Posted by Laurence Monkhouse on August 16, 2005 at 08:34:53 from 82.7.160.22 user Laurence_.
In Reply to: Telling TIME with Bells posted by Ed Kiser on August 16, 2005 at 04:47:43:
In principle Ed is correct in his assumptions
RN usage set out in the "Seaman's Pocket Book" was (in 1943):-
0000 - 0400 - Middle Watch
0400 - 0800 - Morning watch
0800 - 1200 - Forenoon watch
1200 - 1600 - Afternoon Watch
1600 - 1800 - First Dog Watch
1800 - 2000 - Last Dog Watch
2000 - 0000 - First Watch
Stephen Maturin's explanation of the name of the Dog Watches is that they are Cur-Tailed.
The system started when there were no chronometers or other clocks and time was kept by sand glasses which ran for 30 minutes. With luck there could be some correction of errors from noon-tide solar onservations. Originally, too, the ship's day started at noon, not midnight.
In the complex organisation of a warship breaking the day into 30 minute periods may be useful, but as used by John in the books even he recognises that it is a picturesque anachronism. We just don't use the bell system while sailing (except occasionally as a joke), so it doesn't appear in WD where the sailing is deadly serious. The 4 hour watch system, however, is very much alive, used by many people even in small boats when offshore, although I personally tend to break it into 2 hour units.