Ship's Bell Book.

"EOT Sound effects. Left button for Play...Right to Stop"

SLOWBELL Defined

The picture depicts a segment of a ship's Engine Order Telegraph with the "order" set on slow ahead, or in other words showing a "slowbell". Engine orders are called "bells", a carry over from the days when actual bells were struck. The "code" used was simple...basically the bell, or gong struck once ( one bell ) for ahead or stop ( from either direction ), and two bells for astern. Example: From stopped to slow ahead - one bell. From stopped to astern - two bells. To "hook 'er up", while in either direction - a "jingle" on a small bell. To go from "hooked up" astern to "hooked up" ahead - one bell to slow down, one to stop, one for ahead, and a jingle to "hook 'er up"...three bells in all, and a jingle. The term "Take 'er on a slow bell", taken from above, means essentially: "Take it easy".

Alright...now you've got that...pretty simple. However, the days of striking bells are long gone, the Engine Order Telegraph coming into being. Today though, even EOTs have bit the dust...most ships today controlling the engines directly from the Bridge - Bridge Control...and automatic Bell Logging...the computer handling all that.

However to bring you up to speed on another aspect of all this "bell" stuph, during the EOT days someone, usually the Third Mate, had to record each "order", and it was recorded in the Ship's Bell Book.

Here's a simple sample I drew up using "Paint" just to show you how it looked, and what the symbols for different "bells" - "orders" were.

The above shows a page out of the SHIP'S Bell Book...usually a pamphlet type book ( soft cover ). Now you have a picture of the symbols for each "bell", or "engine order", and know what a Bell Book ( no candles please ) is.

Now we are going to concentrate on the Slow Ahead symbol...the Slow Bell symbol used for SLOWBELL.
I made up an Icon...you see Icons splattered all over your Desk-Top ( on your computer - screen ). The symbol resembles a Check Mark...you see them every day. Now when you see, or use a Check Mark you will think of the SLOWBELL Icon symbol.

If you're one who likes to diddle with your machine...and keep Favorites as Shortcuts on your Desk-top, and want this seldom ever explained meaning of SLOWBELL handy, you can Right Click on the underlined text immediately above, and save it to where you keep such things.

S a v e this page as a Favorite.

Exit Internet Explorer, Click on Start ( Lower Left Extreme Corner of your display ), Click on Favorites, and at the very bottom of the list is what you have just saved. Place the mouse cursor on that, depress the Left Mouse Button, and drag it on to the Desk Top, and release. There you will see the new "Shortcut"...it should have the SLOWBELL Icon.

Bye for now...Take it easy...or like we say: "Take It On A Slowbell".