Old Weather Forum

I did my best, but I can't figure that word out either. However, there was a line missing.

At 11:45 a
water spout formed bearing NNE from the ship and close in shore
At first it formed a thick vertical column and after breaking
reformed in a thin curved column rapidly changing direction in ???
The sea was considerably disturbed the noise beig plainly heard
on the ship.

This must have been hard to do.

"1530 Began to wear the ship."

Yes I do know what wear is, but it looked funny.
Wear
"to change the tack of a sailing vessel, esp a square-rigger, by coming about so that the wind passes astern"

Checking an 1852 voyage of Jameston I noted that someone had
'Expended two gallons of whiskey to mix blacking for the rigging'

Well I personally don't like whiskey but it seems an expensive ingredient when I'm sure there are cheaper forms of C2H5OH

Hum....
It says that the whiskey was expended to mix the blacking.
It does not say that the whiskey was mixed into the blacking.

Earplugs anyone?

6 May 1908 the Atlantic Fleet 1^st Squadron and 2^nd Squadron, and the Pacific Fleet had anchored in San Francisco Bay.
8 May was a noisy day if you lived in San Francisco or Oakland.


8 May 1908

8am to meridian:
...
The Secretary of the Navy, accompanied by personal staff, with party, including the Governors of California and Nebraska and the Mayor of San Francisco, came on board at 10.00am.
At 10.10am got under way, under boilers A, B and C, and stood down between columns 1 and 2 of the fleet, the Commanding Officer at the conn, returning between columns 3 and 4 of the fleet.
Salutes of 17 guns were fired by each of the 34 ships in the fleet formation.
A salute of 13 guns was fired by this vessel upon passing U.S.S. "Connecticut", at the completion of the review.
At 11.15am anchored in 8 fathoms water, 30 fathoms on starboard chain, full-dressed ship upon anchoring.
The flag officers, with staffs, and the Commanding Officers of all ships in the fleet called upon the Secretary of the Navy upon this ship, full honers being given, including salutes, with the exception of those to Rear Admirals Thomas and Rear Admiral Emory, which were disposed with at their request.

Meridian to 4pm:
...
Continued with ceremonies, attendant upon the reception of the Secretary of the Navy.
Fired a salute of 17 guns at 12.47pm in honor of the Governor of California, and a salute of 17 guns at 12.54pm in honor of the Governor of Nebraska.
At 12.58pm the Secretary of the Navy left the ship, a salute of 17 guns being fired as his flag was hauled down.

http://oldweather.s3.amazonaws.com/ow3/ ... _155_1.jpg

I hope the gun crew at least had ear protection. I met one firearms training officer on holiday and he was going deaf despite taking some precautions. [He did admit to being a bit lax when he was a 'youngster' in the army.]

Ouch.
And in front of the Rear Admiral, too.

U.S.S. "Yorktown", Monterey, California, May 19, 1908.

Meridian to 4pm:
The Commander-in-Chief, with staff, continued inspection.
Held fire and rescue party, fire, collision and abandon ship drills.
In lowering second cutter, when boat was about 15 feet above the water, the gooseneck studs on the ends of the strongback carried away, dropping the strongback and second cutter into water with such rapidity that the two men in the boat, L. Brown, Seaman, and C. Carroll, Seaman, were seriously injured, their injuries as follows: [see] memorandum [below].

http://oldweather.s3.amazonaws.com/ow3/ ... _179_1.jpg

Memorandum for the log.

Injuries to men caused by dropping of second cutter.

F. Brown, Painter Third-class, sternman, sustained a supra condyloid fracture of left femur and an abrasion over the patella, apparently due to direct violence.
C.F. Carroll, Seaman, bowman, was apparently struck in the middle of the back and forcibly thrown against some sharp ledge.
The upper lip was out, the bones of the nose broken and a transverse fracture sustained through all bones of the face, rendering the superior maxillary freely movable from side to side.

http://oldweather.s3.amazonaws.com/ow3/ ... _177_1.jpg

In 1908 some of those injuries could be troublesome. They wouldn't be good ones to get now but with the anaesthetics they had then plus the lack of biocompatible implants lifelong problems could be the result. [No chloride resistant stainless steel then - I saw a bone plate from around that period which had not been removed until 30+ years later - not much left.] However, I suspect that the incident would be regarded more like - well that's life at sea for you = rather than a Court of Inquiry offence.

I won't say Captain Hamlet was a jinx, but two times he took command of the Thetis (he was Superintendent of Construction and Repair for the Pacific Coast) and two times she crashed into a wharf

On 17 April 1902 the ship had finished extensive overhauling and repairs when:

10.20 Captain Oscar C. Hamlet, Revenue Cutter Service, Superintendent Construction and Repair, came on board and took charge of vessel. Got underway from Fulton Iron Works and stood up harbor for berth at Howard Street dock.
11.07 in trying to make dock, fair tide landing, tide caught stern of vessel throwing bow in, bowsprit fouling shed on Howard dock #3, carrying away bowsprit and smashing in corner of shed. Captain Hamlet handling vessel. Backed off and stood over for Oakland Creek.
12.26 Made fast to Boole’s dock. Captain Hamlet made arrangements with Boole’s Shipyard for new bowsprit.

On 28 April 1902 the ship had finished fixing the bowsprit and was finally ready to move on with her duties... therefore:

3.30 Captain Oscar C. Hamlet, Revenue Cutter Service, came on board.
5.05 cast off from Boole’s wharf and under charge of Captain Hamlet, stood out of creek and across bay for San Francisco.
While getting into Filbert Street wharf ship fouled wharf building to northward of slip, carrying away several piles, bending supports to steam launch cradle.

I'm still working on the batch, will let you know if the poor Thetis is rammed on some other pier again

As the Supt of repair, is Capt Hamlet trying to create more business for his dept.?

Very funny, jil