Detroit evening times., 1943-08-29
When Sp00ks
Sailed With The
U.s. Ndvy
-

(UPERsTIT1ONs of the don't make much i'm
- preston on the sailors in Uncle Sans Navy and
- Merchant Marine The present-day with
exceptions eeHfsehas been trained modern
ships. with modern inventions at hand and there
scientific for any question he may ask That's
why many of the hoary traditions of the get only
laugh from a modern bluejacket
But there time when ghost haunted ship
got plenty of serious attention 1t was the exceptional
seadog scofed other weird mysteries that
went with sailing ships the wndammers of several gen
erations ago one of the skeptica was the late
Admiral ebiey gffttnE Spanish
American War
Back early years at sea- Fighting Bob" had
opportunity to down OF these tales while
cruise In old Navy sailing ship He wrote II for the
ships log which recently light Here his story;
"On to Madeira the superstitious feelings of
the men and indeed Of some Of officers much
by.a ghostly incident We under
full and the shining brightly, so it
sail When the topgallant sails had
been clewed up and the returned TO deck there stood
seaman on the toretopgalant yard clearly outlined
against the Tapping canvas of the forcroyal
The officer of the deck hailed the officer of the fore
castle to know why that man was stl aloft but was
all the deck and accounted for
But the figure plain occasionally
moving in the bright moonlight deck officer hailed
him but received no answer Finally. a up
the shrouds to tell the fellow whoever he was to report
the quarter deck
The crew was by this considerably and
anxiously what would happen Just the
sailor reached the foetop figure yard suddenly
disappeared though ne had fallen overheard the
messenger returned state OF pcfpNty, not knowing
what 10 say More excitement followed The watch
again counted but all hands found to
be prescn,
Now there is I'm old superstition Of the sea that
high and yelun like infiuty which mariners call the
Cherh That Up Aof frequently visits ships to buoy
up spirits of troubled saiomen But this particular
cerub anything but soothing 10 the morale OF the
vessels personnel
After this sleep was out Of the question The crew
stood about little groups watching the forctopgallant
yard waiting the thing rcappear, many of them
too frightened reason and all them expecting
awful disaster befall the craft
rtrlf Nlf fl.s gl,1
the relative position 20 the ship the sails
rcocd and after changing the course slowly few
the spectre-lie figure again standing
the place the yard Who was H. or what was 1t
Then of officers walked all the way forward
and scanned the rigging with his binoculars and when he
returned 70 the quarter deck the mystery was solvcda
shadow of the canvas the mainmast
sponsible the ghost
Another one Of Uncle Sans sailing ships had a similar
spook scare the Mediterranean. Close 10 midnight,
hundreds mules land the soft toinE Of bell
heard annoyed the watch the proper
foE such sounding Furthermore contrary normal
time signals. the peaiIng continued several minutes
To The crew il sounded like funeral kncl and they
decided II was au omen of impending death. The men
went 20 their hau1uocks chattcuug eNcitedly.
THE following night az about Che hour the olling
resumed The crow listened apprchensivcy
Tine tutd night found The captain and an hands
different parts determined the mystery
ht ~, Npet,d time the gboetly bel-likc notes again
sounded The naf nearest The ships hg brass bill walked
al'y s yards Of i, Tho sound was coming from the
boil al light --t tr, .o1o WAS lLL--ll4---
The s.pr'r harr.ea 'o tae hc,Ie I. - ringing hut
not amy motion of tH, Ship Tho was glass
smooth IS CLOSER Investigation showed that the ben
oappcf was notion
The captain . bcsiar,I hut practical II ordered
a-sl-lll..-.a.4.a--..
brII actually s f.'e' or aa'er there was logical
The galley ~ ~, .e.ait Il ls directly under III tap
gallant fore, a.., about 20 ~. if.. AsI Ts, fires
the galley stoves atf, pgt .at O'Clock and al
certain point d" ti, froeSss at eaaH-. contraction Of
metal tr -asall--1-a. ..--.--7e
Of box, md