S.B.C.

[kin47]

Hello

Can anyone tell me what S.B.C. means in a ship's log? (WW I period, in particular). It routinely appears in the right margin at the end of each four hour shift.

Many thanks in advance for help for guidance.

All best

don

[Bob Mitchell]

Could be " Sighted by Captain"

Mitch

[SiegeGunner]

Discussion and some suggestions here, Don, but no definite conclusion - http://www.navy-net.co.uk/Forums/viewtopic/p=500857.html

[Piorun]

Likely, "set bridge chronometer". Another entry, always at the same time each day would be "WBC" - "wound bridge chronometer". The bridge chronometer would not have been the only chronometer on board but it was the critical piece and was intended to be checked by lunar or solar reading. Antony

[kin47]

Many thanks.

My wife suggested Sugar Biscuits and Cocoa, but I had to tell her the Navy wasn't (isn't) quite so cuddly.

All best

[June Underwood]

"Signal Books correct. Notation in the Deck Log" from A Dictionary of Abbreviations (with especial attention to war-time abbreviations)by Eric Partridge published 1942

I find this is an invaluable book

June

[Piorun]

"Signal Books correct. Notation in the Deck Log" from A Dictionary of Abbreviations (with especial attention to war-time abbreviations)by Eric Partridge published 1942

I find this is an invaluable book

June

Interesting, June. What does the book give for 'WBC'? Antony

[June Underwood]

Sorry, Antony, there's no entry for this. June

[Piorun]

Sorry, Antony, there's no entry for this. June

With great respect to the book reference, June, this ommission bothers me. Would "Signal Books Correct" be done every watch on the four hour or is it more likely that the ships position would be checked and the bridge chronometer (re)set as necessary (SBC)? For sure, the winding of the chronometer (WBC?) was essential and should have been recorded. Such short but regular abbreviations suggest a critical and frequent function. While Signal Books were important, I doubt that their codes were changed every four hours and needed to be re-checked. Antony

[David B]

Antony,

In my later experience, signal books were mustered every watch (Shift for the uninitiated) and I could see no reason that this practice began many years previously. The navy was very careful

about their secret and confidential books.

David

[June Underwood]

Antony, I'm quite out of my depth here and cannot make any comment. I just decided to look up the abbreviations, as I had what I thought might be a useful book. Sorry if it's caused confusion

June

[Piorun]

David: thanks for that interesting info. It supports the explanation posted by June (who has not caused confusion but instead contributed factual evidence to a very interesting discussion). The weight appears to be behind the books explanation but I'm still intrigued by every third entry being WBC. Given that it seems to replace SBC, what relationship could it have to the Signal Books that were, apparently, being checked on only three of the four changes? Antony

[David B]

Once again WBC is quite likely as Piorun has suggested. However whilst at sea the chronometer is never fiddled with - A chrono is not necessarily dead accurate, far from it, but its daily variation plus or minus

is and sightings were taken using this info and applying any correction necessary. I am not aware of how this was achieved in the early part of the century - maybe by star shots or some other constant but in

my day it was checked by tuning into WWV (callsign of American standards transmission located in Hawaii).

David

[centurion]

Chronometers did not need winding that often. Moreover what did you check/set the Bridge Chronometer against? It was by definition the most accurate clock on board. I suspect that June's SBC abbreviation is correct (Partridge, the co author of the Long Trail, is usually reliable). WBC is a record that the chronometer was wound, it would not be 'corrected' at sea.

[Piorun]

Chronometers did not need winding that often. Moreover what did you check/set the Bridge Chronometer against? It was by definition the most accurate clock on board. I suspect that June's SBC abbreviation is correct (Partridge, the co author of the Long Trail, is usually reliable). WBC is a record that the chronometer was wound, it would not be 'corrected' at sea.

Checked against sun and stars sightings. A