help me pls
2007-09-29 07:05:54 · 8 answers · asked by Anonymous in Cars & Transportation ➔ Boats & Boating
Mystic Seaport covers the topic with:
"Whistling: Whistling aboard a ship is said to summon wind. While this might seem desirable at times, sailors often forbid whistling onboard for fear of conjuring up too much wind in the form of a gale or hurricane. It is also said that if the winds died out to a dead calm, a young boy might be permitted to whistle a tune on deck because it was believed a boy could summon a little wind, but was not powerful enough to put the ship or her crew in any harm. Morgan (assistant sailmaker) used to whistle on deck all the time until the afternoon in Panama that the Captain caught him whistling twice… I believe the Captain was far kinder to Morgan than were the rest of the crew!
(Editor's Note: The ban on whistling in ships may have come about on naval vessels where orders were often given with various trills. It would not do to have sailors whistling and maybe creating mischief with signals.)"
2007-09-29 07:12:58 · answer #1 · answered by Rich Z 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Sailors Whistle
2016-11-02 14:59:15 · answer #2 · answered by bridgman 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Two reason. First is the superstition that one can whistle up a storm/bad weather. One exception to that is Only Bosun on the ship can whistle to set a pace or rhythm for when they used to scrub the wooden decks.
The second more modern reason is that someone who is whistling is usually not paying attention to what is going on around them. This can put them or the ship in danger.
2007-09-30 06:14:08 · answer #3 · answered by T C 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Most (if not all) commercial ships, freighters, cruise ships, etc. have arms on board. On commercial vessels, International Maritime law permits this, and allows them in all Ports. There are however rules that must be followed. Weapons are kept in closed and locked weapon rooms or lockers and only accessable by the officers on board. This has been "the norm" rather then the exception, long before the incident you mentioned. And it has always been up to the discretion of the Ship's Captain as whether or not to issure or use them. John
2016-03-13 06:18:02 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Whistles were (& still are, I think) used as signals on board ships. E.G. a certain whistle was used to tell a sailor to, I don't know, put up more sais or something.
I may know diddly about ships but the signal system thing is true.
2007-09-29 07:15:41 · answer #5 · answered by flossiedots 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
You will whistle up a storm. In the engine room of steam ships, if a steam line was broke or cracked it would whistle. which is a bad thing. So if you were whistling the chief engineer would come storming out of the control room. That is what I was told.
2007-09-29 08:01:00 · answer #6 · answered by jim 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Thanks - I was always baffled about this, but figured it was mostly superstition, but now I ve got a superstition confirmed - and a fact on signalling on board ship!
FP
2016-04-10 01:46:52 · answer #7 · answered by Florence 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
sailors believed that it would bring bad luck, maybe some still do.
2007-09-29 07:14:07 · answer #8 · answered by fhjdkd 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋