From the old Bahamian word, 'hammack'. Columbus in 1498 noted how the natives of the Bahamas used woven cotton nets as beds, suspending them off the ground. The Spanish changed the word to 'hamaco'. Sailors of all navies quickly realized the convenience and utility of using sails in a similar fashion, since they were easy to stow and freed up valuable working space by day.
Just once, about 1974, the stars aligned perfectly and I got to hear an RMC use a snappy comeback concerning hammocks.
It was during a Friday nooner at one of the adult watering holes up the road from the Sand Island CG Base in Honolulu. The lady doing the dancing and entertainment asked the RMC what was the most difficult position he had ever attempted to do the belly bumping. He mentioned, Standing Up! What was so difficult about that she asked, he replied, In a Hammock.
Knowing how much fun it can be trying to get into a top rack, after a good liberty, I can't even imagine what it would be like trying to get into a hammock. I wonder if people just slept on the deck while "recovering".
My grandfather was in when they had hammocks, but never got to talk to him about the Navy back then.
We sometimes use the term "jump through all the hoops" when dealing with the bureaucracy. As this is about hammocks, this little blurb from some old traditions and customs of the Royal Navy, might be of interest.
"To Go through the Hoop was formerly a method of gauging hammocks so that they should have a uniform appearance when stowed in the nettings. If any doubt existed as to the size of a lashed up hammock, it was put through a hoop, and if it failed to pass, the owner was punished. A hammock that went through too easily and presented a skimpy appearance was, and is still, known as a Greyhound lash‑up"
