Greetings from USS Constitution's Marine Guard

[Andy O'Pray]

To elaborate slightly on JR's explanation of the saying, "Tell it to the Marines".

It is written that on the return of sailors to England, they were telling stories of how they had seen mermaids whilst at sea. On the stories reaching the ears of the King, he reportdedly stated, "Tell it to my Marines". Indicating that if the Marines could confirm the stories, then he, the King, would believe it.

Aye - Andy.

[1812USMarine]

Dolly:
Try this page for the Friends of the CSS Hunley.

http://www.hunley.org

Ignore the sign-in request and click to Recovery.

Best,
JD

[1812USMarine]

Tell it to the Marines:
This legend goes back to the London of 1664, when Charles II was King of
England. A ship's master, returned from a long cruise, told him a sea story
he couldn't believe. "Fish that fly like birds?" the Merry Monarch exclaimed. "I have my doubts!"
"Nay, sire, it is true," said Sir William Killigren, colonel of the new
British Marine regiment raised that year. "I have myself seen flying fish many a time in southern waters. I vouch for the truth of this strange tale, your Majesty."
The King thought it over. At last he turned to Samuel Pepys, the
Secretary of the Admiralty. "Mr. Pepys," he said, "no class of our subjects hath such knowledge of odd things on land and sea as our Marines. Hereafter, when we hear a yarn that lacketh likelihood, we will tell it to the Marines. If they believe it, then we shall know it is true."

Americans changed it slightly during WWI making it a challenge to the Huns.

JD[/b]

[Andy O'Pray]

1812USMarine, Congratulations on your knowledge of British history, albeit with a marine bias. A similar story leading to the same meaning. Charles 11 father had been beheaded by the Cromwellians, so one had to be careful in what one said in those days. I prefer mermaids over flying fish, even though flying fish is more believable.

I look forward to more discussions.

Aye - Andy.

[harry hackedoff]

That flying fish was the version I`d heard Andy.
My copy of " The boy`s own big book of boat battles" is largely in agreement with both JR and our cousin, ref the number of guns the Chesapeake carried. However, a vessel may have been built to carry, say, thirty-two guns as in the number of gun ports, but there would be other guns added. The Captains cabin would often have de-mountable walls to enable two or more guns to bear aft, known as "stern-chasers". On deck, various other additional guns were often carried, swivel guns or carronades, etc. So the number of guns a ship carried could vary from the official thirty-two up to forty-odd, for example.
Capt Lawrence was fataly shot by a Royal Marine, as he was carried below, he ordered" Don`t give up the ship" Capt Broke himself, led the boarding party, which cleared the open decks. Fusilades into the open hatches by Royal, concluded the matter within fifteen minutes. Broke was seriously injured in the action. Surprised at you forgetting that, Jim. Bet you and Owdun were glad when you passed yer layer`s course,and could ditch yer numbers two and six jobs
Ref Wrecks. Most wrecks I have dived are hardly recogniseable as such. Particularly so with wooden ships. A few bits of timber, covered in marine growth, maybe a lenght of chain or a coral encrusted lump of something( which later turns out to be a cannon) It`s very unusual to find anything which looks like a ship. Fair play to the dive team, for finding such a treasure.
Aye,

[1812USMarine]

Roger on the gun counts - Constitution is rated as a 44-gun, but she currently is configured with 52. Unfortunately, they are not the originals; in fact, when they were cast in the 1920s, the maker put the Crown and GR on some of them! (We did possess "captured" British guns at one time. Something about y'all up and leaving what is now our Ft. Independence in Boston without a shot being fired. What's up with that?)

[1812USMarine]

This is from the 1816 book I previously mentioned (and in my possession):
The ships were within pistol-shot of each other when "...a shot disabled (Chesapeake's) foresail so that she would no longer answer her helm, and her anchor caught in one of the after ports of the Shannon, which enabled the latter to rake her upper deck. As soon as Lawrence perceived that she was falling to leeward, and that by the Shannon's filling she would fall onboard, he called his boarders, and was giving orders about the foresail, when he received a musket ball in his body The bugleman, who should have called boarders, did not do his duty; and, at this moment, commodore Broke, whose ship suffered so much that HE was preparing to repel boarders, jumped on board with about 20 men. They would have been instantly repelled; but the captain, the 1st lieut., the sailing-master, the boatswain, the Lieut. of marines, and the only acting lieut. left on the spar deck, were all killed or wounded."
It goes on to report cowardice/disobediance by a Portuguese boatswains mate and his followers PO'd over some past loss of prize money. The ship, however, did NOT strike her colors; all that were able to resist were overwhelmed.

JD

[harry hackedoff]

Fair enough mate. What about the boatswain on the Shannon who lost an arm trying to secure a line on your vessel, as they collided? Point is, brave men fought hard, and died on both sides, take a tot to the memory of all of them, Aye

J D, can I recommend you to visit this link,
www.frigateunicorn.org
Most interesting will you find it, fascinate you it will. Click on links, there`s even one to your old war canoe
Nice talking with y`all, glad to have you aboard. Wish more of yer countrymen posted like you do, you still need to watch yer stern, though.
Aye,
PS This doesn`t mean we`re engaged or anything. I won`t be sending you any pressed flowers in scented notes, holding hands in the moonlight or swapping spit.
Well, not before we`ve been formally introduced, at least.

[El Prez]

Hackedoff yer a two timing git! I'm sending the easy rider leathers and fake 'tache back, along with the linesman kit, I may keep the Leatherman tool for all occassions. Watch him 1812, he's fast but totally untrustworthy, never once sent me a Mothers Day card. Bitch!

[JR]

Hey dont forget Harry I sailed with 'Capt Pugwash' Aboard the 'Black Pig' Oh Shi'ite there I go again wrong program.Aye JR

[harry hackedoff]

I once posted a link to our old mucker`s site, give me a day or so and I`ll stick it on here.
Dum dum
Dum dum
De dum de dum de dum de dum
And I think Tom the cabin boy knows more than he`s saying
Avast, me hearties, tis Cut-throat Jake and no mistake
Was Cut-throat Jakes No2 called Hench?

[harry hackedoff]

Avast me hearties, yer tiz,

"Plundering Porpoises! Jumping jellyfish! Harrowing hurricanes!"
blustered pirate Captain Pugwash, to the work-shy crew of his ship the Black Pig as they sailed the Seven Seas and encountered adventures. The rotund Captain, always bold before the event, with a tendency to get into scrapes (and make a speedy exit forthwith) was a star of this, originally, very basic animated programme, in which speech was simulated by moving a piece of card behind the character's open mouths. The Good Captain was a simple man and no match for his various shiver-me-timbers foes but fortunately he was regularly rescued from the clutches of black-bearded arch villain Cut-Throat Jake (of the 'Flying Dustbin') by the cunning and courage of the Black Pig's cabin boy Tom.
Check this link if`n yer a true fan,
www.whirlygig-tv.co.uk/tv/children/pugwash/pugwash.html

Aye, Harry Hacked-it-off