Ship's Telegraph

............. or more properly Engine Order Telegraph. (apologies for the slightly lengthy text. First bit is some detail about EOTs and then some lighter poking at how the system is applied to wider life)

If the officer in command on the ship's bridge wanted to change speed then he or she would ring the telegraph setting on the bridge eg Full Ahead by moving a handle to the appropriate position on the dial. A bell would ring in the engine room and move the EOT pointer in the engine room to the position on the dial selected by the officer on the bridge. The engineer would then respond by moving their EOT handle to the same position to signal their acknowledgement of the order from the bridge, and then adjust the ship's speed to reflect the order. If an urgent command is made which requires rapid reaction then the bridge handle is moved three times so that engine room bell rings three times. Apparently this is called a cavitate bell because the rapid reaction of the propeller causes the water around it to cavitate causing a lot of noise - and in times of war could give away the ship's position.

Noting the command on the ship's bridge to full ahead, it occurred to me that there is a parallel with politicians in power who would want us to believe that the economy, jobs, prosperity, health, education etc are all going full steam ahead under their direction and impetus - command even - provided to the economic etc engine room. The reality down below where the real world of 'making it happen' can be a wee bit different: the actual reality could perhaps be full astern!

Now, skating on thin ice with hot blades and with piranha lurking below - dare I say that the analogy could extend to marriages or partnerships or the like? Female of the species barks out an order - full steam ahead to mow the lawn / paint the doors / mend the fence / tidy the garage etc. Male of the species on receipt of the order responds according to mood / necessity / desire to actually do the task / diplomacy / fear / enjoyment etc. Typical responses would be - ok I'll do it now; I'll do it later today; I'll get round to it; I'll get someone to do it; you do it. Clearly an urgent order whether complied with or not would be highly likely to cause a lot of noise (cavitation)!

Good to see that the world of marine communication has its parallels in life's wider circumstances.