Im not a nauticle person by any means but--I was wondering. I know of these terms: Foc'sle SP? and Forecastle. Are they one and the same???

Yes they are. Forecastle is the correct spelling, but it is usually pronounced foc'sle.

Yes they are.

bob

yes. And I'm not Navy by any means just spent lots of my life around boats.
Kinda like gunn'l and gunwhale. Tell someone to grab the "gun-whale" and you're gonna get slapped

__________________
Forum consigliere

Muchos gracias. I had always wondered. I heard Foc'sle used in many a movie,but saw a documentary of some type recently that showed plans of a shipand was listed as Forecastle. So much for my Viking/Norwegian roots. :-

Sure you can just go to advanced.

__________________
Dick

Muchos gracias. I may have a few more like this in the future as I remember them. I think the recent Doc I saw that showed a ships schematic--was on about a week or so ago? Well, about 3 days ago--watching an old episode of Pawn Stars--someone brought in a schematic drawing of a battleship--and they mentioned something about its Forecastle. In all my years--I knew of both terms but didnt know they were one and the same.

This is getting me in the mood for rewatching: Horatio Hornblower.

Extra likes for all and this one too. That was another I was going to ask on soon as I could remember.

Same as Bosuns Mate is short for Boatswains Mate.

__________________
Dick

Many thanks. Now I can finally have some cohesive titles too. Ive se that button never touched it.

You guys have a lot of traditional type names and such that ive always wanted to learn more about. This is another I had forgotten about.

Naval speak is nearly as confusing as the English language. For example, aboard can mean in or on a ship or a Naval installation and it can also mean being close to a ship as in "close aboard".

bob

The foc'sul or forecastle can be the uppermost forward non-weather deck or it can be a forward weather deck. For instance, on the carrier John F. Kennedy, the foc'sul was the first compartment aft of the bow and one level below the flight deck. It was commonly used for ceremonies. It can also be simply the forward most upper deck on some ships or can refer to crew berthing spaces in the bow even if below the main deck.

CW

__________________
μολὼν λαβέ

The Oldest sea going rate= Gunners Mate

Id like to see MG357 do a story using these terms.

"Arr, Cap'n. The men be smokin some strange grog in the foc'sul, and young Tim's got his pantaloons on back'rds."

^^^^

You can't smoke grog, it is too hard to keep lit unless it is a really high proof, although you can smoke rope!!!!

bob

Another epic tale "Master and Commander". As good as the best western. I spent 4 years in the Navy and never went to sea. Just a fluke I guess. I can navigate with GPS however.

__________________
That's just somebody talkin.

Id forgot about that movie. Also,speaking of--the guy who was Captain of that ship when sailing it to where-ever they filmed the movie--was a Cousin of a good friend of mine in Massachutsetts. They both lived in Oxford.

And we were (are) still referred to as "deck apes with a hunting license"!

CW.... Were you on the Kennedy? If so, when?? I did a Med cruise in the early '70's.

__________________
Dean
SWCA #680 SWHF #446

I was the "Jack-O-The Dust" a short time after I reported aboard ship,
The Navy has it's own language, and old salts can carry on a conversation
and know exactly what the other is saying, but, someone who has never been in the Navy, especially the sea going, black shoe Navy, would be baffeled if they overheard the conversation.
olcop

^^^^

You were a stew burner??? :-) Or did you just get sent off to be a mess crank for a while?

bob

I was in the Navy when it was still wooden ships and iron men. BTW, olcop, it was "white shoe Navy" from so much salt encrusted in them.

__________________
Dick

The Med Cruise from hell, 1971-1972. All those extensions and they finally had to fly me home out of Rota due to my enlistment expiration. I was with VA-46.

CW

__________________
μολὼν λαβέ

Is it time for a rope-yarn Sunday? Or should we just empty the but kits and head to the roach coach for some geedunk?

CW

__________________
μολὼν λαβέ

Funny. I spent 4 years in the Navy with 3yrs 7mo sea duty.

__________________
James L. "Jim" Rhiner

Was that the one that got as far as Scotland on the way back to Norfolk, was called back to Gibraltar and then finally back into the Med because of one of the Israel/Arab dust-ups?
If so, I was there, attached to the Admirals staff......

__________________
Dean
SWCA #680 SWHF #446

I don't know about the last part. My enlistment expired Oct. 9, 1972 and they knew we wouldn't get back to Norfolk before then. So the Navy flew me and a few other people out of Rota to Philadelphia in September on their way to the North Atlantic. I know the ship got back sometime in October but not sure of the date.

CW

__________________
μολὼν λαβέ

I just found some online Kennedy Cruise Books and I was on the 1973 Med cruise. It was supposed to be a 6 month cruise and ended up being extended to 9 months.
There is a 71-72 cruise book on-line if you are interested....(VA-46 is listed). USS John F. Kennedy (CV 67) Mediterranean Cruise Book 1971-72 -

__________________
Dean
SWCA #680 SWHF #446

On the landing craft I crewed on the foc'sle was the forward compartment where on the port side was located the gasoline powered motor that raised the ramp, on the starboard side of the ramp was a lazerette used for storing line. It was a raised superstructure above the deck that was also used for standing on to throw a line and where we usually tied the boat off when secured to a pier. On our craft we referred to our bos'n as "boats", we considered ourselves quite salty and by comparison to others likened ourselves to pirates. Never in uniform, wore our jungle fatigues cut off below the pockets, cut the sleeves out of our t-shirts, rarely wore a cover, my usual hat was a navy type cap with the top sewed down like a driver's cap, wore converse low quarters-no socks...we were a motely crew. Name of our boat was "Blood, Sweat and Tears". While other crews kept a fairly military routine we were fortunate that our E-6 skipper was a ragin drunk often pinning on warrant officers bars and spending his free time in the Navy officer's club. We had girls on the boat quite regularly, went off limits into downtown Danang at every opportunity and in general when not running supplies or heavy ammunition up and down the coast or helping the Seabees run equipment out to sea had a pretty good time dodging "lifers", soaking up the sun and dealing with the usual boredom by smoking dope or drinking beer, it was about as good as duty could be all things considered.

Here's two bo'sun's pipes, belonged to my uncle who served in the Navy in WW I. I can make a noise with them but don't know how to change the tone. These are sterling silver and are going to a museum.

Attached Images

L1050922.jpg (131.7 KB, 19 views)

Hey, we were only 3 months late because of our fire at Pier 12. Yes, I was on the USS Forrestal and we were supposed to relieve you but got held up a little bit.

bob

SP???? I believe SHORE PATROL

So, how many know what's a mares nest?
Or what's the devils strake?
Between the devil and the deep blue sea. ...

__________________
Only difference Fool/Mule-ears

Can't help there, all of my boats were made of steel, and I was an Airdale, didn't have to go over the side with a can of red lead.

bob

Yes they are ,something like nor' easter instead of northeaster

Mess crank for about 100 years it seemed, was a SK after,&AK after school.
olcop

Black shoe vs brown shoe, regular Navy vs Airdales;
Can identify with the white shoe too, were you on one of those radar picket cans in the North Atlantic? It was said about those men that they should get sub pay, since they spent more than half the time underwater.
olcop

I would very much like to have a book on nautical terms and their origins. They are being lost in antiquity. My FIL was full Navy and he got called down one time for calling a dock post a term that could be construed to have racial implications. "MAKE THREE TURNS AROUND THE 'BLANK' HEAD!" A superior called him aside and said he couldn't call it that any more and my FIL asked him why. He asked him if he had read the new Chief's manual. No, it just came out. So he went and got the new manual and there was a paragraph saying the old nautical term was unacceptable and give it some new name. There are probably only a few old sailors that ever used the term.

__________________
"He was kinda funny lookin'"

Do all three,commence holiday routine after sweepers.
ALL HANDS HEAVE OUT AND TRICE UP, SWEEPERS MAN YOUR BROOMS,
GIVE IT A CLEAN SWEEPDOWN FORE AND AFT----EMPTY ALL TRASH FROM THE FANTAIL.
olcop

I was an airdale as well (VA-23) aboard the Oriskany. The only thing I know about a foc'sle is that it was where we mustered to get paid.

Cyrano,
those pipes are very nice,it's great that you are going to donate them.
To pipe, a Bosun's Mate places his thumb behind the pipe in the area just above the chain hole, notice that it is curved to fit the thumb, the pipe is cupped in the hand, and the tone is varied by controlling the air flow from the pipe by raising and lowering the hand/fingers over the pipe. "trilling"... is done by fluttering the tongue. Try it, it takes a little practice, but is easily done.
I remember that when we were tied up to several other ships at Norfolk, the Bosun's Mates of the watch would try to out do the guys on the other ships by extending the duration of the pipeing for as long as possible---some of those guys had some tremendous lung capacity!
The Bosun's Mates " tune" their pipes by putting small dents in the bowl and some times by bending the area around the outlet.
One of the few times a left hand salute is rendered, is done by the Bosun's Mate of the watch when piping dignitaries aboard, the side boys execute a right hand salute, the Bosun's Mate a left hand salute (he's holding the pipe in his right hand).
olcop
PS, I'm looking at a pipe I keep on my desk all the time, it's a repro but it serves to remind me every day of my Navy days.
oc

Ringo,
First, let me thank you for referring to us as "Gents", I was called a lot of different " names" when I was in (we all were).
Secondly, I apologize for hijacking your thread.
olcop

Pity modern ships don't have a poop deck.

Does anyone know why the Navy had fleet Marines?

__________________
... a little behind in my work

My old, retired CPO dad(enlisted in 1932) used to say the Army had mules and the Navy had Marines...Yes on the OP's question...This thread confirms what all Navy vets know...Anything will start a session of sea stories from us old squids.

That was me, a tin can sailor, actually Destroyer Escort. I've seen 45+ degree rolls in a hurricane.

__________________
Dick

"That was me, a tin can sailor. I've seen 45+ degree rolls in a hurricane"

Been there, done that...

__________________
Only difference Fool/Mule-ears