Omaha (1889): links, questions, comments, coordination, ...

[Michael]

May 30
Yokohama

At 9.10 a detachment of Marines and Blue Jackets left the ship for the purpose of decorating the graves of all Seamen and Marines belonging to the U.S. Service.

[Michael]

June 6
Yokohama

J. Johanson (Lds) fell overboard from starboard mizzen rigging. He was safely rescued and found to have suffered only a slight bruise, having struck on his side against the mizzen channels.

[Randi]

Called chain-wales, chains, or channels.
Horizontal platforms standing out from the side of a ship.
Their function is to spread the shrouds out to the side.


The Sailor's Word-Book, by Admiral W. H. Smyth, 1867

CHAINS, properly Chain-wales, or Channels. Broad and thick planks projecting horizontally from the ship's outside, to which they are fayed and bolted, abreast of and somewhat behind the masts. They are formed to project the chain-plate, and give the lower rigging greater out-rig or spread, free from the top-sides of the ship, thus affording greater security and support to the masts, as well as to prevent the shrouds from damaging the gunwale, or being hurt by rubbing against it. Of course they are respectively designated fore, main, and mizen.
They are now discontinued in many ships, the eyes being secured to the timber-heads, and frequently within the gunwale to the stringers or lower shelf-pieces above the water-way.
—In the chains, applies to the leadsman who stands on the channels between two shrouds to heave the hand-lead.

[Michael]

July 19
Yokohama

At 5 A.M., Brazilian Man of War hoisted colours, followed by all Men of War in harbor, hauled down colours at 5.05.

At 8. the Brazilian Man of War fired a salute of 22 guns, Japanese flag at the fore, which was returned by the Japanese fort on shore, by 21 guns. At 8:05 sent an Officer on board to the Brazilian Man of War to make the preliminary official call and found her to be the Almirante Barroso, 8 guns, Captain Castodeo de Mulo, from Sydney, 44 days out. At 8.15 the Almirante Baroso fired a salute of 15 guns, to Vice Admiral Salmon, R.N., which was returned by the Imperiuse, gun for gun, and at 8.25, one to Rear Admiral Belknap U.S.N., of 13 guns, which we returned gun for gun.

I'm so used to seeing all the various European Naval ships in these port, so I added this, which is the first time I've seen one from Brazil. When I was working on a Royal Navy gunboat on the Yangtze Kiang River for OW Phase II, I would see the usual nations, but I remember seeing a gunboat from Chile and also Argentina sailing up and down the river.


Here she is:

[Michael]

21 August
Yokohama

Among other supplies received from Mare Island Navy Yard: 3,000 lbs tobacco!

[Michael]

25 August
Yokohama

At 1040 the Portuguese gunboat Rio Lima came in and moored to the Northward of us. Sent an officer on board of her and found that she is commanded by Lieut Comdr. Jose Rebeiro de Santa Barbara, and that she left Kobe August 23^rd and encountered numerous wrecks of junks between Oo Sima and Cape Sima, these having been wrecked during the late typhoon.

[Michael]

October 20
Chemulpho, Korea.

0800

By order of Commanding Officer, James M^cGonigle (O.S.) is to be called every morning at 4 o'clock until further orders for stowing himself away on berth deck, and not coming aft to clean poop when word was passed.

I clean cat poop every morning at 8 o'clock and every evening at 7 o'clock. Different poop on the ship, though.

[Randi]

[Michael]

7 November
Nagasaki, Japan

At 9.30 a detail of officers in dress, and the band in full dress, left the ship to attend the Memorial Service to be held on shore in honor of the late King Louis I of Portugal. Admiral Belknap and his personal staff also attended At 9.40 half-masted the Colors with the Portuguese Consulate and hoisted them again at 11:15 with the same Consulate. All the war vessels in the harbor half-masted their Colors during the Memorial Services. At 11:30 the Officers and band returned on board.

Earlier in the month, all the ships were hoisting Japanese colors and firing 21 gun salutes to celebrate the birthday of the Japanese Emperor. So many royals, so many ceremonies, so many blank charges expended.

[Randi]

Eh! What did you say?!

[Michael]

November 23
Yokohama, Japan

At 10:12 the P.M.S.S. China got under way, running aground to avoid collision with incoming Tramp steamer. The Admiral sent Officer to board her, with offer of Services.
...
The U.S.S. Monocacy hauled the P.M.S.S. China off the ground at 4:05. China steamed to buoy at 4:45.

Needless to say, there were lots of signals going back and forth between Omaha and Monocacy.

And, the next day...

At 6.15 P.M.S.S.China left the harbor. Hoisted colors and paraded Band. The China dipping colors in passing. Answered in Kind.

[Michael]

December 2
Yokohama, Japan.

We shifted anchorage, and someone is funning us! A new record for bearings:

1550 Anchored. Brgs:

1. Meige buoy W1/4S;
2. F buoy W1/4N;
3. I buoy NxE5/8E;
4. E buoy NExE;
5. B Buoy E3/8N;
6. NNE Flagstaff SWxW1/2W;
7. French Hatoba SxE;
8. English Storehouse SxE1/2E.

[Michael]

December 5
Yokohama, Japan.

At 10 a funeral escort consisting of the band, a firing party of Marines, 8 pall bearers and 16 blue-jackets commanded by Naval Cadet Koester, left the ship under the command of Lieutenant Bowyer, to bury Louis P. Miller (2 class App.) who died at the U.S. Naval Hospital, Yokohama, Dec. 4, 1889.

[Michael]

December 6
Yokohama

Received on board the following musical instruments:-

1. 1 Clarinet B flat;
2. 1 E flat Cornet;
3. 1 B flat Cornet;
4. 2 E Flat Alto horns;
5. 2 B flat tenor horns,
6. 1 B flat baritone,
7. 1 E flat bass; and,
8. 1 bass drum.

[Randi]

One type of instrument for each anchor bearing

[Michael]

Make music not war!

[Michael]

The voyage for 1889 has been completed. It was interesting for a couple of things:

• They logged wind and barometric data every half-hour for 20 hours on September 11-12, and for one hour one November 26. We have transcribed well over 80,000 pages of log books, and these are the first cases when something like this has been seen. If you see such a thing, enter the two Wind Direction and Force values for the hour separated by a comma, and enter the full pressures separated by a comma. (The AutoPressureFill macro will not expand values like 12,13 to 30.12,30.13;
• They spent most of the year sitting in port, traveling for only 679 hours in the year; and,
• They had a couple of days with Force 11 winds, and a Portuguese ship reported they saw a number of junks wrecked by a typhoon on their way to Yokohama from Kobe.

You can see a plot of the voyage here and, for more detail, you can download the KML file and view it with Google Earth. There were a few mentions of people here.

These are the weather statistics for this voyage:

Weather Element	Records
DirT	8774
Kts	8780
Baro	8781
Attd	8758
Dry	8755
Wet	8755
Water	615
Weather	8758
Clouds	8744
Clear	8620
Total	79340

Omaha travelled a total of 5491 miles.

[Randi]

Super job
Michael and Michael !