Click the image to hear eight bells being rung
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The sailors in the navy could tell the time by using the ships bell. The day is divided into seven periods called watches. The day starts at midnight and the time is recorded in four figures, of which the first two denote the hour and the last two the minute.
The following table shows the difference in the recording of time by naval and civilian methods.
| Watch (24 hr clock) | 12 hour clock |
| Middle 0000-0400 | midnight to 4 am |
| Morning 0400-0800 | 4 am to 8 am |
| Forenoon 0800-1200 | 8 am to noon |
| Afternoon 1200-1600 | Noon to 4 pm |
| First Dog 1600-1800 | 4 pm to 6 pm |
| Last Dog 1800-2000 | 6 pm to 8 pm |
| First 2000-2400 | 8 pm to midnight |
The purpose of dividing the period between 1600 and 2000 into two “dog watches” is to provide an odd number of watches in the 24 hour day so that the port and starboard watches will keep a different watch each day.
The seaman, unlike the civilian, does not speak of the morning, afternoon, and evening, but of the morning, forenoon, afternoon and dog watches.
Striking the ship’s Bell
The time is indicated by striking the hours and half-hours on the ship’s
bell throughout each watch, in accordance with the table below so the time indicated
is called “one bell,” “two bells,” etc, according to
the number of times the bell is struck.
| First half hour | One bell |
| First hour | Two bells |
| First hour and a half | Three bells |
| Second hour | Fourbells |
| Second half-hour and a half | Five bells |
| Third hour six bells | Six bells |
| Third hour and a half | Seven bells |
| Fourth hour eight bells | Eight bells |
This sequence is repeated in each watch, with the exception of the last dog watch; seven bells, for example, can therefore indicate 0330, 0730, 1130, 1530, or 2330, and so when quoting the time by this method the name of the watch is added; 1030, for example, is described as “five bells in the forenoon .” Time in the last dog-watch is marked as follows:- 1830 by one bell, 1900 by two bells, 1930 three bells and 2000 by eight bells.
Except for marking the time the ship’s bell is only struck to indicate the position of the ship when at anchor in a fog or bad visibility, or to sound the general alarm in the event of fire or other emergency.
The fog signal is the rapid ring of the bell for about five seconds every minute. For a general alarm the bell is rapidly for considerably longer than five seconds, and this is followed by a pipe indicating the nature of the emergency and giving orders for dealing with it. The general alarm is only sounded by the order of the Commanding Officer (Captain).
Another time the ship’s bell is rung is new year’s eve when it is struck 16 times - eight bells for the old year and eight bells for the new year.
|
The bell of HMS Victory Click the image to hear eight bells being rung |
From those far off day of watches we now tell the time from
our wrist watch.
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