Below are the 4 most recent journal entries recorded in Zane Horne's Blurty:

Thursday, January 27th, 2011
5:42 pm	Ring In The New Year With A Ship's Bell There are several different types of the historical ship's bell. Uses of the ship's bell on active vessels include: time keeping, religious ceremonies, and sounding alarms. The nautical culture respects the ship's bell for both the historical and traditional significance it carries. It's not unusual for nautical décor ship bells to be made from brass or chrome. To this day the ship bell is still a mainstay of the nautical culture. One of the other traditional uses of the ship's bell was for bringing the crew to attention during an emergency. The ship bell's distinct sound was critical to getting the attention of the crew. Also, in the case of a fire, the ships bell was rung hard and loud for five straight seconds. The rings that followed informed the crew of the location of the fire. One ring meant the fire was at the front of the ship; two rings meant it was in the center; and three rings meant the fire was in the rear. The ship's bell was integral to keeping time at sea before the chronometer came along. The ship's bell worked in conjunction with a half-hour glass to accomplish this task. The half-hour intervals of the hour glass were marked by the sounding of the ship's bell. The ship bell was struck twice after the completion of a full hour. After the first hour, two more bell strikes were added on for the following half hour. The watchman working a four hour shift relied on this ringing of the ship's bell to keep track of his duties. The United States Navy's daily routine uses the ship's bell in the same way. Sailing through dense fog required that all ships use their bells to send out a warning to other vessels that may be sailing in the same area. The ship bell's volume penetrated the fog to warn other ships in the immediate area. As part of the maritime law, it was required for all commissioned ships have a ship's bell on board when sailing. Throughout the Revolutionary War, the Americans used the bell of the ship in a manner similar to the British. The bell carried by the USS Constitution, America's most antiquated sailing vessel, weighed an astonishing 242 pounds. Also, the ship's bell served in an unorthodox manner to help the American Navy during the War of Independence. The Jamaica Fleet used their bells when sailing through fog, inadvertently alerting the Americans to their position. The biggest prize catch of the War of Independence is attributed to the Jamaica Fleet's use of the ship bell. As the biggest prize catch of the war, the amount of cargo seized amounted to roughly one million dollars. The history behind the ship's bell makes it a perfect candidate for a nautical decoration. Authentic ship bell replicas are easy to find online with many nautical decor websites selling them. There are many reasons for collecting nautical decorations, and the ship's bell has them in spades. The Unbelieveable Past Of The Ship's Bell Bringing A Ship's Bell Into The Bedroom Interior Decorators Clamor For A Ship's Bell (Comment on this)
Tuesday, January 25th, 2011
3:05 pm	Innovative Decorating - Using A Ship Bell There are many different types of ship bells. Throughout history the ship bell has served a wide range of tasks, such as: timekeeping, ceremonies, and alarms. The nautical culture is smitten with the ship bell for its historical and traditional significance. Chrome and brass are what most ship bells are made out of. Even in modern times, the ship bell is connected to the tradition of the nautical culture. Before the chronometer was invented, the ship bell was one of the best methods for keeping time aboard a ship. This was done first by using a half-hour glass. The next half-hour was signaled by the sounding of the ship bell whenever the half-hour glass was turned over. Once a full hour was completed, a sailor would strike the bell two times. Two more bell strikes were added on for every hour after that. The process went like this until the end of the watchman's four hour shift, after which the process began all over again. This type of ship bell is even used today for the United States Navy's daily routine. The ship bell is also used in religious ceremonies. This use of the ship bell began in the British Royal Navy as a customary practice for baptizing children. The ship bell was also sometimes used as a christening bowl during the ceremony. Following the baptism, children would have their names signed onto the inside of the ship bell. The Royal Navy saw this role of the ship bell as a significant part of this ceremony. The ship bell would continue to remain in use by the ship until it was decommissioned, at which time the religious bell would be stored with the Department of the Navy. Many times the ship bell was loaned to churches. Nowadays, the ship bell is kept by museums, rather than the Department of the Navy or churches. The long tradition of the ship bell's use is what is attractive to many model ship consumers. Without a ship bell to decorate a nautical room, the model ship/nautical decor collection just doesn't feel complete. There are so many different types of model ship bells for sale. For instance, there are brass anchor bells, brass hand bells, bracket bells, aluminum ship's bells, chrome bells, and many more. The ship's bell is indeed a significant part of both the British and American navies' history. The ship bell is still incorporated into our navy to this day. The military is very conservative, and steeped in traditions, so the routines of using the ship bell doesn't seem like it will fade away anytime soon. Never Sail Without A Ship Bell Innovative Decorating - Using A Ship Bell Innovative Decorating - Using A Ship Bell (Comment on this)
Thursday, January 20th, 2011
7:17 pm	The Glorious Tone Of The Ships Bell The ship bell is a part of the nautical culture that is rooted deeply in tradition. The founding principles of the ships bell were: keeping order, warning other ships and crew, timekeeping, sounding alarms, and for religious uses. Because of the ship bell's many maritime uses, the ships bell became commonplace and even symbolic in the United States Navy. The first metal ship bells originated in the Bronze Age. China was one of the first countries that learned how to make high quality ship bells from metal. 1485 was the first year that a ships bell, aboard the British boat Grace Dieu, was reportedly used. "Wache bells" were what the bells aboard this ship were called. Soon, it became commonplace that the ships bell be used during times of heavy fog to warn other ships of their presence. The loudness of the bell cut through the fog to warn other ships in the area. It eventually became maritime law that all boats have a functioning ships bell at all times. During the Revolutionary War, the Americans utilized the ships bell in the same fashion as the British. In fact, the USS Constitution, the oldest surviving ship in the history of America, had been equipped with a 242 pound ships bell. During the War of Independence, the ships bell helped the American Navy earn an incredible advantage. The Jamaica Fleet, lost in fog, sounded their ship bells to avoid hitting other ships in the area, but ended up attracting the Americans to their location. Their reckless use of the bell was loud enough for the Americans to hear, and led to what became the biggest prize catch of the War of Independence. The number of prizes and cargo aboard the Jamaica Fleet earned the Americans about one million dollars (adjusted for inflation). Further uses of ship bells were to capture the attention of the crew during an emergency. The ship bell's loud ring swiftly captures the crew's attention. In case of fire, the ships bell was rung for five seconds, as hard and as loud as possible. The following rings informed the crew of the fire's location. One ring meant the fire was in the front; two rings meant the fire was in the center; three rings meant the fire was at the back of the boat. The ships bell is still used for timekeeping, sounding alarms, and ceremonies in the modern age. The Naval Historical Center houses many recovered US Navy ship bells. Many ships honor the historical significance of the ships bell, as do museums that display and/or research them. The traditional and historical significance of ship bells are still proudly upheld in the present. Can you, or would you want to, picture a ship without a sounding ships bell? The proud history of the ships bell affords it to be a highly sought after nautical decoration. You can find many authentic ship bells at online model ship retailers. If you pride yourself a nautical enthusiast, then you should have at least one ship bell in your collection. Learning About Ships Bells The Ships Bell - There's More To It Than You Think The Rich Past Of The Ships Bell (Comment on this)
Tuesday, January 18th, 2011
1:25 pm	The Correct Use Of Handbells If you are searching for ship and hand bells then there are many online retailers that offer handbells for sale. The historical significance of ship and handbells is what drives many nautical decor sites to produce quality bells for sale. Most ship handbells are composed of brass, and can be personalized with an engraving on the outside. Knowing a little bit about handbells will help you in your quest to find the best handbells for sale. The task of shining and maintaining the ship's handbell was usually assigned to the cook. In order to keep the sailors on time for their tasks, the ship's bell and handbell were used to indicate the time. The ship's bell was comprised of eight bells which signified intervals of a half hour on the sailor's four hour watch. The ship's bell would be struck in pairs at every half hour to make it easier to tell the time that passed. Many nautical décor retailers have handbells for sale that are authentic, quality made, and available for less than retail prices. Ship bells are steeped in naval tradition and have many uses. For instance, ship bells are sometimes used for baptisms on ships. The names of the baptized would be permanently etched on the ship's bell afterwards. The importance of the ship's bell is still seen today. Whenever a ship is decommissioned its ship bells become souvenirs. Ship bells are used to identify ships wrecked at sea. There are several nautical retailers that provide authentic ship and handbells for sale. The historical significance of the ship's bells play a major role in the design of such authentic handbells for sale. As such these bells are great for nautical decorations. The authenticity of a nautical decoration determines the quality of the product. Handbells for sale of an acceptable quality have polished brass exteriors among other qualities. Most of these handbells for sale are fairly priced. High quality solid brass is what comprised many handbells for sale. The weight of an authentic replica will be heavy to the touch. The handles of the handbell are usually made up of some sort of polished high-quality wood. In order to get a decently made handbell, ensure that your nautical retailer utilizes master artisans with years of experience. Find out more about these types of beach decor here. Customers are attracted to the admirable tradition of hand and ship bells. Handbells and ship's bells decorate many model ship collectors' nautical rooms. Also, the types of ship and handbells are numerous. For instance, there are brass anchor bells, brass hand bells, bracket bells, aluminum ship's bells, chrome bells, and many more. (Comment on this)