The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1908-05-25
BATTLESHIP HINTS
FOR LBNOLUBBERS


Visitors to warships should not at
tempt to tip the bluejackets who con-
duct them over the vessel. The Navy
Department does not encourage the
practice and the men do not like it,
Thomas Boyer, shipfitter irst-class,
u. S. NJ, whose book The American
! Battleship and Life in the Navy mas
just been published, says:
Members of the crew take great
pride in showing visitors about the
ship. Nothing offends a blueiacket
more than to have visitor he has
been conducting about he ship insist
on offering him money for his services.
Some may accept a cigar as an act of
courtesy, but nothing more. Should
bluejacket take any money, and his
shipmates learn of the fact, he would
get a strong rebuke."
The newspapers have had much to
say recently about the speed cones
Boyer writes of these thus:
when in fleet formation each ship
has a speed cone displayed HOm the
signal yard. When hauled al the way
up it signifies engines are going full
speed ahead when half way, half
speed when quarter way quarter
speed Should the cone not be dis
played the engines are stopped. Should
the engines be reversing, the cone is
reversed and hoisted as above. This
system enables the admirals and cap
tains of the fleet to keep posted re-
garding the movements of the ships
Visitors going aboard warships nat
urally create lot of dirt 1t may be
a matter of surprise to some people to
learn, however, that dust accumulates
aboard ship during a voyage just as Tt
does on land The decks have to be
swept every day.
Every landlubber knows that aboard
ship time is counted by bells. The
, ships bell is struck every half hour.
At 4, and 70 o'clock eight bells are
struck. Every half hour after these
three periods the bell is struck, start
ing with one bell until eight bells are
reached
The POLITICALLY inclined are fond of
referring to the battleships as the great
white vessels. That is their peace
color in time of war they are painted
either a dark green or slate, and it is
very difficult to discern them from a
distance
1t is possible to tell naval officers,
from captain to midshipman, by the
A
tain has four stripes. a commander
three, lieutenant-commande two and
One-half, or in land language, two
broad and one narrow lieutenant Sc
nior grade, two stripes; lieutenant jul
nior grade, one and one-half stripes;
ensign, one stripe; midshipman, one
half or narrow stripe. The officers
named also have distinguishing lnsig-
mia on the collar thus: Captain, silver
eagle and anchor; commander, silver
leaf and anchor; lieutenant-command-
er, gold leaf and anchor; senior lieu
, tenant two bars and anchor; second
lieutenant, silver bar and anchor; en-
sign, anchor; midshipman, gold an
Choir
Rear Admirals wear two stars, with
anchor on the collar, and one and one
half gold stripes on the sleeve.
On boarding battleship the visitor
finds the main deck extending from
stem to stern. The forward end is the
forecastle, the after end the quarter
deck The main caliber guns are To-
Gated on the center line of the main
deck. The fighting tops are attached
to the military masts, which are ar
mored at the base. They are used
mostly for observation and range
finding.
/ The bridge is the long narrow struc-
ture built up from the superstructure
+ deck. On its forward end are located
t the pilot-house, charthouse, steering.
7 wheel, speaking tubes, speed annun'
ciator, compass and signaling APP
t paratus. The coming tower is directly
= under the forward end of the bridge
S is made of heavy armor and contains
| many peep-holes. Within is the nee
: essary apparatus for navigating the
t ship in time of action.
. The superstructure deck mentioned
4