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Old Salts and Hammocks

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  • Member since
    October 2019
  • From: New Braunfels, Texas
Old Salts and Hammocks
Posted by Tanker-Builder on Thursday, August 15, 2024 7:51 AM

Hi Ya'll;

      Have any of you Really given any thought to what it was like crossing the Atlantic or Pacific in the old Sailing and early Steam days? Sleeping in Hammocks 'Tween the guns! Or in the orlop? You know that had to be a challenge. The Bosu'ns call in the revielle call said it all,"Heave out and Trice up".You had to have clear decks to fight a ship back in the day.

      That coupled with the wet, damp conditions. Remember, till Steam there was no such thing as real WaterTight Doors! You'd be in your Hammock and you are tossed about at the whim of ships movement.When she dove into a wave you went in that direction and when she went Bow clear then you flopped aft. Interesting ,right?

       Just think ,it didn't change that much in early steam days.Just look at the Olympia for an example.That big open space on the main deck under the stacks and bridge is where some were.  Again, damp Wet conditions.

        As ship design advanced so did berthing. Not really by much though.You had a fart sack into which you shoved a very puny mattress and net or canvas attached to a metal frame to hold it, that you had to "trice Up" before going to quarters. That meant, If you were top, Linking your support chain to a eyebolt in the overhead so it would be out of the way and then everyone else hooked to you. Lockers were little boxes on the deck.Watertight? Nah!

         It was still that way on the Gearings in the fall of 1960. It was the worst of times, It was the Best of Times, though. Lifetime Friendships formed, and pride in one's ship went actually deeper than most folks outside thought. The Ship I was in Was known by her Knickname-"The Galloping Ghost of the Korean Coast" She supplied what was called, "Supporting Fire" sometimes right on top of the Marines calling it in, Or Army. Oh ,By the way, 5"38cal. guns don't go "Boom"! they have a heavy cracking "Bark" like a pissed off Pit Bull!

      OOPs, time for chow, gotta run," All reports to the Bridge , all Messcooks to the Messdecks" Bye!     T.B. 

  • Member since
    September 2012
Posted by GMorrison on Thursday, August 15, 2024 1:10 PM

Did you know that the two astronauts in the moon lander slept in hammocks?

 

Bill

 Modeling is an excuse to buy books.

 

  • Member since
    March 2018
  • From: Chicago suburbs
Posted by Luvspinball on Friday, August 16, 2024 10:54 AM

yes. No seats in the lander either.  Flew it standing up.  Space was apparently an issue.

Bob

Bob Frysztak

Luvspinball

Current builds:  Revell 1/96 USS Constitution with extensive scratch building

  • Member since
    October 2019
  • From: New Braunfels, Texas
Posted by Tanker-Builder on Friday, August 16, 2024 2:35 PM

Hi Bill!

    Thank you for that little bit of info. Really does put things in context doesn't it? Spaceship(Kinda) and still with hammocks.

  • Member since
    October 2019
  • From: New Braunfels, Texas
Posted by Tanker-Builder on Friday, August 16, 2024 2:38 PM

Hi Bob!

 I Tell you. The things one learns after the fact! All my info on our spaceships and those facts were never made it to the public! Well, Cablecar drivers stand up too.Thank You too!

  • Member since
    September 2012
Posted by GMorrison on Saturday, August 17, 2024 1:18 AM

Nuggets of history lay around. I found the the log of the lander pilot of one of those missions, online. Tanks, you know about captains logs. Like toilet paper; jobs not done until the paperwork is done..

In there he related depoying the hammocks. Like Nelson's navy.

 

Bill

 Modeling is an excuse to buy books.

 

  • Member since
    October 2019
  • From: New Braunfels, Texas
Posted by Tanker-Builder on Saturday, August 17, 2024 8:17 AM

Now Bill;

      I think that puts a wee bit more of Humanity to the mission, don't you? Folks think it was High Tech all the way, and yet Old Low Tech solved a problem, How about that? Thanks!  T.B.

  • Member since
    November 2005
  • From: Formerly Bryan, now Arlington, Texas
Posted by CapnMac82 on Saturday, August 17, 2024 12:51 PM

Luvspinball
Flew it standing up. Space was apparently an issue.

That, and weight.

Which worked two ways.  After the TransLunar Injection burn, "weightless conditions" previaled in the combined Apollo/LEM craft. 

The laanding "retro fire" only got to around 0.5G, so a simle strap arrangement to "sit into" sufficed.  Once landed, Lunar gravity is only 1/6G, so, not a lot of support really required. 

Also, Apollo 11 was only on the surface for 21 hours and change.  Lunar take-off got them to just shy of 1G getting to Lunar Escape Velocity.

  • Member since
    November 2005
  • From: Formerly Bryan, now Arlington, Texas
Posted by CapnMac82 on Saturday, August 17, 2024 12:56 PM

Tanker-Builder
and net or canvas attached to a metal frame to hold it, that you had to "trice Up" before going to quarters.

My grandfather talked about having to learn "hammock knots" at Great Lakes and having to tote a hammock to various ships only to leave it triced up and lashed into the overhead for having pipe racks as a snipe.

Being part of "the black gang" also meant he never had to roll his mattress and bedding into a bedding roll bag and stow it and the racks once a day.

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