Pirates and Eyepatches

[Martin Milner]

Yes, but someone telling you isn't your occupational environment, is it? It's more informal training.

One would hope that if there's a genuine advantage in doing something, it would be added to the training system. Particuarly as we're talking about methods to preserve the trainee's life in this case.

[Richard]

Hello, Martin ...

Yes, but someone telling you isn't your occupational environment, is it? It's more informal training.
 

In the States we call it OJT.  And, it's often a lot more valuable than any formal training.

You are absolutely correct about the importance of knowing those things that can save your life, Martin.

For some reason, the "tricks of the trade" seem to become much more meaningful, and make a far greater impression, in the real world, than they ever would in a classroom.

As an educator, I almost always looked at "formal" education as only a preparation to learning. And, OJT as the real education. Some reputable universities in the States now recognize the importance of "life experiences" and now give degree credits for it.

So, eye patches, hooks and wooden legs were "life experiences" that offered accreditation for the degree of "Master Pirate" ... and were no doubt just as impressive as that college diploma hanging on the wall.

All the best,
Richard

[Rasputin]

If the pirate was missing a leg or eye i think that would be a lesson on what not to do . If the pupil was not paying attention then he surely would fall into the same crippling fate .

 My point being that if the student was truly learning then over time there would be fewer and fewer mistakes ( less patches or stick legs ) . So in playmobil there is either really bad students or teachers .

It reminds me of the old joke - What was the last thing the one hill billie said to the other hill billie ?

[Martin Milner]

In the States we call it OJT.  And, it's often a lot more valuable than any formal training.

You are absolutely correct about the importance of knowing those things that can save your life, Martin.

For some reason, the "tricks of the trade" seem to become much more meaningful, and make a far greater impression, in the real world, than they ever would in a classroom.

As an educator, I almost always looked at "formal" education as only a preparation to learning. And, OJT as the real education. Some reputable universities in the States now recognize the importance of "life experiences" and now give degree credits for it.

I see we were talking at cross purposes. You took my use of the word "training" to mean formal classroom training, but excluding on the job training, while in my mind it to encompassed all forms of training, practical or classroom.

Your anecdote led me to think that this was something passed on to you in a one-on-one situation with an older officer, after you has been working the streets for some time.

So we know from Richard's evidence that Police officers use the "darkened eye" technique - do we have any contemporary accounts of pirates or sailors using an eyepatch for the same purpose?

[Richard]

I see we were talking at cross purposes. You took my use of the word "training" to mean formal classroom training, but excluding on the job training, while in my mind it to encompassed all forms of training, practical or classroom.

Sorry, Martin. And, thanks for the clarification.

So we know from Richard's evidence that Police officers use the "darkened eye" technique ...

BTW ... It's not just police officers, as illustrated in the attached photos.

Can you imagine getting hit with a bright light wearing binocular night vision goggles?

... do we have any contemporary accounts of pirates or sailors using an eyepatch for the same purpose?

On board modern ships red lights are used to illuminate light sensitive areas. At night it is very important that the eyes of the sailors on the bridge become accustomed to the dark so that they are able to see outside. Even though almost all ships now have radar, there are smaller objects that might be missed if someone were not looking.

A sailor on bridge duty, would probably close one eye if it were necessary to enter a fully lighted compartment. He might also use a patch or glasses with one opaque lens, so that when he returned to a darkened area, he would be able to see.

Pirates and sailors of long ago would no doubt have also used this technique for night vision.

[cachalote]

i have a different view on this subject, richard.
i think pirates and sailors of long ago just did what sailors (i don't know about pirates) do nowadays - you have very weak lights below-deck, or none at all, and very small and concentrated ones in working areas (navigation and controls).
when you need to come out, you just close your eyes before for a few seconds while you climb the last steps and then open both of them outside.
if you need to see something floating at night, you need to instantly calculate its distance (something impossible to do with one eye closed or one eye accustomed to darkness and the other one still with an semi-closed pupil).
maybe i will go sailing this week-end and try it anyway to see if it works but in 35 years of going out to sea i never felt the need to use this trick.
contrary to common beliefs there is plenty of light at night at sea - you have the stars and the planets, the moon and the sea fosforence and if you use very little below-deck lighting, the adptation is fairly quick.
time also tends to pass slower on board and even when you have an emergency adrenaline will make your pupils dilate quite quickly.

[Timotheos]

Hi Martin

Richard is bull-sh---ing you about the pirate eye patches.

The playmobil patches are for the sake of making the pirates look like tough, scrappy guys.

C'mon.  Don't tell me these guys come darting out of their cabin, swap patches, and save the day.

Aside:
In my day, NVG (night vision goggles) were actual goggles, covering both eyes, and we were advised to die quietly if somebody blasted us in the face.

-Tim

[Martin Milner]

i have a different view on this subject, richard.
i think pirates and sailors of long ago just did what sailors (i don't know about pirates) do nowadays - you have very weak lights below-deck, or none at all, and very small and concentrated ones in working areas (navigation and controls).
when you need to come out, you just close your eyes before for a few seconds while you climb the last steps and then open both of them outside.
if you need to see something floating at night, you need to instantly calculate its distance (something impossible to do with one eye closed or one eye accustomed to darkness and the other one still with an semi-closed pupil).
maybe i will go sailing this week-end and try it anyway to see if it works but in 35 years of going out to sea i never felt the need to use this trick.
contrary to common beliefs there is plenty of light at night at sea - you have the stars and the planets, the moon and the sea fosforence and if you use very little below-deck lighting, the adptation is fairly quick.
time also tends to pass slower on board and even when you have an emergency adrenaline will make your pupils dilate quite quickly.

The pirate-patch idea was not for use at night but in the daytime, when going down into the very dark area belowdecks (always dark and dingy even in the middle of the day) after being in the bright sun.

We've all experienced the temporary blindness of going into a dark room after being out in the bright sun - unless we're using sunglasses.

The loss of stereoscopic vision still seems a high price to pay - not real advantage seeing something below decks if you still bump into it because you couldn't judge the distance.

[Timotheos]

The pirate-patch idea was not for use at night but in the daytime, when going down into the very dark area belowdecks (always dark and dingy even in the middle of the day) after being in the bright sun.

We've all experienced the temporary blindness of going into a dark room after being out in the bright sun - unless we're using sunglasses.

The loss of stereoscopic vision still seems a high price to pay - not real advantage seeing something below decks if you still bump into it because you couldn't judge the distance.

Hey, Martin, pirates didn't wear those crazy eyepatches for technical reasons.  As Cachalote says, if you're accustomed to the environment, you train yourself to close an eye as needed before opening the door. 

Can you cite a reference source about the patches, if you stand by your guns?

I just can't imagine an entire crew, patched, especially considering it's so easy to get around this by closing an eye before opening the door.  I've done this (not on a ship).

As for the Night Vision Goggles, I've looked into bright light sources--it's a shock, you shut your eyes, and take off the goggles.
-Tim

[Martin Milner]

Can you cite a reference source about the patches, if you stand by your guns?
-Tim

Tim, did you read the whole thread? In the opening post I made it clear that this isn't my theory, nor do I adhere to it.

I read the theory on Wiki, I personally don't find it compelling or convincing, and like you, I'd like to see a contemporary source that mentions it. In all my reading about pirates I've never heard such a suggestion before.

Richard has given some good examples of the one-eye technique in use, but we still lack the evidence that this was actually used by pirates.