Annapolis, Maryland
These deluxe nautical ship's bells are solid cast brass or nickel-plated brass with a beautiful polished mirror finish. When struck, each ship's bell producers a loud, rich tone. The lanyard is included (white for brass bells, navy blue for nickel-plated bells). Also included with each ship's bell is a bulkhead/wall mount bracket that allows you easily to lift the bell from the bracket for storage. Many bell sizes are available (8.5", 12", and 18" diameter bells meet the US Coast Guard requirement for larger commercial vessels).
The company Weems & Plath is located in the Chesapeake Bay town of Annapolis, Maryland, where it was founded many years ago by Captain Phillip Van Horn Weems. Capt. Weems was a leading navigator of his time, teaching at the US Naval Academy and later from a navigation school he founded. Charles Lindberg studied with Weems before attempting his solo trans-Atlantic flight. Admiral Byrd, a classmate of Weems at the Naval Academy, came to him for instruction before setting out for the North Pole.
A century earlier, Carl Plath's company in Hamburg, Germany, began manufacturing commercial sextants and magnetic compasses. The company developed the first gyrocompass installed on a commercial vessel in the year 1913. In 1928, Captain Weems became the North American distributor of C. Plath instruments, and hence the alliance of the two names into Weems & Plath. The company remains today a leading manufacturer of precision marine navigation instruments.
