How Does a Ship's Bell Clock Work?
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Marking the Hours
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The "bells" struck by a ship's clock are used to "mark the watch," a ship's working shift of 4 hours' duration. The day begins at 1 minute after midnight, and the bell strikes every half hour of the watch: half an hour after midnight is one bell, 1 a.m. is two bells, 1:30 a.m. is three bells and so on until 4 a.m., which is eight bells and the end of the watch. Historically, one member of the crew was to "make rounds" of the ship every half-hour and strike the ship's bell to let the watch officer know that all was well about the vessel. After the first half-hour of the watch, when one bell was struck, the bells were sounded in groups of two, so that three bells, would be "ding-ding, ding" and four bells would be "ding-ding, ding-ding."
Inner Workings
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A ship's clock works exactly the same as a striking mantel or desk clock, using the same clockwork mechanism and the same bell mechanism as a mantel clock. There are only two notable differences between a ship's clock and a mantel or desk clock. The first is that the ship's clock is almost always made of brass. The other difference is that the striking mechanism is set to mark the hours of the watch, ringing from one to eight bells, in groups of two bells, six times each day, rather than one-to-twelve, twice.
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Maintenance
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If the ship's clock is a mechanical clock, rather than quartz, it requires winding with a key. The bell mechanism is powered by a separate spring, meaning that the bell mechanism must also be wound, just like the striking mantel clock; like the mantel clock, it must also have a visit to a qualified clockmaker every 2 years for cleaning, oiling and timing.
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