Pastafarians

Alarms

The bell is an essential link in the ship emergency alarm system. In the event of a fire, the bell is rung rapidly for at least five seconds, followed by one, two, or three rings to indicate the location of a fire be it forward, amidship or aft respectively.


Navy Ceremonies and Events

The bell is used to signal the presence of important persons. When the ship captain, a flag officer or other important person arrives or departs, watch standers make an announcement to the ship and ring the bell. This tradition extends to major naval command transitions, often held aboard vessels associated with the command.

Bells are sounded in a pattern every thirty minutes. The maximum number of bells that can be struck is eight, hence the saying "eight bells and all is well." This is the common schedule of ship's bells that is repeated every four hours: