It’s 1931 and you are a U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey Corps officer on the USC&GSS Hydrographer. A bell clangs urgently, waking you from sleep. What could it mean?
Bells have been used on ships for centuries. They were rung as alarms in case of an event like a shipboard fire or as an alert to other ships in low-visibility conditions, like fog. They chimed during ceremonies, including celebrations or change of command.
They also announced the time before reliable maritime chronometers were available because pendulum clocks wouldn’t work properly on a rocking ship. A sailor on watch would use a 30 minute hourglass to keep time, ringing the bell every time he turned the glass, once for the first half hour and twice for the second, until he reached eight bells for a full four-hour watch.from its launch in 1931 to its decommissioning in 1967. The U.S.
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