Wakey Wakey Wakey | Royal New Zealand Navy

One of the sounds forever burned into a sailor’s memory. That sharp call you hear comes from the Boatswain’s (Bosun’s) call, a traditional signal that starts the daily routine on Royal New Zealand Navy ships, just as it does across other Commonwealth navies. The whistle (also known as a Bosun’s pipe) itself dates all the way back to the 13th century, designed to cut through the roar of the sea and carry commands across a busy ship. These days, even a high-pitched whistle can’t beat military-grade steel, so the call is piped through our ship’s speaker systems instead. Some traditions never fade, they just adapt.