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A launched crow, even one not intending to rook a ship's officers and crew but simply flying as the crow flies, might lead a ship's navigators onto a reef, a shoal, rocks, or wreckage, so eagle-eyed lookouts, and telescopes when available, were greatly valued even on well crow-stocked ships.
Last edited by morphememedley; 06/29/08 03:50 AM.
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Carpal Tunnel
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 Always knew crows are up to no good.
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A launched crow, even one not intending to rook a ship's officers and crew but simply flying as the crow flies, might lead a ship's navigators onto a reef, a shoal, rocks, or wreckage, so eagle-eyed lookouts, and telescopes when available, were greatly valued even on well crow-stocked ships.
Assuming the story about the origin of the term crow's nest is correct. I have my doubts. It sounds like a folk etymology to me.
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Assuming the story about the origin of the term crow's nest is correct. I have my doubts. It sounds like a folk etymology to me.
surely the citation from 1604 (above) lends additional doubt. - ron o.
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Ja, it's wikipedia and supposed Navy information. Obscurish. Still a challenge to find a real source for the word. (sorry, the birds are sticky.) This page takes it back to the Vikings,always good for anything Navy-VikingsAnd a crow surely outspeeded those ships. They would have lost the bird within a few minutes, specially when the sight was already bad ( The reason for using them). Foggy tale.
Last edited by BranShea; 06/29/08 01:31 PM. Reason: link
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old hand
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A launched crow, even one not intending to rook a ship's officers and crew but simply flying as the crow flies, might lead a ship's navigators onto a reef, a shoal, rocks, or wreckage, so eagle-eyed lookouts, and telescopes when available, were greatly valued even on well crow-stocked ships.
Assuming the story about the origin of the term crow's nest is correct. I have my doubts. It sounds like a folk etymology to me. I concur. Surely the origin of the term is no more complicated than the fact that crows and ravens build their nests high up on the tallest trees. Simple as that.
Last edited by The Pook; 06/29/08 11:09 PM.
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I stepped onto the plank in doing my part to advance board bird wordplay ad nauseam.
I would not be surprised if the Vikings tried crows, but I don’t have evidence that even they did.
Last edited by morphememedley; 06/30/08 03:51 AM.
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Pooh-Bah
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We were being kind and not mentioning it in public. 
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Assure you your shipwrecking post gave me a good laugh, and you do have evidence that it did.  (still want and answer as straight as the crow flies ) 
Last edited by BranShea; 06/30/08 07:42 AM.
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Unless I just wasn't paying attention, there's an amazing lack of crows in "Treasure Island", "Mutiny on the Bounty", Horatio Hornblower, Christopher Columbus, ...
Also, keeping birds is not a particularly clean occupation. Putting a source of fresh guano at the tip-top of the ship seems unwise. It's probably not a particularly good for the long term or even short term health of the birds either. It would not be convenient for the person who has to feed and water the birds. If the purpose of the birds is to be released to fly away, it seems unnecessary that they start from any higher up.
It seems like there would be a colorful name for the poor swabby whose job it was feed the birds and clean their cages and/or the duty would be a punishment "After ye finish swabbing the decks, ye must clean the crow's nests, arrr!"
I also read the next entry on the page "dead horse" - the party and burning of a horse in effigy sounds like it would make a rollicking scene for a book not to mention a movie, and yet...
Last edited by Myridon; 06/30/08 08:02 PM.
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