Would that be something the ship's captain would do? I have read about locomotive engineers bringing their favorite whistles with them when they changed locomotives. I wonder if that holds true for ship captains too.
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Rick A wrote: ↑Fri Oct 04, 2019 8:25 pm Would that be something the ship's captain would do? I have read about locomotive engineers bringing their favorite whistles with them when they changed locomotives. I wonder if that holds true for ship captains too.Custom goes back to when ships had bands attached to them. Ships would go alongside for refuel/replenishment, and the band on the larger shops would assemble and play for entertainment. That mostly has gone away. Sometimes on the carriers there would be an impromtu ships band that might assemble and play. As the ships detached and pulled away, they would play a song, so each ship had their own song. USS Nashville, my first ship, played "Nashville Cats", by The Lovin' Spoonful. One of the big oilers, AOR or AOE, played BTOs, "Takin' Care of Business". USS Saratoga kept a fighting cock as a ships mascot, up on the signal bridge. When they pulled away, they played a recording of a rooster crowing. USS Nimitz, my second ship, played the movie theme from "The Final Countdown", old Kirk Douglas flick.
phillyrube wrote: ↑Sun Oct 13, 2019 11:47 amA few of the guys remember the Higbee whistle, but not how the tradition started.Rick A wrote: ↑Fri Oct 04, 2019 8:25 pm Would that be something the ship's captain would do? I have read about locomotive engineers bringing their favorite whistles with them when they changed locomotives. I wonder if that holds true for ship captains too.Custom goes back to when ships had bands attached to them. Ships would go alongside for refuel/replenishment, and the band on the larger ships would assemble and play for entertainment. That mostly has gone away. Sometimes on the carriers there would be an impromtu ships band that might assemble and play. As the ships detached and pulled away, they would play a song, so each ship had their own song. USS Nashville, my first ship, played "Nashville Cats", by The Lovin' Spoonful. One of the big oilers, AOR or AOE, played BTOs, "Takin' Care of Business". USS Saratoga kept a fighting cock as a ships mascot, up on the signal bridge. When they pulled away, they played a recording of a rooster crowing. USS Nimitz, my second ship, played the movie theme from "The Final Countdown", old Kirk Douglas flick.
Not sure how the Higbee got their whistle, I'll reach out to the Great Esteemed Chief Petty Officer community and see what I can find out.