Jackspeak of the Royal Canadian Navy

Manning Ship

In a ceremonial display, all hands appear in a line on deck or aloft and grasp the guardrails. Originally, in the days of sail, the crew grasped the rigging. The reasoning behind this tradition was to show that guns were not manned and no small arms were carried. In the USN is it referred to as "Manning the Rails".

Added: 2014-11-01 Last modified: 2014-11-01