Home Anchors Aweigh Index

The file is dedicated to the United States Navy - including Seabees.
Also see Military and Military Connections.
Remember Navy Day on October 27.

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Page Toppers

Quotes

Sailor Boy

Bell-bottom trousers,
shirts of navy blue,
I love a sailor boy
and he loves me too!

Navy Anthem

(Captain Alfred H. Miles U.S.N. and Charles A. Zimmerman)

Anchors Aweigh, my boys, Anchors Aweigh.
Farewell to college joys, we sail at break of day-ay-ay-ay.
Through our last night on shore, drink to the foam,
Until we meet once more:
Here's wishing you a happy voyage home.

Stand, Navy, out to sea, Fight our battle cry;
We'll never change our course, So vicious foe steer shy-y-y-y.
Roll out the TNT, Anchors Aweigh.
Sail on to victory
And sink their bones to Davy Jones, hooray!

Stand Navy, down the field,
Sail set to the sky
We'll never change our course
So Army you steer shy-y-y-y

Roll up the score Navy
Anchors Aweigh
Sail, Navy, down the field,
And sink the Army, sink the Army gray.

The Watch

For twenty years,
This sailor has stood the watch
While some of us were in our bunks at night,
This sailor stood the watch

While some of us were in school learning our trade,
This shipmate stood the watch

Yes . . . even before some of us were born into this world,
This shipmate stood the watch

In those years when the storm clouds of war were seen
brewing on the horizon of history,
This shipmate stood the watch

Many times he would cast an eye ashore and see his family standing there,
Needing his guidance and help,
Needing that hand to hold during those hard times,
But he still stood the watch

He stood the watch for twenty years,
He stood the watch so that we, our families,
And our fellow countrymen could sleep soundly in safety,
Each and every night,
Knowing that a sailor stood the watch

Today we are here to say:
"Shipmate . . . the watch stands relieved.
Relieved by those YOU have trained, guided, and lead
Shipmate you stand relieved . . . we have the watch!"

"Boatswain . . . Standby to pipe the side . . . Shipmate's going Ashore!"

Poem

See Born to Fly (LCdr Kevin J. Davis, R.I.P.), a poem about the Blue Angels by Del 'Abe' Jones.

No Roses

No crosses mark the ocean waves;
No monuments of stone.
No roses grow on sailor's graves,
The Sailor rests alone

His tributes are the sea gulls' sweeps,
Forever wild and free . . .
And teardrops that his sweetheart weeps
To mingle with the sea

A Sailor's Prayer

Dear God,
Watch over her for me,
that she may safely guarded be.
Help her each lonely hour to bear,
as I would lord if I was there.

When she is sleeping watch her then,
that fear may not her dreams offend,
Be ever near her though the day,
let non, but goodness come her way.

Sweet faithful girl who waits for me,
beyond the wide as spacious sea.
Be merciful, O God, I pray,
take care of her while I'm away.

Eternal Father, Strong to Save (Navy Hymn)

(The original words were written as a poem in 1860 by William Whiting)

Eternal Father, strong to save,
Whose arm hath bound the restless wave,
Who bidd'st the mighty ocean deep
Its own appointed limits keep;
Oh, hear us when we cry to Thee,
For those in peril on the sea!

O Christ! Whose voice the waters heard
And hushed their raging at Thy word,
Who walked'st on the foaming deep,
And calm amidst its rage didst sleep;
Oh, hear us when we cry to Thee,
For those in peril on the sea!

Most Holy Spirit! Who didst brood
Upon the chaos dark and rude,
And bid its angry tumult cease,
And give, for wild confusion, peace;
Oh, hear us when we cry to Thee,
For those in peril on the sea!

O Trinity of love and power!
Our brethren shield in danger's hour;
From rock and tempest, fire and foe,
Protect them wheresoe'er they go;
Thus evermore shall rise to Thee
Glad hymns of praise from land and sea.

Lord God, our power evermore,
Whose arm doth reach the ocean floor,
Dive with our men beneath the sea,
Traverse the depths protectively.
O hear us when we pray, and keep
Them safe from peril in the deep.

(ALTERNATE VERSES)

alternate for verse 2:
O Christ, the Lord of hill and plain
O'er which our traffic runs amain,
by mountain pass or valley low,
Wherever Lord thy brethren go;
Protect them by Thy guardian hand
From every peril on the land.

alternate for verse 3:
O Spirit, Whom the Father send
To spread abroad the Firmament;
O wind of heaven, by Thy Might,
Save all who dare the eagle's flight;
And keep them by Thy watchful care
From every peril in the air.

(ADDITIONAL VERSES)

(Mary C. D. Hamilton, 1915)
Lord, guard and guide the men who fly
Through the great spaces in the sky.
Be with them always in the air,
In darkening storms or sunlight fair;
Oh, hear us when we lift our prayer,
For those in peril in the air!

(J. E. Seim, 1966)
Eternal Father, grant, we pray,
To all Marines, both night and day,
The courage, honor, strength, and skill
Their land to serve, thy law fulfill;
Be thou the shield forevermore
From every peril to the Corps.

(David B. Miller, 1965)
Lord God, our power evermore,
Whose arm doth reach the ocean floor,
Dive with our men beneath the sea;
Traverse the depths protectively.
O hear us when we pray, and keep
Them safe from peril in the deep.

(Merle E. Strickland, James D. Shannon,
Beatrice M. Truitt, 1948 - 1973)
O God, protect the women who,
In service, faith in thee renew;
O guide devoted hands of skill
And bless their work within thy will;
Inspire their lives that they may be
Examples fair on land and sea.

(L. E. Vogel, 1965)
Creator, Father, who dost show
Thy splendor in the ice and snow,
Bless those who toil in summer light
And through the cold Antarctic night,
As they thy frozen wonders learn;
Bless those who wait for their return.

Eternal Father, Lord of hosts,
Watch o'er the men who guard our coasts.
Protect them from the raging seas
And give them light and life and peace.
Grant them from thy great throne above
The shield and shelter of thy love.

(J. E. Volonte, 1961)
Eternal Father, King of birth,
Who didst create the heaven and earth,
And bid the planets and the sun
Their own appointed orbits run;
O hear us when we seek thy grace
For those who soar through outer space.

(Galen H. Meyer, 1969;
adapted by James D. Shannon, 1970)
Creator, Father, who first breathed
In us the life that we received,
By power of thy breath restore
The ill, and men with wounds of war.
Bless those who give their healing care,
That life and laughter all may share.

(Hugh Taylor)
God, Who dost still the restless foam,
Protect the ones we love at home.
Provide that they should always be
By thine own grace both safe and free.
O Father, hear us when we pray
For those we love so far away.

Lord, guard and guide the men who fly
And those who on the ocean ply;
Be with our troops upon the land,
And all who for their country stand:
Be with these guardians day and night
And may their trust be in thy might.

O Father, King of earth and sea,
We dedicate this ship to thee.
In faith we send her on her way;
In faith to thee we humbly pray:
O hear from heaven our sailor's cry
And watch and guard her from on high!

And when at length her course is run,
Her work for home and country done,
Of all the souls that in her sailed
Let not one life in thee have failed;
But hear from heaven our sailor's cry,
And grant eternal life on high!

Submariners Verse

(Rev. Gale Williamson)
Bless those who serve beneath the deep,
Through lonely hours their vigil keep.
May peace their mission ever be,
Protect each one we ask of thee.
Bless those at home who wait and pray,
For their return by night and day.

alternate Submariners Verse

(David B. Miller, 1965)
Lord God, our power evermore,
Whose arm doth reach the ocean floor,
Dive with our men beneath the sea;
Traverse the depths protectively.
O hear us when we pray, and keep
Them safe from peril in the deep.

Merchant Marine Verse

(Mrs. Wynne McLintock)
Lord, stand beside the men who sail
Our merchant ships in storm and gale'
In peace and war their watch they keep
On every sea, on the vast deep.
Be with them Lord, by night and day,
For Merchant Mariners we pray.

(Merchant Marines are commissioned in the Navy reserves.)

from In the Navy

(Village People)

Where can you find pleasure
Search the world for treasure
Learn science technology
Where can you begin to
Make your dreams all come true
On the land or on the sea
Where can you learn to fly
Play in sports or skin dive
study oceanography
Sign up for the big band
Or sit in the grand stand
When your team and others meet

Chorus:
In the Navy
Yes, you can sail the seven seas
In the Navy
Yes, you can put your mind at ease
In the Navy
Come on now people, make a stand
In the Navy
Come on protect the mother land
In the Navy

Songs about the Navy

Seabees

Seabee Mottos

Seabee Verse or the Navy Hymn

(R. J. Dietrich, 1960)
Lord, stand beside the men who build,
give them courage, strength, and skill.
O grant them peace of heart, and mind,
and comfort loved ones left behind.
Lord, hear our prayer for all Seabees,
where ere they be--on lands or seas.

Seabees

(from Can Do!: The Story of the Seabees)

We work like hell, we fight like hell,
And always come back for more:
The Navy's advance base engineers
On many a foreign shore.

On half the lousy islands
For here to Timbucto,
You'll find a hive of Seabees-
One hell of a fighting crew.

The admiral just dropped around
To chat the other night,
He said, "Now boys, I know you work
But you've also been trained to fight.

"So if there's any trouble, don't stop
To put on your jeans;
Just drop your tools, grab up your guns
And protect those poor marines."

Seabees

We're the Seabees of the Navy
We can build and we can fight
We'll pave our way to victory
And guard it day and night
And we promise we'll remember
The seventh of December
We're the Seabees of the Navy
Bees of the Seven Seas

The Navy wanted men
That's where we came in
Mister Brown and Mister Jones
The Owens, Cohens, and Flynns
The Navy wanted more
Of Uncle Sammy's kin
So we all joined up
And brother we're in to win

The Fighting Seabee

The Navy needed fighters
And they needed engineers,
So they organized the Seabees to
pin back the enemy's ears,

They took welders, riggers, boilermen,
and cooks and bakers too;
They signed them in the Navy,
which was the thing to do.

With Tommy guns and rifle,
we Seabees learned to shoot;
And to use a big machete knife,
and other things to boot.

They taught us how to march and drill,
They taught us how to dress;
We learned Commando tactics
and we bucked the line at mess.

We learned the Navy lingo;
we called it "deck" and "swab";
We learned just how to "knock it off"
like any other gob.

They taught us all these many things
in thirteen weeks or less,
And what they didn't teach us,
the rest we had to guess.

We finished out our training
and we sailed to Island X,
We had all our equipment stowed
below and on the decks.

The enemy held the island
when at last it hove in sight;
We knew that they were ready,
so we got prepared to fight.

We landed under heavy fire,
and there was plenty hell,
It kept us busy most the day,
just dodging every shell.

We soon had wiped the enemy out
and then we went to work,
Each Seabee did his duty--
not a one was seen to shirk.

We built a mighty landing field,
a barracks and a dock,
About a hundred miles of road
we made from solid rock.

We got things finally squared away,
'twas pretty to be seen,
Then we went back to the beachhead,
where we saw our first Marines.

They had followed in behind us,
though they said they got there first;
We had everything completely fixed,
they could even quench their thirst.

From the Halls of Montezuma,
to the shores of Tripoli
It used to be the Leathernecks,
now it's all Seabees.

And when we reach the Pearly Gates
and stand at Heaven's scene,
There'll be a Seabee waiting there
to greet the first Marine.