Manure : In the 16th and 17th centuries, everything had to be transported by ship and it was also before the invention of commercial fertilizers, so large shipments of manure were quite common.
It was shipped dry, because in dry form it weighed a lot less than when wet, but once water (at sea) hit it, not only did it become heavier, but the process of fermentation began again, of which a by-product is methane gas of course. As the stuff was stored below decks in bundles you can see what could (and did) happen.
Methane began to build up below decks and the first time someone came below at night with a lantern, BOOOOM!
Several ships were destroyed in this manner before it was determined just what was happening
After that, the bundles of manure were always stamped with the instruction ' Stow high in transit ' on them, which meant for the sailors to stow it high enough off the lower decks so that any water that came into the hold would not touch this volatile cargo and start the production of methane.
Thus evolved the term ' S.H.*.T ' , (Stow High In Transit) which has come down through the centuries and is in use to this very day.
You probably did not know the true history of this word.
Neither did I.
I had always thought it was a golf term or the normal response to a bad landing in fs! EricT
Now at the age where I know I like girls but can't remember why!
Love it although to me the terminology doesn't seem right for that age
As an aside. I once watched a 14,000 ton bulk carrier sink after a wave wet it's fertilizer cargo and caused a list big enough to progressively take more water over a period of lime
Garry
"In the world of virtual reality things are not always what they seem."
Due to shortages and cutbacks the light at the end of the tunnel has been switched off.
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A Little VC10derness - http://www.VC10.net - Visit the Forum!
I didn't think it was.. not even for a brief moment but it was amusing nontheless There are just too many 'like' words over many languages that mean the same thing for it to have been a serious 'go-er'.. a few of which I know!
TBH guys,I posted it as a bit of fun.I think that there are many earlier recorded references to that word than the period implied in the wording.Still,I liked the idea. EricT
Now at the age where I know I like girls but can't remember why!
