Charlie Noble

Uncertain; said to allude to an officer or captain of this name who insisted on having the funnel polished.

Charlie Noble (plural Charlie Nobles)

1. (naval slang) A funnel for discharging smoke from the galley.
   • 1917, Orton Porter Jackson, Frank Edgar Evans, The Marvel Book of American Ships, page 357:

     One of the last customs that passed from the decks of the modern navy was the “shooting of Charlie Noble.” The chimney or galley-stack of the ship's kitchen was dignified by the name of Charlie Noble, and when the galley-stack became clogged with soot the ship's cook fired a blank cartridge up it, loosening the soot.

   • 1945, Harold Augustin Calahan, Learning to Cruise, page 120:

     Charlie Nobles should be fitted with cowls which will automatically turn to leeward and thereby force the draught. A Charlie Noble should be demountable and the hole through the cabin roof should be covered by a strong, tight-fitting lid.