupboard with Sharpe and Archie...

[info]sharpiefan

October 13 2007, 20:52:42 UTC 4 years ago

It's probably worth my while to pretend to be Jack in that case... ;)

[info]snakey

October 14 2007, 08:52:35 UTC 4 years ago

You'd just have to watch out for a Gilly with a video camera.

[info]grace_poppy

October 13 2007, 16:48:45 UTC 4 years ago

Is there a difference between a chronometer and a regular pocketwatch like Stephen's Breguet?

[info]sharpiefan

October 13 2007, 18:45:37 UTC 4 years ago

In a word, yes. Remember, this is a hundred and fifty-odd years before the invention of the quartz movement, which keeps modern watches accurate. The chronometer was a precision instrument, designed to remain accurate over a long period at sea.

You could depend on a pocket watch for short distances only, but most watches ran either slowly or fast; they were not accurate enough to be depended on for long-term navigation, for example from Canada to England.

Here's what Wiki has to say

[info]jiaryn

October 14 2007, 01:25:37 UTC 4 years ago

This watch system still runs through all commonwealth navies, even today. Which is why at 8am every morning, when we raise the Ensign, we ring 8 bells to signal the end of the watch.

And yes, I get annoyed at my watchkeeping cabin mate having the damn middle watch! Neither of us gets to sleep a whole night through...

[info]sharpiefan

October 14 2007, 07:42:59 UTC 4 years ago

Nothing like keeping up a good old-fashioned tradition. :D

Does your cabin mate have the middle watch every night? Because that leads to disturbed sleep, and also it way they had seven watches: so that the same people wouldn't be on the same watch continually.

[info]sharpiefan

October 14 2007, 07:44:08 UTC 4 years ago

...it was why, even. I can't type...

[info]jiaryn

October 16 2007, 08:40:37 UTC 4 years ago

She seems to have the middle watch more nights than not, but then again, only when we are actually at sea which is generally only a few days in a row. They don't really follow a set roster for the watches: there are common combinations like Middle and Afternoon, Morning and Dogs etc.

Then again, for day working scum like me, all day is work time :D
Create an Account
Forgot your login or password?
Facebook Twitter More login options
English • Español • Deutsch • Русский…