One night aboard a merchant ship, 1694.
An exhibit told by lantern. Scroll to stand the watch from dusk to first light.
Go aboardThe light in the fog is yours. Move it.
8:00 PM · First watch
The lamps are lit.
One at the stern, high up, so any ship coming behind knows she is there. One by the mast for the men on deck. The rest of the ship goes dark to save the oil.
Midnight · Eight bells
The watch changes.
Half the crew go below to sleep. The other half come up into the cold. This is the middle watch, midnight to four. It is the one nobody asks for.
2:00 AM · Four bells
Nothing to see. That is the job.
In fog there is no star to steer by. There is the compass, the feel of the wind in the sail, and a sandglass. Every half hour the glass is turned and the bell is struck.
Below deck
What she carried.
Take your lantern down into the hold. Push through it.
4:00 AM · Eight bells again
The lookout comes down.
He has stood at the bow for four hours and seen nothing at all. On a night like this, nothing is the best report a lookout can give.
5:50 AM · First light
The lamps go out, one at a time.
The fog thins. Somebody starts the galley fire. The night is over and nothing happened, which is how most nights at sea went.
Middle Watch runs in the lower gallery through the winter. The room is kept dark and a little cold. Bring a coat.
Stand the watch againMiddle Watch is an invented exhibit. The ship, the night and the cargo are a study, not a record. Built by Nextia