Cottonwood report. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1893-1901, 1895-12-20
SOME QUEER NAVAL NIcKNAMEs
Fighting Bob" Is Perhaps the Bcst
Known

Fighting Bob" IL Perhaps the Bcst
known
Perhaps Fighting Bob is the naval
nickname best known to the public. It
was early bestowed upon its possessor
because Of the hardness with his Ests,
and 1t Is not many years since there were
occasional adventures in the career OF
Captain Evans that justified the name.
The title may now be accepted as mere
ly expressive of an aggressive and ener-
getic character, for a commanding officer
in the United States navy has few temp
tations to the use Of his fists, remarks the
New York Sun. Whether or not a war
shall come to give a new significance to
the title, Captain Evans is likely to wear
1t to the end of his days.
Most Of the naval nicknames have sur
vived from the academic days of the
wearers. though few were Of later be-
stowal. One was earned by an officer OF
high rank because of his unropularity
with the younger officers AMI cadets. 1t
is alliterative. picturesque, almost pio-
fame, and altogether uncomplimentarv. A
man with a very long name is likely
to lose one or more syllables at the acad-
envy and be known ever after by the re-
sultant abbreviation. Nicknames. how
ever. have their currency limited in ac-
tual practice by the tremendous and
ever present fact of rank 1t Is bold
ensign who addresses the executive OIL
Ger by a nickname, even in the compara-
tive ease of after dinner talk. A COM
handing officer would hardly be spoken
of by his nickname aboard ship, though
the phrase, "the old man. Is not un-
commonly heard in the war,i room.
The wittiest nickname that survived In
the navy from academic days was TINT
of the bold Chief Engineer w. w. Wood,
who was called IVA OF d. which. IN
mathematical pariance is, wv. fourth
power, square, d.
Commoner in the navy than personal
| nicknames are familiar abbreviations OF
titles The paymaster is often Familiarity
Pay" The chief engineer Is simply
Chief" The landsman who should use
either of these titles or any uther than
Mr." for STAFF officer would commit q
great breach of ward room etiquette.
though there is disposition ashore to
address a paymaster by the title of hts
office and to couple military titles with
the names of other stair officers.
The term ''bull lieutenant" Is fa.niI-
lar one in the navy to express the rank
Of q man who has passed beyond ''heuten-
ant, junior grade" He Is still Il leu
tenant. and his title is ''Mr." The officer
who commands a ship is, by courtesy
addressed as Captain no matter what
his actual rank. Lieutenant BuclSing-
ham, in command of the Dolphin, is cap
tain on the quarter deck of his ship. Even
the greatest stickler among naval officers
for the privileges OF the navy would adj
dress the commander of revenue cutter
as captain when on board the craft Of
the latter. 1t is courtesy Of the ward
room to call the commanding officer OF
the marines major, even though he be
still a lieutenant. This is sort Of &C.
acknowledgement that the chief in COM
mand should be decorated by some other
form of address than "Mr." The sur
geon of whatever rank is Doctor"
though, perhaps. mr." would be more
nearly the proper thing. "The young
DOCTOR that is, the Junior surgeon on a
considerable ship, is sometimes Familiarity
nicknamed doc by the youngsters
and, as unnautical and non-military, IS
liable to have good deal Of char thrust
at him until he makes his personal force
apparent.