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I'm intending to make an engine order telegraph plaque to go on my engine throttle so I can have the teenagers helm and yell orders at them like a captain.

This is a typical engine order telegraph:


What I will have made is an lithographed or laser etched metal plate in the shape of a half-donut that would be attached to the helm directly above the throttle with the following markings:

(astern)
Full
3/4
Half
Slow

Neutral

(ahead)
Slow
Half
3/4
Full

Anybody interested in having one made as well? I won't have a quote until I've got the art complete, and I'm building it to fit the stock Evinrude throttle which is a top neutral, 90 degree forward, 90 degree aft throttle throw.

"Other Ahead!"
"Other Astern!"
"Stop DAMMIT STOP NOW!!"

How do you plan to make the bells ring ?

No thanks, but please don't keelhaul them if they disobey one of the captains commands. It will look bad for the sailing community and make us look like the NFL.

The Engine Order Telegraph that you show must have been an old one or a civilian one. As I remember the ones on my two US Navy ships (both WWII vintage but modernized), the settings were Astern: Full, 2/3, 1/3 then Stop, then Ahead: 1/3, 2/3, Standard, Full, and Flank. But, I admit the memory is hazy on this. Going back to the 60's.

Mine should display:

Let-her-rip (WOT)
You-can-go faster--fins-are-up (2/3)
Save-some-fuel--we-might-need it (1-3)
Whoa (Stop)
Whoa, you moron (Back 1/3)
Are you out of your frigging mind? (Back 2-3)
That's it. You'll be swimmin ashore (Full back)

March wrote:Mine should display:

Let-her-rip (WOT)
You-can-go faster--fins-are-up (2/3)
Save-some-fuel--we-might-need it (1-3)
Whoa (Stop)
Whoa, you moron (Back 1/3)
Are you out of your frigging mind? (Back 2-3)
That's it. You'll be swimmin ashore (Full back)

Herschel wrote:The Engine Order Telegraph that you show must have been an old one or a civilian one. As I remember the ones on my two US Navy ships (both WWII vintage but modernized), the settings were Astern: Full, 2/3, 1/3 then Stop, then Ahead: 1/3, 2/3, Standard, Full, and Flank. But, I admit the memory is hazy on this. Going back to the 60's.

Yeah, my memory of the telegraph on my ship was Astern: Full, 3/4, half, 1/4, stop, Ahead 1/4, half, Standard, and Full. I don't remember "flank" being on there, but I wasn't bridge crew I was always in Combat Central.

It's been a while but this is what I remember from my 3 Spruance Class DDs

ahead, 1/3, 2/3, Standard, Full, Flank1, Flank2, Flank3
astern 1/3, 2/3, Full

Being gas turbine, the trottles on the bridge were integrated and controlled the engines directly... no bells were answered from the main engine rooms unless we shifted controls to them for any number of reasons. In that case, we'd move the trottles on the bridge and the lee helmsman would report when the engine room answered the order.

fishheadbarandgrill wrote:
Being gas turbine, the throttles on the bridge were integrated and controlled the engines directly... no bells were answered from the main engine rooms unless we shifted controls to them for any number of reasons. In that case, we'd move the throttles on the bridge and the lee helmsman would report when the engine room answered the order.

Bah...there should always be Bells


Perhaps more cowbell ?

This is cool. What memories. The Sumner class DD (USS Ault DD-698) only had the one "flank" speed forward, but it was a 600 psi steam plant. The auxiliary (USS Colleton APB-36) had diesels, and I don't think we had a "flank" as such with top speed of 13 knots. What I do remember regarding the EOT in the Colleton was having to deal with strong currents in the Mekong while doing precision anchoring each evening before sunset to foil the VC mortars. One night I had the con and had an unheard of (outside the brown water Navy that is) Starboard engine ahead full, port engine back full trying to twist the bow around in the current to get the anchor down where it had to be. Alot of excitement on the bridge that night!