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[Rods2]

You'll be asking us land lubbers, what 'uckers' is next and terms like 'mixy blobs'. 

As long as you don't "splif" on mine, I hate to have to "blow back 5"... 

As long as I don't 'suck back' first.... 

[Jay42]

From that great oracle of all things factual, Wikipedia....   

It is often stated that the phrase originated from the use of a brass tray, called a "monkey", to hold cannonballs on warships in the 16th to 18th centuries. Supposedly, in very cold temperatures the "monkey" would contract, causing the balls to fall off.[13] However, nearly all historians and etymologists consider this story to be an urban legend. This story has been discredited by the U.S. Department of the Navy,[14] etymologist Michael Quinion, and the Oxford English Dictionary (OED).[15]
 
They give five main reasons:
 1.The OED does not record the term "monkey" or "brass monkey" being used in this way.
 2.The purported method of storage of cannonballs ("round shot") is simply false. Shot was not stored on deck continuously on the off-chance that the ship might go into battle. Indeed, decks were kept as clear as possible.
 3.Furthermore, such a method of storage would result in shot rolling around on deck and causing a hazard in high seas. Shot was stored on the gun or spar decks, in shot racks—longitudinal wooden planks with holes bored into them, known as shot garlands in the Royal Navy, into which round shot were inserted for ready use by the gun crew.
 4.Shot was not left exposed to the elements where it could rust. Such rust could lead to the ball not flying true or jamming in the barrel and exploding the gun. Indeed, gunners would attempt to remove as many imperfections as possible from the surfaces of balls.
 5.The physics does not stand up to scrutiny. The contraction of both balls and plate over the range of temperatures involved would not be particularly large. The effect claimed possibly could be reproduced under laboratory conditions with objects engineered to a high precision for this purpose, but it is unlikely it would ever have occurred in real life aboard a warship.

Yeah right like anyone believes whats on there. I have seen one in the maratime museum and it was called a brass monkey that was what the sailors called it can't remember what its real name is.
And what do the yanks know anyway they didn't even have a navy back then.

[hotel21]

In this world of all things electronic as regards ships navigation the fall back is the basic Mk1 magnetic compass or the compass binnacle.  As most things at sea are subject to massive corrosion from the salt water then materials such as brass are well used to prevent thism as well as prevent undue exterior magnetic influence.

On most large ships, the helmsman stands on the bridge and steers via electronic means but has a magnetic compass as a standby and this is mounted on the exterior of the roof of the bridge with the lower portion projecting downwards, through the roof (deckhead) into the bridge and into the helmsmans sightline.

As most large ships now are made of steel they are subject to their own magnetic field and thus influence a magnetic compass.  This is where something called Kelvins Balls are used to alleviate magnetic influences on a magnetic compass.

These are generally iron spheres and painted to prevent coorrosion either side of the brass binnacle.

Example thus - http://www.acecrc.sipex.aq/access/page/?page=afcfbb2e-b886-102a-8ea7-0019b9ea7c60

and :- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Binnacle

That gives the monkey island and brass balls colloquialisms as in use today.

Nowt to do with cannon balls per se, although there is a similarity.   

[Jay42]

In this world of all things electronic as regards ships navigation the fall back is the basic Mk1 magnetic compass or the compass binnacle.  As most things at sea are subject to massive corrosion from the salt water then materials such as brass are well used to prevent thism as well as prevent undue exterior magnetic influence.

On most large ships, the helmsman stands on the bridge and steers via electronic means but has a magnetic compass as a standby and this is mounted on the exterior of the roof of the bridge with the lower portion projecting downwards, through the roof (deckhead) into the bridge and into the helmsmans sightline.

As most large ships now are made of steel they are subject to their own magnetic field and thus influence a magnetic compass.  This is where something called Kelvins Balls are used to alleviate magnetic influences on a magnetic compass.

These are generally iron spheres and painted to prevent coorrosion either side of the brass binnacle.

Example thus - http://www.acecrc.sipex.aq/access/page/?page=afcfbb2e-b886-102a-8ea7-0019b9ea7c60

and :- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Binnacle

That gives the monkey island and brass balls colloquialisms as in use today.

Nowt to do with cannon balls per se, although there is a similarity.   

LOL enough of the technical jargin you lost me at In this world of all things electronic.....
Lets not quash an old saying thats been around for years however it came about, sounds like a job for myth busters LOL

[05omegav6]

My Grandfather was the last ever 'Button Boy' on HMS Victory . He used to have to stand on the perch at the top of the main mast . Didn't get my vertigo from him then

[Jay42]

My Grandfather was the last ever 'Button Boy' on HMS Victory . He used to have to stand on the perch at the top of the main mast . Didn't get my vertigo from him then

Really thats quality like it nice bit of history there then.

[05omegav6]

My Grandfather was the last ever 'Button Boy' on HMS Victory . He used to have to stand on the perch at the top of the main mast . Didn't get my vertigo from him then

Really thats quality like it nice bit of history there then.

He was also on HMS Ark Royal when she was topedoed, but no one knows why....

[Lampynoiseboy]

My Grandfather was the last ever 'Button Boy' on HMS Victory . He used to have to stand on the perch at the top of the main mast . Didn't get my vertigo from him then

Really thats quality like it nice bit of history there then.

He was also on HMS Ark Royal when she was topedoed, but no one knows why....

Sure it wasn't your uncle Albert?

[05omegav6]

My Grandfather was the last ever 'Button Boy' on HMS Victory . He used to have to stand on the perch at the top of the main mast . Didn't get my vertigo from him then

Really thats quality like it nice bit of history there then.

He was also on HMS Ark Royal when she was topedoed, but no one knows why....

Sure it wasn't your uncle Albert?

LOL

He was on his way back from attending a high level meeting between Eisenhower, Stalin and Churchill, although exactly what he was doing there is anyones guess... Even now the meeting is still excluded by the Freedom of Information Act. 

[Lampynoiseboy]

So no-one knows why he was on the Ark or why it was torpedoed?

Think I can answer the second one 

[05omegav6]

So no-one knows why he was on the Ark or why it was torpedoed?

Think I can answer the second one 

Even I'd worked out the second part... something to do with there being a war on and the Germans being a bit miffed that the Bismark had been sunk quite so spectacularly  .

[Lampynoiseboy]

So no-one knows why he was on the Ark or why it was torpedoed?

Think I can answer the second one 

Even I'd worked out the second part... something to do with there being a war on and the Germans being a bit miffed that the Bismark had been sunk quite so spectacularly  .

No sense of humour those Germans, look at what we drive.......

[05omegav6]

  No accounting for taste...

[Lampynoiseboy]

No accounting for taste...

Agreed, some people like motorbikes or caravans