SMOKING LAMP - Sea dogs who sailed the wooden ships endured hardships that sailors today never suffer. Cramped quarters, poor unpalatable food, bad lighting and boredom were hard facts of sea life. But perhaps a more frustrating problem was getting fire to kindle a cigar or pipe tobacco after a hard day's work. Matches were scarce and unreliable, yet smoking contributed positively to the morale of the crew, so oil lamps were hung in the focsle and used as matches. Smoking was restricted to certain times of the day by the bosuns. When it was allowed, the smoking lamps were lighted and the men relaxed with their tobacco. Fire was and still is the great enemy of ships at sea. The smoking lamp was centrally located for the convenience of all and was the only authorized light aboard. It was a practical way of keeping open flames away from the magazines and other storage areas. In today's Navy the smoking lamps have disappeared but the words smoking lamp is lighted in all authorized spaces remains, a carryover from our past.
Florence Nightingale was an English nurse known for her work during the Crimean war. Every night, she would make rounds through the camps, checking on each soldier, earning her the nickname “The Lady with the Lamp”. She established a nursing school at St. Thomas’ Hospital in London, becoming a...