The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1941-06-14
STEPPING OF
MAINIMAST' OLD
SHIP TRADITION
DEEP IN HULL OF NEW BAT
TLEsHIP NORTH CAROLINA
is VARIOUS COINS AMOUNT
ING TO S7.7l
by JACK sTINNETT
APP Feature Service Writer

Christening battleship Tor any
other ship for that matter) gener-
ally gets lot of attention.
Miss or Mrs. So-and-so socks
the prov with bottle of cham
payne and while Miss or Mrs. So
and-so is trying to brush the bub-
ble-water off her orchid corsage,
the ship slides down the ways. The
cameras grind and the flash bulbs
flash and the headwriters write
"U.S.S, Plunkett Is Launched At
Brooklyn
That isn't the whole story of get
ting a ship under steam at all. A
really good story-which never is
written or photographed-comes
when they step the mainmast."
Let's take a recent big ship and
run through this ceremony and 1
think you'll get what mean.
Stepping the mainmast"-a a
ceremony-is probably lot older
than christening. 1t goes back be-
yond Roman times and has its
roots in Superstition.
A few days ago when the U.S.S.
North Carolina-newest of the
modern battleships-was ready
for the ceremony at Philadelphia,
a group of workmen and naval Of
ficers assembled down in her low
est depths and tossed coins into
the base of the metal shaft that is
the ships mainmast. They tossed
coins until SIT, in u. S. money, a
st. Christopher's medal, an En-
glish penny, an English half-penny
and Chinese cash had clinked
into the shallow, l71s-inch pie
plate that is the mainmastl base.
A cover was screwed over this and
then the mainmast was swung in
TO position and screwed down.
II Must Be Done
Throughout the solemn cere-
mony rain came down in gentle
torrents, but no one paid any at
tention to il. The state of the
weather means nothing when the
stepping of the mainmast" is in
progress, but failure to step the
mast would be as fatal, seafaring
men will assure you, as leaving
sprung seams in the ships plates.
Aside from the Chinese and
British coins q couldn't find a
soul who could explain why these
particular coins were selecte6,
the treasure" of the North Caro-
lima consists of half-dollar, 10
quarters, III dimes, % nickles and
46 pennies.
Although ] Knocked on lot of
doors at the Navy department, all
I sgot was vague answers as to
where the strange rite originated
and why it has been carried down
through the ages.
Ancient Roman dug-out canoes
and old Spanish wrecks have been
found with coins hidden in their
keelS. Pomeranian seamep, a long.
long time ago. were known to have
buried silver coins and "a bit of
stolen wood" under the heel of
the mast. These are long-ago
things.
But few wears back when the
U.S.S. New Orleans was commits
stoned, il was recorded that the
officers-to-be placed 10 pennies
under the foremast-and two
dimes. three nickles and % PEN
MES under the heel of the main
mast--alI coins laid heads up
Keep Souls Safe
Seafsring men will tell you that
coins under the mainmast not only
bring good luck but keep their
souls safe" Commandsnt Beckett.
of the British ROYAL Navy. who
has made study of the custom.
says il arises from the old Roman
habit of placing coins in the
mouths Of the dead to pay charon
for transportation across the River
Styx. Should 4 ship meet disaster.
says the commander. there would
be coins there 70 pay the fcrryman
Of the Ssyx for a safe crossing for
All aboard