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Watches
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Onboard a sailing vessel the 24 hour day is divided into seven watches: five watches each four hours in length and two watches each two hours in length (the Dog Watches.) Dog Watches* stagger a crew's watch schedule so that the vessel's two watch teams don't constantly repeat differing watch cycles and instead all crew end up standing all the watches every two days.
The Midnight Watch spans the hours from midnight to 4am, followed by the Morning Watch spanning 4am to 8am, and finally the Forenoon Watch† from 8am to noon. At noon the Afternoon Watch commences until 4pm, followed by the First Dog Watch from 4pm to 6pm, the Second Dog Watch from 6pm to 8pm, and finally the First Watch from 8pm to midnight, completing the daily cycle.
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Bells
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Watches are further subdivided by bells. Bells‡ are struck on the half-hour; thus, in a typical four hour watch the bells are rung eight different times. By counting the bells rung during a specific watch one can calculate the time of day: two bells in the Afternoon Watch is 13:00 (12:00, being the start of the watch, plus two half-hours.)
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| Time |
Bells |
Watch |
|
Time |
Bells |
Watch |
| 24:30 |
1 |
Midnight |
|
12:30 |
1 |
Afternoon |
| 01:00 |
2 |
|
13:00 |
2 |
| 01:30 |
3 |
|
13:30 |
3 |
| 02:00 |
4 |
|
14:00 |
4 |
| 02:30 |
5 |
|
14:30 |
5 |
| 03:00 |
6 |
|
15:00 |
6 |
| 03:30 |
7 |
|
15:30 |
7 |
| 04:00 |
8 |
|
16:00 |
8 |
| 04:30 |
1 |
Morning |
|
16:30 |
1 |
First Dog |
| 05:00 |
2 |
|
17:00 |
2 |
| 05:30 |
3 |
|
17:30 |
3 |
| 06:00 |
4 |
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18:00 |
4 |
| 06:30 |
5 |
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18:30 |
5§ |
Second Dog |
| 07:00 |
6 |
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19:00 |
6§ |
| 07:30 |
7 |
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19:30 |
7§ |
| 08:00 |
8 |
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20:00 |
8 |
| 08:30 |
1 |
Forenoon |
|
20:30 |
1 |
First |
| 09:00 |
2 |
|
21:00 |
2 |
| 09:30 |
3 |
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21:30 |
3 |
| 10:00 |
4 |
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22:00 |
4 |
| 10:30 |
5 |
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22:30 |
5 |
| 11:00 |
6 |
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23:00 |
6 |
| 11:30 |
7 |
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23:30 |
7 |
| 12:00 |
8 |
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24:00 |
8 |
Notes |
| * |
"‘Dogs,’ said the chaplain, who was not one to leave his corner of the table silent long. ‘That reminds me of a question I had meant to put to you gentlemen. This short watch that is about to come, or rather these two short watches — why are they called dog watches? Where, heu, heu, is the canine connection? Why,’ said Stephen, ‘it is because they are cur-tailed, of course.’"
Post Captain, by Patrick O'Brian
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| † |
"Did you not see the Blue Peter flying all through the forenoon watch — nay, watch after God-damned watch? I must tell you, sir, that I have known men headed up in a barrel and thrown overboard for less: far less."
The Ionian Mission, by Patrick O'Brian
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| ‡ |
"It was a grey, chilly, windless day, so still that we could hear ships’ bells from far and near striking the half-hours and the hours."
Mutiny on the Bounty, by Charles Nordhoff and James Hall
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| § |
The commencement of the 1797 mutiny at Nore among the British fleet was signalled by five bells of the Second Dog Watch (18:30); since that time the British Navy strikes one bell at 18:30, two at 19:00, three at 19:30 and the regular eight at 20:00.
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