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Navy Celebrates 237th Birthday Aboard Pensacola NAS With Bell Ringing
October 13, 2012
To honor the U.S. Navy’s 237th birthday, a global commemoration ceremony was held Friday with a Navy-wide bell ringing ceremony at 9 a.m., including a ceremony at Pensacola NAS.
The tradition of bell ringing to mark time in the Navy dates before the advent of the chronometer, when time at sea was measured by the trickle of sand through a half-hour glass.
One of the ship’s boys had the duty of watching the glass and turning it when the sand had run out. He struck the bell as a signal that he had performed this vital function. From this ringing of the bell evolved the tradition of striking the bell once at the end of the first half hour of a four hour watch, twice after the first hour, etc., until eight bells marked the end of the four hour watch. The process was repeated for the succeeding watches.
This age-old practice of sounding the bell on the hour and half hour has its place in the nuclear and missile oriented United States Navy at the dawn of the 21st century, regulating daily routine, just as it did on historic vessels under sail in the late 18th century.
Friday’s ceremony at Pensacola NAS consisted of the ringing of eight bells signifying the end of the 237th watch and one bell to signify the start of the watch of the 238th year.
Pictured: Sailors and guests listen as Commanding Officer Capt. Chris Plummer explains the ringing of the bells Friday at Pensacola NAS to signify the end of the 237th year of the Navy and the beginning of the 238th. Courtesy photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Comments
One Response to “Navy Celebrates 237th Birthday Aboard Pensacola NAS With Bell Ringing”
Actually today, October 13, is the U.S. Navy’s birthday. But God forbid the base do the ceremony on a Saturday because that would probably interrupt the base commander’s t-time. Naval heritage and traditions are not what they used to be and they’re tossed around haphazardly like yesterday. Come on people if you’re going to celebrate and honor tradition, at least do it on the right day!