Bell of the Sunset Dawn

No bell

The Sunset Dawn was build as the super yacht Antilope, and had set sail without being completely finished or properly outfitted. A bell for instance was not installed or even on board, eventhough every vessel over twenty meters in length is legally required to have one.

A bell is found

A ship's bell has to comply with all kind's of regulation regarding size, what kind of sound it produces, and how loud it is. (Hertz and Decibells). But those things do not really matter if you are converting a vessel with the intend of it being used in acts of piracy.

On their travels around the Caribbean with the Narwhal the Pirate crew visited many islands. And on one of those an old religous building once stood, now reduced to ruins. The bell that hung in the tower now lay at the base, half burried in the rubble.

When the pirate crew decided to refit the Antilope, the Narwhal sailed out to collect the bell. And the crew constructed a wooden stool for it to hang in, between the capstan and the main hatch.

Ship's bell by KMcCall via Pixabay

Salvage

After the demise of the Sunset Dawn, crew members dived on the wreck to salvage some items, personal or usefull. Also the bell was brought to the surface. But the explosion had split the bell in two. Not sure what to do with it, it remained burried at the beach with other treasure untill the Red Sunrise was build. Rose then tried to have the bell restored, but the bell foundry asked to many questions. Now the two halfs hang on bulkhead inside the Red Sunrise.

Item type

Communication

Signals from a ship

All ships when at anchor in restricted visibilty are required to ring the bell for five seconds every minute, to indicate their position. Ship's over one hunderd meters in length, also sound a gong. The bell forward and the gong aft.

If a ship is aground, the same signal as above is sounded. Plus three inidividual strikes on the bell after each five second ringing.

-- --- .-. ... . / -.-. --- -.. . can also be signaled with a bell. A short sound is a single strike on the bell, and a long sound a continues ringing.
Other signals

Buoy's harbour enrances and lighthouses, can have bells installed on them, powered by a mechanical device, the waves or a human hand. Such as a Lighthouse keeper. To create sound signals as an additional navigational aid, in situations of restricted visibility, such as fog and mist. Especially the bell's on lighthouses can also be used as a warning signal, for both the ships or the town near it.

The bell of the Sunset Dawn is placed aft of the Capstan and just forward of the main hatch.
(Marked with the number 9).