USS Wando Engine room clock

I bought this last week. Something I probably overpaid for. But not often you find a US Navy ships clock with the ships name on the dial. It's an early clock the tugboat was commissioned in 1917 about what the serial numbers of the movement say when it was made. Ashton valve co would make gauges for the engine rooms of ships and trains and factories. My guess is this clock came with the gauges for the engine room of the tugboat when it was built. They would use Chelsea, Seth Thomas and E. Howard movements and their own cases their gauges look like there in the same cases as deck clocks probably how deck clock got that design. The USS Wando served from WW1 to WW2 on both coast of the USA.

The USS Wando


When in the US Navy after finishing a tour on the USS Proteus AS-19 it was time to go to a different command you talk to a detailer and give some input. I asked for tugboat duty and got an ammo ship instead. Might have not got tug duty but got a clock off one. Wando was an Indian tribe on the east coast. Very rare to get a US Navy clock with the ships name on it. Only have one other from an Australian cruiser from WW2.

This is the quietist Chelsea movement I ever had. So put it in my bedroom this one won't keep me awake at night. Also email Chelsea clock co about a certificate of origin for the movement to see the connection between the movement with Chelsea and Ashton Valve Co. The clock has a 10-inch case and 8-inch dial same size as my large Chelsea pilot house clocks. And thanks to Bill here were I ask questions about this clock and the seller before I bought this.

Sounds like it needs a service. Clocks are the same as watches they need a service after some time. The 1960’s was a very long time ago when your mom was a radio operator.Bet your mom told you some good sea stories of her time at sea. A service might silence the clock down some. One thing about Chelsea clock movements there like the Rolex of deck clocks there not loud tickers.

So, you have two thousand posts and you still don't know the "golden rule"?




😉

Hen
The red marks on your clock is for radio silence to be only used for SOS emergencies if another ship in trouble.

One of these days would like to get a Chelsea radio room clock with two time zones hour hands But running out of wall space.

Here it is compared to the normal later deck clocks there are a few WW2 and cold war deck clocks that are the same size, but most were the smaller size. The size and being a very large red brass case just has the wow factor when you see it on the wall.

Reminds me of the boat in the book 'The Sand Pebbles' about a fictional USS San Pueblo serving in the China Station between the wars.

The book was filmed in 1966 and starred Steve McQueen and Richard Attenborough

Great movie. My Grandfather joined the Navy in 1914 not sure what he did in China but my sister got this hand carved wooden trunk my grandfather brought back from China. When I got off active duty and went reserve in 1985 worked for a school district there was an older guy I worked with he was a retired Navy and was a China sailor John Mcgan probably was on a gun boat.

Something from my trip to China when the British still controlled Hong Kong. This older woman owned bars the water taxi that took us from the ship to shore since we were anchored out. And this other side business for our ships for unwanted brass and old rope and rags as payment here girls would paint ships, they did a better job than the deck department I worked for. Never forget doing shore patrol in Hong Kong they give you a Billy club a radio and a SP arm band well we see a fight well British military not from our ship so we don't break it up and watch it was in front of a bar one of the guys flips this guy over his shoulders like a karate move the guy lands on the concrete dam it had to hurt. Our ship gets chased out of Hong Kong the next day due to a typhoon. And before the ship left the states to go overseas you get a one-week class on Shore patrol and you're now a cop ya right.

Here is the Wando after becoming a civilian winning a tugboat race in 1952 cool history