Does anyone know what the bell on a ship is for?

Question

Like in Pirates of the Caribbean

and possibly Pearl Harbour

they ring it in when they are under attack. is that what it means? mayday? or we are under attack? or what?

Answer 1

The bell is sounded to tell time. 8 bells marks the end of a watch, or 4 hours. The bell is sounded every 30 minutes, starting with one ring, then 2 and so forth. For a general alarm it is rung continuously-collision, fire, general quarters, etc.

Regards,

Dan

Answer 2

I have a bell on my vessel because it is a required safety device on vessels the size of mine.

Dan's answer is absolutely correct, except that he forgot to mention that the bell's very most important use today is as a "sound" alarm in fog and heavy rain when visibility is in question...

Bells were/are also used as ship board emergency alarms, and historically were used to tell time - mostly for alerting crews of a shift change, and time for meals.

The (most popular) term "Eight bells" was a way of saying that a sailor's watch is over.  Even today, for instance, at a sailor's funeral instead of a 21 gun salute, often a bell is rung 8 times, and in a sailors obituary, you often see the term "Eight Bells" used as a nautical euphemism for "finished".

Happy & Safe Boating!

Answer 3

Just as Dan said, to ring out the half hours - but it was also a fog signal.  Ships under way in fog use their sirens to warn of their presence, but when at anchor, they still ring the bell periodically.

Answer 4

When a lookout is posted forward he reports ligths observed by ringing once for starboard and twice for port and three times for ahead.

Also when vessel is achored in fog the bell is

rung at certain intervalls.

Answer 5

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Answer 6

Traditionally the bell was used to note the passage of time as noted by the other answers.

Modern Rules of the Road called COLREGS have a bell requirement:

Rule 33

Equipment for Sound Signals

(a) A vessel of 12 meters or more in length shall be provided with a whistle and a bell and a vessel of 100 meters or more in length shall, in addition be provided with a gong, the tone and sound of which cannot be confused with that of the bell. The whistle, bell and gong shall comply with the specifications in Annex III to these Regulations. The bell or gong or both may be replaced by other equipment having the same respective sound characteristics, provided that manual sounding of the prescribed signals shall always be possible.

(b) A vessel of less than 12 meters in length shall not be obliged to carry the sound signaling appliances prescribed in paragraph (a) of this Rule but if she does not, she shall be provided with some other means of making an efficient signal.

Rule 35

(g) A vessel at anchor shall at intervals of not more than 1 minute ring the bell rapidly for five seconds. In a vessel 100 meters or more in length the bell shall be sounded in the forepart of the vessel and immediately after the ringing of the bell the gong shall be sounded rapidly for about 5 seconds in the after part of the vessel. A vessel at anchor may in addition sound three blasts in succession, namely one short, one long and one short blast, to give warning of her position and of the possibility of collision to an approaching vessel.

(h) A vessel aground shall give the bell signal and if required the gong signal prescribed in paragraph (g) of this Rule and shall, in addition, give three separate and distinct strokes on the bell immediately before and after the rapid ringing of the bell. A vessel aground may in addition sound an appropriate whistle signal.

(i) A vessel of less than 12 meters in length shall not be obliged to give the above mentioned signals but, if she does not, shall make some other efficient sound signal at intervals of not more than 2 minutes.

(j) A pilotage vessel when engaged on pilotage duty may in addition to the signals prescribed in paragraph (a), (b) or (g) of this Rule sound an identity signal consisting of four short blasts.