Why are Navy Knives Sheepsfoot?

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Brian.Evans

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The marlin spike thread got me thinking. I'm from the middle of the US, far away from any decent bodies of water or sailing. Why are the knife blades in marlin spikes/navy knives almost always sheepsfoot? What makes the sheepsfoot particularly suited for ocean going use?
 
My guess is that it is safer in rough seas to not have a pointy knife with which to stab oneself.
 
Part is because a straight edge lets you bash the hell out of the spine of the blade to get a cut through. Part is ease of sharpening- a straight edge is simplest. Legend says it was also to keep sailors from stabbing each other.
 
Back in the day, U.S. Navy Regulations prohibited pointed knives from being carried on-board Naval Ships and Stations. Exceptions could be made for certain rates (i.e., Bosunmate and other Deck Rates - Gunnersmate, Signalman. Supposedly it was for safety in order to prevent stabbings - malicious and otherwise. The Regulations were changed after I joined the Navy in 1965.

Even today, it is the ship's Captain's perogative to prevent pointed knives on their ships. As an example, when I was serving on the USS Henley (DD762) the Captain prohibited anyone other than a Bosunsmate and a Signalman from having a point on their knives. If you wanted to carry a knife on that ship, you had to take it to the Bosun's Locker where the Bosun would snap the point off in a vise or take it off with a chisel
 
Safety, swaying boat, and if it was dropped from the rigging it was less likely to impale another crew member.
 
Bosuns were the line handlers, riggers, etc. of a ship and required knives with points for various line handling duties. Signalman were the "visual" communicators of the ship - flag hoist, semaphore, etc. and used multiple lengths and sizes of lines to hoist signal flags. Sometimes a pointed knife was required for their use even though they had marlin spikes and fids to help with their line work.
 
For a very long time the British Army knives have been Sheepsfoot blades
And it seems the army is land based
So .......

"straight edge is simplest"
 
The story I heard had to do with the custom in the old British Navy of issuing a pint a day of rum to the sailors who sometimes got into fights after consuming their ration.
 
tiguy7 said:
The story I heard had to do with the custom in the old British Navy of issuing a pint a day of rum to the sailors who sometimes got into fights after consuming their ration.
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PINT of Rum? I would think they'd be legless after that and incapable of fighting! :eek::D

Neeman's point about British army knives being Sheepfoot is apt. Single blade knives in the c19th were often Sheepfoot, possibly due to them being used as slicers and food prep/eating knives. So it may have been some kind of custom or trend at that time that carried over into Maritime or Army knives?
 
IIRC, it wasn't a "pint of rum". It was enough rum to flavor a pint of water. They used the rum to hide the taste of the stale water.

I'd always heard the lack of a point was to reduce the risks from fighting. But that is only apocryphal. I have no actual source.
 
Many explainations are around for the sheepsfoot sailor's knives, some based in fact, some most likely legend. A straight edge is easier to sharpen, you don't risk snapping the tip while beating your knife through a rope, less chance of a falling knife impaling a shipmate, to keep a sailor from stabbing themselves on a rough patch of sea, better slicing, and perhaps the most prevalent one of all (at least around here) to keep drunken men from stabbing each other.
 
Rum with water is called Grog, it was a way to purify water on long journeys, also lots of ale drank cuz it was one of the ways to get safe drinking water, also the tradition of throwing a silver coin into a well served the same purpose.
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Because they were worried about a pointed knife piercing a sail canvas?

Our forefathers drank a lot of alcohol based drinks, in. quite a bit of ale and beer.

The reason was simple. Given the technology at the time, water that had become impure and dangerous was hard to spot; beer gone bad stinks. Folks drinking water were more likely to get sick--and die--than beerdrinkers.
 
Straight edged blades are excellent for draw-cutting and chopping, the two most common actions with rope.
 
Rum, sodomy & the lash .
A pint or even a litre of the finest navy rum/day (still available btw "Pussers Navy Rum "from the British Virgin Islands) would be little recompense for the hiring and firing process of the Royal navy in the olden days.
The Marines on board were there to keep the crew (pressed men and Irish rebels) from revolting.
How things have changed -a few years ago 2 sailors in the RN declared themselves to be Satanists and applied for a special space on board to worship the devil.
It was granted under EEO principles.
Back then they would have been flogged ,hung and dumped in the sea and their ration o rum taken away.
 
I may be three sheets to the wind this evening, but I didn't really need to read that.
 
knarfeng said:
I may be three sheets to the wind this evening, but I didn't really need to read that.
Click to expand...

It is nice to learn something new, but I can definitely agree.
Also, I must applaud your usage of 'Three sheets to the wind' in this thread, well done my friend.
 
i do apologise.it would be mutiny if they tried to take my rum ration away.
but hey -those guys really knew how to sail.
 
I can see all the arguments for not having a point except fighting, since it seems to me that a sheepsfoot can still be used to stab. Albeit less efficiently.
 
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