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Answers
We Got! |
 The dogwatch as I understand is the 2x 2hour shifts between
either 4-6 or 6-8 but why is it called the dogwatch?....
 The
dogwatches re only two hours each so the same sailors aren't
always on duty at the same time each afternoon. Origins of
the name: a) corruption of dodge watch, b) association with the
fitful sleep of sailors called dog sleep, stressful, fitful
napping and c) on watch when the brightest star in the
constellation Canis Major, Sirius was in the night sky. |
My son was asked a question by his teacher, which is, "According to
legend, why didn't most sailors know how to swim?" Do you know the answer?
Thanks for your help......
 Only a
rumor mind you...it could be originally in the royal navy
conscripts were used and if a sailor could swim he might not put all his efforts into saving the ship, battle etc.
Tom |
Not
to bug you, but this has bugged me for years...If a boat is
65 feet in length, why is a submarine called a boat? Or is
this a misnomer?...
In navy parlance, a boat is a small vessel with no living
quarters and very limited range or endurance. The early submarines were just
that, small coastal submersible boats that the crew couldn't live for
any length of time. The first subs could not cross any sizable body
of water. They were hauled up to the deck of a larger ship to be
transported across the ocean just like a ships boat! Later on,
even after W.W.I, smaller subs had to be towed across an ocean by
their tender. Tradition being what it is in the Navy, the term "boat" is still
used in reference to a submarine even though modern subs are as big or
bigger than a W.W.II heavy cruiser! Thanks to M Garcia! |
I am in the US Navy and I am trying to find the
definition of Round Robin. I have to give an oral presentation on this term. What little I have
found out about it is that it has something to do with putting everybody's name on the spokes
of a wheel so that no one is higher than any other. If you have any information on this topic
could you please mail it to me. Thank you very much for your time in this
matter.......
Disgruntled sailors would put together a petition to their
captain outlining their complaints. They would sign their names in a
circle, so that those first to sign (the apparent ring-leaders) would not be
readily identified. I wish I could name the source but I lent out
the book. Another from M Garcia, thanks! |
I'm currently reading Sebastian Junger's
book The Perfect Storm. In his book he makes references to the
"birds". They seem to be a device used to
stabilize the boat but how do these devices work and what are
they? Any info on this subject would help. Dave
Whiting
Birds
are more well known as flopper stoppers (sometimes called Para
vanes). They are rigged on booms that extend out both
sides of the boat. Mostly used on cruising and commercial
trawlers. They usually are deployed about 15 feet below the
surface of the water. As they going through the water, they
provide resistance to keep the boat from rolling from side to
side. Thanks to Ray Danet at Dream Catcher Yachts |
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Answers?
Dogwatch?
the answer
Swimmers?
the answer
Sub-Boat?
the answer
Round Robin?
the answer
"Birds"?
the
answer
"Pugwash"?
the
answer
Crow's
Nest?
the
answer!
Diving
History?
the answer!
Floating
Docks?
the answer!
Jolly
Brise?
the answer!
Boat
Donations?
the answer!
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In
a website for Theodore Tugboat that my
students and I found there was the word- "Pugwash". Is
this a nautical term or just a name that the
authors made up? We were playing a word search game at that site
and ran across that term--pugwash. Thanks, Cathy Fox
Cpn.
Pugwash is a wonderful animated "cut out" rendering on
the BBC for children. I used to glue myself to the telly and
watch every episode, lots of double meanings that we relished as
lads. Thanks to John Griffin |
We
are interested in information on Crows
Nests and the history. Can you help
The
highest lookout on old sailing ships was called the crow's nest.
The
sailors actually did keep crows or some kind of land birds up
there.
When
they were unsure of the direction of the nearest land they would
release the
birds. Land birds will always fly toward land so the sailors
would
set sail
in the direction the birds flew. Thanks
to Kerri
Loke |
We
are an Elementary School in upstate New York. As a project
we are exploring old diving equipment.
What we need is some pictures and history of diving as it was
earlier in our century. Any chance you can help us in our
project?
Find
an old (1950 edition) Encyclopedia
Britannica (some libraries have it on a dusty back shelf.
Look up Diving. Illustrations and text in this are based
on material prior to WW II and cover most of the era 1890-1930
which should provide the required information. Submitted
by David Smith |
Where
can I find plans for a floating dock?
It
seems to me that Popular Science had plans for one back n the
70's or 80's. Go to the library and use the periodical
indexes. All Popular Science articles are indexed in
them. Look under Floating Docks or Docks, Floating.
Might even turn up another source at the same time. Submitted by
David Smith
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I am looking for information regarding
the winner of the first Fastnet race, the Jolly Brise, a pilot
boat. Do you know the date of the race? Where in
France did the boat come from? Thanks in advance.
Jolly
Brise (more correctly Joli Brise, or "Pretty Breeze"
in French) was a converted Le Havre Pilot cutter owned by George
Martin. Dimensions, 56 ft x 15'9 x 10'2. 2400 sq. ft. sail
area. Built in 1913 by Monsieur Paumelle, a respected
French designer and builder of pilot boats. The first
Fastnet race took place in 1925. Any book on yachting history
will give you further information. Thanks to Scale
Reproductions by David S. Smith - Fine Hand-Crafted Ships in
Bottles, Box 2000, Westfield RR1, New Brunswick, Canada E0G 3J0
On the WWW at: http://user.fundy.net/fpweb/index-2.htm |
We
were asked about tax-deductible boat donations
and although we can't endorse any of them through personal
experience, here's a list to check out.
 Boy
Scouts of America National Program,
E-mail: info@scouter.com or 800-333-6599
Southern California Boy Scouts, Newport Beach, CA -
949/642-5031
Orange Coast College Sailing Center, Newport Beach,
California 949/645-9412 S.A.L.T.S. (Sail & Life
Training Society) Washington
1/888-383-6811 |
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