Friday, August 5, 2011

Shipboard Life

Things I'm remembering about life on a ship......

1) Port is Left, and Starboard is Right

2) The front of the ship is the Bow

3) The back of the ship is the Stern

4) It's not the Floor, it's the Deck

5) It's not a wall, it's a Bulkhead

6) It's not the ceiling, it's the Overhead

7) They're not hallways, they're Passageways

8) ALWAYS pick up your feet when going through a doorway or hatch, or you'll trip on the Frame

9) Self-Closing doors will do so right as you start to go through them

10) NEVER call a Chart a "Map"

11) A ship will Pitch, Roll, Yaw, or Heave just as you're getting ready to take a sip of your coffee

12) Ship's coffee can double as general purpose cleaner and/or paint stripper (Our coffee is actually pretty good!)

13) The "Slop Chest" is not what it sound's like


And a whole lot more!

4 comments:

  1. More terms I learned while in the USNR (a long time ago) . . .

    stairs = ladder
    ashtray = butt kit
    rope = line
    cable = rope
    meals = breakfast, dinner, supper
    candy, treats, etc = gedunk
    intercom = 1MC

    etc.

    ReplyDelete
  2. While you're on-board, send a noob boatswain for 3 yards of water-line ... or an electronics tech for some replacement fallopian tubes.

    Well, shoot, I just gave away my age; no one uses tubes any more. But I promise you it was funny, back in the day.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Air Force guys would send a rookie out for a roll of Flight Line, or a bucket of Prop Wash.
    I remember hearing somebody ask a new Tech to get him an "A.C Battery" from stores!

    ReplyDelete
  4. AYE AYE -- expression of surprise, usually followed by "cheewawa"

    BULKHEAD -- very large restroom

    DECK -- 52 cards, used in casinos

    FATHOM -- measure of water depth, somewhere between 6 inches and 20 feet

    QUAY -- another word for dock (see); arguing about the proper pronunciation can pass hours (kway? kay? key? kwie? who knows?)

    YARDARM -- important ship feature, determining if it's time for a rum

    ReplyDelete

Keep it civil, please....

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