Thanks for posting the dry dock link, WLJ.
I listened to "deadeye for the paravanes" at least 5 or 6 times before I figured out what he was saying, and then had to go to wikipedia to figure out what it was. (Clearly, I'm no swabbie.) I'm still not sure how useful something at the bow would be for guiding paravanes whose fins would presumably guide them 'way out to the side, or how they'd thread a new cable through when they lost one.
No wonder hardly any ships have them today.
I was also mildly surprised at how rough the hull was underneath - I wonder how many knots were cut off the speed and range of the ship, or if it's just a case of the ship itself being SO big by comparison the protuberances and such are inconsequential.
Just another example of video and written presenters who make the implicit assumption that the whole world can read their minds and everyone has exactly the same body of experience.
I wouldn't expect to have to explain "starbboard" and "port," but maybe "abaft" would need a word of explanation or a parenthetical substitute.
Yeah, you could assume your audience would be interested in and conversant with your subject matter, but some others might not want to dig into an on-line dictionary for every other sentence.
I was interested in the battleship, but as a landlubber, I echo Hank B's complaint.
"Put your head on your reader's shoulders" was the best writing advice I ever heard (Winthrop "Winnie" Palmer). Could be just as relevant to video presentations as well.
COMMUNICATE, dammit!
Terry, 230RN
See Reply #36 below for correction.
