Picture yourself being on a wooden deck of an old navy ship, with hair wet from the sea and sea air blowing through it, and there’s the sound of sea hitting the ship’s hull. In the middle of the working sailors, and the sounds of the wood of the ship, a short and sharp whistle of a high-pitched, melodious sound is heard and the crew stops. This is the boatswain’s call, a melody known to many a seaman, and a small whistle that is big on tradition.
The boatswain’s call also known as the bosun’s whistle was first used in 1485 as a emblem of rank for the Lord High Admiral of England. This small, non-diaphragm type whistle consists of several parts: It is made of gun, a narrow tube that directs air over a spherical metal called the buoy, and keel, which is a flat metal that is located at the bottom of the gun and holds the call together. A part called the shackle links the call to a long chain worn around the neck in ceremonial uniforms of the personnel.
Boatswain’s call has been used as a communication device in naval ships especially when giving orders. Before the modern means of communication, the whistle used to blow a very shrill sound that could easily be heard over the noise of the water and chaos on the deck. This proved to be extremely useful during occasions of rain or in any situation where there was a lot of noise. The boatswain’s call was not merely a whistle to give commands; it was a way of passing life-saving information which had to be obeyed to the later.
Author: myhealthylife99.com
