Nautical Trivia

• Short-a-peak - The shortest position of an anchor rode just before the anchor is raised
  
  
• Turning a blind eye – 4/2/1801 during the battle of Copenhagen, Admiral Sir Hyde Parker, Commander-in Chief, signaled (by flag code 39) from his flagship to Lord Nelson aboard HMS Elephant to ‘Leave Off Action’. The Signal Lieutenant informed Nelson, who said, “Now, damn me if I do!” Observed by Captain Foley, Nelson said,” You know Foley, I have only one eye - I have a right to be blind sometimes;’ and then with an archness peculiar to his character, putting the glass to his blind eye, he exclaimed,’ I really do not see the signal.’ Nelson and his fleet went on to win the battle while Parker watched powerlessly downwind unable to join the battle. Nelson did not mention the signal in his official reports, Parker never commented on why he sent it. It was inexplicable to Nelson and his officers at the time, and remains so today.
  (taken from The War for all the Oceans by Roy and Lesley Adkins
  
  
• Cup of Joe - Josephus Daniels (18 May 1862 - 15 Jan. 1948) was appointed Secretary of the Navy by President Woodrow Wilson in 1913. Among his reforms of the Navy were inaugurating the practice of making 100 Sailors from the Fleet eligible for entrance into the Naval Academy; the introduction of women into the service; and the abolishment of the Officers' Wine Mess.
  
  From that time on the strongest drink aboard Navy Ships could only be COFFEE. Over the years, a Cup of Coffee became known a "A CUP OF JOE".
  
  For a great cup of Joe, see our stainless steel coffee press.
  
  
• Brass Monkey - Please note the Brass Monkey Story is probably not true but it's a Hell of a story.
  In the heyday of sailing ships, all war ships and many freighters carried iron cannons. Those cannons fired round iron cannon balls. It was necessary to keep a good supply near the cannon, but prevent them from rolling about the deck. The best storage method devised was a square based pyramid with one ball on top, resting on four resting on nine which rested on sixteen. Thus, a supply of thirty cannon balls could be stacked in a small area right next to the cannon. There was only one problem - how to prevent the bottom layer from sliding/rolling from under the others? The solution was a metal plate called a, "Monkey," with sixteen round indentations. If this plate was made of iron, the iron balls would quickly rust to it. The solution to the rusting problem was to make, "Brass Monkeys."
  
  Few landlubbers realize that brass contracts much more and much faster than iron when chilled. Consequently, when the temperature dropped too far, the brass indentations would shrink so much that the cannon balls would roll right off the monkey. Thus, it was quite literally, "Cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey!"

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