Ship's bells

The bell clock is in shipping by chimes ( bells ) at the time.

The designation bells for the era on seagoing vessels derived from the glass hourglass (hour glass) ago, which served at the time of determination on board before the invention of the chronometer. It was a half-hour glass and a four- hour glass. The running and turning the half-hour glass was displayed by striking the ship's bell, the number of strokes was equal to the frequency of overturning. This counting went to eight, thus corresponding to a guard and then started again with the Turn of the four- hour glass. The corresponding times are " eight bells " ( watch the beginning ), " a bells ", " two bells ", - " seven bells " to turn " eight bells " ( watching ).

By tradition and for practical reasons it has retained the glass blowing on many ships. The German Navy GLAST but only on the Gorch Fock and the Marine NCO School ( MUS ) in Plön. Today, mechanical, electromechanical and electronic control clocks are used.

The glass blowing or just flipping the hourglass is audible struck by the guard on duty at the ship's bell for all in a fixed rhythm. Every full hour is a double whammy, every half hour, a single blow. Example, if one afternoon two double strokes and a single chime hears (five bells ), then it is either 14:30 or 18:30 clock. One can also distinguish by feel good and therefore needs on a ship that is geglast on a regular basis, no watch.

Listening to four double strokes, ie eight bells, it is on many ships still time for the changing of the guard. Two to three layers of wax alternate at work. On German ships three security guards are driven traditional. After four hours of guard follow eight hours off duty.

In ships are in port, is not geglast.