8 Bells Ceremony as interpreted by David Michael Rhoads dbyc2008

A * means an action to take…quotation marks are self explanatory…

* Single Bell…(LOUD and CLEAR)…..

By the bell ringer or Senior Officer.. “ALL HANDS!!” (call out loudly and with authority)

Presiding Officer…. “Please Rise”…. (This is said in a pastoral tone for the benefit of those more familiar with church tradition instead of nautical/military traditions.)

“For those unfamiliar with nautical traditions and the use of bells aboard ship I offer this…”

“Every vessel while underway requires a single crewmember to maintain a constant watch for danger, this helps to insure the safety of all souls aboard. This duty is shared by all crewmembers.”

pause

“Each 24 hour day is divided into six watches of 4 hours each. After 30 minutes on watch a single bell is sounded, after one hour.. Two bells, after 90 minutes.. three bells and so on. Until the end of the crewmembers watch is signaled by 8 bells.”

“Watch is the most important duty aboard any vessel….We each serve a watch for our fellow man while living this life and we thank “name of deceased” for serving us”

“In honor of our nautical tradition we ask for a moment of silence to honor the end of “Name of deceased” watch…..

* Ring eight single bells softly and clearly. (NOTE>>>>this REQUIRES PRACTICE!!!!) a soft, clear sound to the bell gives the appropriate solemnity for this stage…….. (ALLOW the final bell to stop its’ ring alone! Do not stop the tone or start speaking before it is done)

“Eight Bells and ALL IS WELL!” (Called out clearly and with authority to the congregation (or spoken softly to the surviving spouse as appropriate to the ceremony), after the bell has rung the final time….done by the Presiding Officer)

Note…. This is my interpretation of the eight bells ceremony based on research about nautical tradition and my attendance of a few ceremonies. Each Officer may have their own method, This is mine, that said…. The ceremony is held for the family members of the deceased and edifies them and their departed loved one. The presiding officer should direct these brief comments directly to the surviving family members while acknowledging the rest of the congregation with their eyes.

Every effort should be made to practice the ringing of the bell BEFORE it is done…. Ringing a bell is MUCH more difficult than one might think.