Whistle while you work
One thing I had heard about before I got on the ship but did not entirely understand until I heard it for myself is the ship’s whistle. I don’t think it is possible to describe exactly how annoying the whistle is, and my attempts to record it were not very successful. The whistle goes off at all hours of the day and night, from speakers all over the ship. I think the loudest and most irritating whistle is the one that announces the captain of the ship is about to speak. That whistle actually starts with one long, shrill sound, followed by another extended whistle that dies off toward the end, then an angry-sounding blast to complete it. While this was a bit annoying to me in the few days I was on ship, I can imagine that it might drive someone a bit batty after a few months. Some of the Marines already have taken to yelling and smacking the walls when it goes off. The morning whistle is also pretty bad, though it does just about guarantee that everyone will be woken up — even those who work the night crew and may have only been asleep for an hour.
There are plenty of other noises on ship — the loud clanging of the anchor dropping, the roar of Harriers taking off above your head, the various announcements piped into all rooms. But I think the whistling is definitely the most annoying.
