The origin of the expression "You Son of a Gun"

A long time ago women were allowed to live on Navy ships to keep company for sailor husbands and friends who had to stay for several months at sea without being in battle. On occasion, a woman delivered a baby whose paternity could not be established with certainty. In the birth certificate, authorities just noted "Son of a gun," referring to the artillery found on the ships. This has evolved into the common expression we use today.
(From Military.com)

One of the earliest examples of "Son of a Gun" comes from British admiral British admiral William Henry Smyth's The Sailor's Work Book, from 1865.
"An epithet conveying contempt in a slight degree, and originally applied to boys born afloat, when women were permitted to accompany their husbands to sea; one admiral declared he literally was thus cradled, under the breast of a gun carriage."

I wonderd about that.

Son Of a Gun........When the Royal Navy Ships were in port the sailors would often get women on board, now these women being of dubious character would often sell their favours. Quite often a woman would be heavy with child when she on board hoping to earn a few coppers. It was not unknown for these women to go into labour with the all hi jinks that were going on. Now when they gave birth they quite often did this between the cannons so that they could hang on to the ropes while they gave birth. Many of these women did not have the money to look after them selfs let alone a baby so it was often left on board the ship. The baby would be sent of to an orphanage till it was old enough to go to sea which was about eight years of age when they would work as powder monkeys carrying the powder for the guns from the Magazine. Because these children had been born between the the guns, you can see how the name came about.

Lol!

on the show mythbusters on the discovery channel, they said that the myth explaining that was that in the civil war, a shot was fired that went through a mans testicles, then kept going with sperm on it, and hit a woman in the right spot and got her pregnant, they then went on to disprove it...that is an interesting show, i highly recommend it to everyone

Originally Posted by rotc boy

on the show mythbusters on the discovery channel, they said that the myth explaining that was that in the civil war, a shot was fired that went through a mans testicles, then kept going with sperm on it, and hit a woman in the right spot and got her pregnant, they then went on to disprove it...that is an interesting show, i highly recommend it to everyone

Ouch! I'll take their word for it. But you have to admit, that would have been a heckuva shot.

Yes but the two snipers I have known were a bit odd and given to such acts of attempting the improbable. My question is who would be the man shackled with paternity??

But you have to admit, that would have been a heckuva shot.

What kind of cruel sick SOB are you.

Originally Posted by rotc boy

on the show mythbusters on the discovery channel, they said that the myth explaining that was that in the civil war, a shot was fired that went through a mans testicles, then kept going with sperm on it, and hit a woman in the right spot and got her pregnant, they then went on to disprove it...that is an interesting show, i highly recommend it to everyone

ow.