Why do pirates whistle?

For pirates, whistling whilst sailing = massive storm (the weather type, not the metaphorical). Massive storms = certain death to most, if not all, of your crew mates.
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Why can't you whistle in the Navy?

Some believe the superstition evolved from the British Royal Navy, where idle whistling was forbidden to avoid confusion with the boatswain's essential calls to action on his whistle.
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What does the whistle mean in the Navy?

Whistles are also used to render “passing honors” between military ships and on occasions when ships, officials, or officers pass in boats or have passed. Passing honors between ships consists of sounding “attention” with the ship's whistle and all persons on exposed decks rendering a hand salute.
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Who blows the whistle on a Navy ship?

A boatswain's call, pipe or bosun's whistle is a pipe or a non-diaphragm type whistle used on naval ships by a boatswain.
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What nationality were most pirates?

The height of plundering lasted about a decade from 1715-1725. Most pirates were English (35%), but other nationalities were also represented: colonials from America-25%, colonials from the West Indies-20%, Scots-10%, Welsh-8%, and Swedish/Dutch/French/Spanish-2%. A fair number of blacks also joined the pirates.
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PIRATES of the CARIBBEAN with Whistle - Bird Whistling Training - Cockatiel Practice - He's a Pirate



What did pirates fear?

Sailors and pirates tended to be very superstitious - that is, they had a fear of the unknown and used it to explain misfortune (bad things that happened). Living and working on a ship in the middle of the seven seas was a very dangerous job.
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Why are Somali pirates so famous?

Since the 1990s, piracy has risen in Somalia due to weak government, political instability, lack of education and public healthcare measures which forced common people, including unemployed youth and fishermen, to become a part of criminal gangs and pirates to earn some money supporting their livelihoods.
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Why is it called bosun?

The name bosun is actually derived from the original term boatswain that was used to describe these professionals for the first time in England in the 15th century. In today's times, however, both bosun and boatswain are used commonly to describe the people working in this profession.
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What happens if you whistle on a ship?

Whistling on board a sailing ship is thought to encourage the wind strength to increase. This is regularly alluded to in the Aubrey–Maturin books by Patrick O'Brian. On boats and ships whistling was taboo as it was associated with coded communications between mutineers.
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What is a sailors whistle called?

A boatswain's (pronounced 'bosun's') call is a high, powerful whistle designed to be heard over the sounds of the sea.
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What does 3 whistle blasts mean?

Three short blasts; meaning: "I am stopping, or backing, by applying power astern." 4. Five or more short blasts in rapid succession; meaning: "DANGER"; or "I do not understand your intentions"; or "I do not concur in the maneuver indicated by your signal."
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What is the Navy's cry?

Oorah is a battle cry common in the United States Marine Corps since the mid-20th century. It is comparable to hooah in the US Army and hooyah in the US Navy and US Coast Guard. It is most commonly used to respond to a verbal greeting or as an expression of enthusiasm. (Source: Wikipedia.)
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How do they say yes in the Navy?

AX: The enlisted rating Aviation Anti-Submarine Warfare Technician; since merged into AT rating. Aye: Yes (I understand). Aye, aye: Yes (I heard the order, I understand the order, and I intend to obey/carry out the order).
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Why can't you call a Marine a soldier?

Marines aren't called soldiers because they aren't in the Army. Each branch of the military has its own mission, training, history, uniform, and esprit de corps.
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Why can't the Navy have beards?

Big Navy has said no to allowing everyone to grow a beard, citing concerns that sailors can't get a proper oxygen mask seal with facial hair should they have to fight a shipboard fire.
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Why can't you say rabbit on a boat?

At sea, the use of the word “Rabbit” is prohibited and having such animal on board is prohibited. Just saying the name could be a bad omen. Sailors call him “the big-eared animal”. The origin of the superstition is believed to have come from a shipwreck.
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What is good luck on a ship?

Good luck charms

For the ship to be lucky, many nail a horseshoe to the mast or the door of the captain's cabin. Most often it is nailed with the ends down, but I also saw it attached with the ends up.
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How much is a bosun salary?

A bosun salary generally ranges between $3,500-5,000 per month, starting at $3,500 for those with minimal experience. Factors that might lead to a higher bosun salary include watersport certification, such as those all-important diving or kitesurfing credentials, and engineering experience or qualifications.
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Do pirate captains steer the ship?

The helmsman, the man who steered the ship's wheel, was usually supervised by the quartermaster who, skilled in navigation, was also concerned with the ship's general course and with recording its speed, although this role could be taken by a pirate captain or a sailing master (who was expert in the ship's sailing ...
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Can you go from bosun to captain?

"But for bosun roles on 65m+ yachts, captains will normally require the candidate to have previously worked as a bosun on a mid-sized yacht."
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Why do ships not have guns to fight pirates?

Cargo ships don't carry weapons because it is feared this would increase the likelihood of crew members getting killed or injured. Anti-piracy tactics tend to focus on preventing pirates boarding in the first place.
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Can ships shoot pirates?

Yes. Hostile non-state combatants are not covered by Geneva convention, and they can be treated like common criminals. Since oceans are international territory, the law of the vessel to be boarded is applied.
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