boatswain's whistle

Hear this out loudPausevariants or boatswain's whistle or less commonly boatswain's call. 1. : a silver whistle used by a boatswain's mate (as in relaying orders to the crew or giving orders to winch and crane operators) 2. : the note or notes sounded on the boatswain's pipe.

Hear this out loudPauseThe use of the boatswain's call in English ships can be traced back with certainty to the days of the Crusades, AD 1248. It was worn in English ships and fleets as an honoured badge of rank, probably because it has always been used in passing orders.

Hear this out loudPauseTUNING THE BOATSWAIN'S CALL A Boatswain's Call can be tuned by scraping away and enlarging the wind edge of the hole on the buoy, until the note sounds sharp and clear. This can be achieved with a fine grade emery cloth.

Hear this out loudPauseThe word boatswain has been in the English language since approximately 1450. It is derived from late Old English batswegen, from bat (boat) concatenated with Old Norse sveinn (swain), meaning a young man, apprentice, a follower, retainer or servant.

Hear this out loudPauseA boatswain's call, pipe, or bosun's whistle is a pipe or a non-diaphragm type whistle used on naval ships by a boatswain. The pipe consists of a narrow tube (the gun) which directs air over a metal sphere (the buoy) with a hole in the top.

Hear this out loudPauseUsage Note: The word boatswain is pronounced as a single word with two syllables (bōsən). People with sea legs have a long tradition of spelling the word as bosun, bo's'n, and bos'n to reflect the salty pronunciation.

Hear this out loudPauseIt is mainly used for signaling, though it can be heard in folk ensembles and in contemporary music. If a pellet is enclosed - as in a police whistle - it interferes with the air vibration, causing a warbling sound.

Hear this out loudPauseboatswain, also called bosun, ship's officer responsible for maintenance of the ship and its equipment. Before the Royal Navy was established, the term boatswain was applied to the expert seaman on an English merchant vessel.

Hear this out loudPauseThe Boatswain's Call, or whistle, was once the only method other than the human voice of passing orders to men on board ship.

Hear this out loudPauseThe Boatswain's call was predominantly used to issue orders during times when voices could not be heard over the rumbling sea. Early on, the pipe was a symbol of rank, perhaps due to the fact that these were worn by high-ranking officers to signal orders to the crew.

Hear this out loudPauseExamples of boatswain The boatswain dropped the third boat quick as a flash, got free from the ship and began picking up the swimmers. The boatswain grinned in a knowing, mirthless way, that his assistants seemed to understand, for they responded in kind.

boatswain's whistle Hear this out loudPauseFact: Georg von Trapp summoned his children with a boatswain's whistle because it was the best way for them to hear him in their large house.