Actually misspelled.
Boobie hatch is an ancient term for small hatch covers intended to keep a species of seabird called a Boobie from entering a
ship through portholes and other smaller ventilation opening.
The usage to
mean insane asylum is probably related to events happening when things enter through a boobie hatch. Either its drunken sailor activity (urination,
etc) or a very
messy situation involving an excited seabird thrashing around madly in a confined space with a bunch of sailors.
Someone left a (boobie) booby hatch open when we docked. A boobie crawled in and then all hell broke loose after if the bird landed on the Captain'
s bowl of
soup and
shat in it. It was all arms and legs thrashing about for 10-15 minutes. And someone lost an eye to its beak before cook crushed the boobie against a bulkhead with a skillet.
Yes a regular mad house all because of an unsecured (boobie) booby hatch.