The U.S. Navy Bell

Ship bells have been a part of the traditions of the world’s navies and merchant fleets for centuries for both functional and ceremonial uses. One of the earliest recorded mentions of a ship’s bell was on the British ship Grace Dieu in about 1485. Some ten years later, an inventory of the English ship Regent listed two “wache bells.”

Used for signaling, keeping time, and sounding alarms, bells are an important part of a ship’s routine and readiness. Before the advent of the chronometer, time at sea was measured by the trickle of sand through a half-hour glass. One of the ship’s boys had the duty of watching the glass and turning it when the sand had run out. When he turned the glass, he struck the bell as a signal that he had performed this vital function. This age-old practice of sounding the bell on the hour and half hour still holds a place in the modern Navy.