Voicepipe
Voicepipes were rigid or flexible speaking tubes running between stations on a ship between which reliable oral communication was helpful. They were a common tool in all navies, and popular for their relatively fail-safe nature in combat.
Calling Up
Some voicepipes had covers with whistles in them, and the means of calling up the remote station was to remove the cover on your end, place your mouth over a mouthpiece and blow vigourously into the tube to cause the whistle at the other end to sound.[Citation needed]
Others, particularly those placed in noisy places, had electrical call bells situated nearby.[1][2] As technology and resourced permitted, voicepipes in such places were often replaced by navyphones such as the Pattern 1856 Navyphone, which were more easily heard.
Loudness
Voicepipes were not always very useful in spaces where the sound of machinery or conversations of others could get in the way. It was common practice in such places for voicepipes and navyphones to be allotted an enclosed space called a "silent cabinet", which must have often been a relative term.
See Also
Footnotes
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