Watchstanding regulate the sailors' duty watches and for other purposes (see main article). Unlike civil clock bells, the strikes of a ship's bell do not accord to the number of the hour. Instead, there are eight bells, one for each half-hour of a four-hour watch. Bells would be struck every half-hour, and in a pattern of pairs for easier counting, with any odd bells at the end of the sequence. Watchstanding Watchstanding, or watchkeeping, in nautical terms concerns the division of qualified personnel to operate a ship continuously. On a typical seafaring vessel, be it naval or merchant, personnel keep watch
Howling Bells extraordinary album." "Howling Bells" peaked in the Top 100 of the UK Albums Chart and just outside the Top 50 of the Australian Albums Chart. At the time, it was the fastest selling album on the Bella Union label. The release appeared on Album of the Year lists for a number of different publications. In its 22 March 2007 issue, "Rolling Stone" named Howling Bells one of their three bands to watch out for that year. Howling Bells spent much of the next two years touring the UK, Europe, Australia, and the US. They played at the 2007 "NME" Awards