Manning the rail is a method of saluting (or rendering honors) used by naval vessels. The custom evolved from that of "manning the yards", which dates from the days of sail.
Sailors swabbed the deck — and not just to keep it clean. The saltwater helped keep down mildew on the wooden boards and kept them swollen to reduce leaks. The crew's toilet was a hole at the bow or head of the ship.
In real life, swabbing the deck is done to keep moss and mold from growing on a wooden deck, and also to keep the planks swelled up, so there's little room for water to get into the lower decks.
Also known as a sailor, gob, or swab. The term swab comes from military crewmen who swabs the deck with a mop. Navy men in times gone past were generally called bluejackets, with working names like deckhand or black gang. Deckhands were ordinary seamen who performs routine labor on the ship.
Sailors used something called a 'tow rag'. A tow rag was a long piece of frayed rope that dangled in the water. The ropes were tied to the part of the ship that was used as a toilet. After wiping, they would drop the rope back into the water and let the ocean do the clean-up.
Royal Navy
The practice reached its height in 1796 when Admiral St Vincent recommended to his captains that the decks of all ships in the fleet be holystoned "every evening as well as morning during the summer months." For a ship of the line, the practice could take up to four hours.
"Head" in a nautical sense referring to the bow or fore part of a ship dates to 1485. The ship's toilet was typically placed at the head of the ship near the base of the bowsprit, where splashing water served to naturally clean the toilet area.
The Colloquial Terms of 'Pusser' meaning 'a sailor of the Royal or Australian Navy or 'Pussers' meaning The Navy itself is a corruption of the word Purser and these terms are still used to this day. Slops were bought from a Contractor by the Purser, the Contractor being known as the Slop Seller.
Field day is a phrase that means a day for cleaning up all parts of the ship, or a day of general cleaning. The term originated in the mid-18th century to refer to a day when military units would stand parade for the public.
Some sailors do. Aboard ship, the Deck Division is responsible for cleanliness - chipping away rust, then priming the bare area and lastly painting it with topcoat. There are also sailors who swab the decks. What is the relationship between Marines and sailors?
Water Whitening is a phenomenon which occurs when moisture or water comes into contact with a water based decking oil that has not fully cured. Usually this happens when it rains shortly after finishing the deck, however a particularly dewy evening can cause whitening on the decking surface.
But don't just slap a coat of stain on in a hurry — you'll need to clean your deck before staining it. If you stain a deck without cleaning and prepping it first, the results will look blotchy, uneven, and, well, amateur. Any time you save skipping the cleaning stage, you'll spend twice over repairing the botched job.
In sailing ships, the toilet was placed in the bow somewhat above the water line with vents or slots cut near the floor level allowing normal wave action to wash out the facility. Only the captain had a private toilet near his quarters, at the stern of the ship in the quarter gallery.
Part of everyday Naval life, a salute is always made with the palm facing in. Why? Because sailors' hands were generally covered in tar from sails and rigging, and it was deemed unsightly to show an officer or member of the Royal Family a dirty palm.
Scurvy was the scourge of sailors for thousands of years. An estimated 2 million sailors died of the diseaseFinding the Cure for Scurvy article on the US Naval Institute website between the 16th and 18th centuries alone, often decimating entire ship crews. Scurvy is a dietary deficiency caused by a lack of vitamin C.
99 (pron. niner niner): When "99" is heard on the radio following a unit's call. sign, it means that the transmission is for all of the aircraft in that unit.
Salty Dog is a nickname for an ornery Sailor or a U.S. Marine who has spent much of his life aboard a ship at sea. A Salty Dog is also called old salt or true grit. The phrase features prominently in Salty Dog Blues where it refers to the belief that applying salt to valuable hunting dogs would keep ticks away.
An Australian Navy renowned for excellence in service to the nation. Our vision is consistently interpreted and shared by all through our motto: To fight and win at sea.
Most sailors were right handed, so the steering oar was placed over or through the right side of the stern . Sailors began calling the right side the steering side, which soon became "starboard" by combining two Old English words: stéor (meaning "steer") and bord (meaning "the side of a boat").
Figureheads were often female but not exclusively so. A female may have been popular because the ship itself is always referred to as a 'she'. As women were often not allowed on board, the figurehead itself might also represent the sole female on the ship.
The name “John” was later derived from “Jake” and “Jack.” Secondly but most notable amongst historians, John was the name of the first man credited with inventing the first flushing toilet. John Harington was born during the time in which Queen Elizabeth reigned. His mother was a member of the queen's chamber.
Many pirates had the unpleasant job of sweeping the rats off of the ship and into the water. As you can imagine, this is probably when a lot of the rat and flea bites happened. The rats were forced out of their hiding places.
The entire journey took 252 days (a little over 8 months). From England, the fleet sailed to Australia making stops in Santa Cruz, Rio de Janeiro and Cape Town. They arrived in Botany Bay in mid-January 1788.
holystone (plural holystones) (nautical) A piece of soft sandstone used for scouring the wooden decks of ships, usually with sand and seawater. [