Bells were placed on ships beginning in the early Resaissance period.  Typically made of brass or bronze, the ship’s bell was used to indicate the time aboard a ship to regulate duty watches. 

Ship’s bells were, and still are, such an important part of a sailor’s daily routine.  Investigate three different ship’s bells from the 18th and 19th centuries, including a bell from a privateer ship – a government sponsored legal form of piracy.