On Eternal Patrol

By Del "Abe" Jones

The Klaxon sounds and they scramble
They close the hatches, take their station
As they hear the order, ”Dive, dive, dive!”
And do! Down into the cold dark, ocean.

The bow planes turning downward
Aiming the Boat into the deep
Toward ol' Davy Jones' Locker
Where lost Sailors lie in endless sleep.

They know not if they will return
To the surface and the light
It all depends, how well they hide
And how well they fare in the fight.

Fifty-two of our Submarines
More than thirty-five hundred souls
Whose families grieved the loss
And for whom the death bell tolls.

One was the SS218, the USS Albacore
With it's brave eighty-six Sailors, lost
Heros of the Second World War
Part of that terrible, deadly cost.

She had served Her Country well
Sinking thirteen Japanese ships
And She had damaged several more
On Her eleven Combat Patrol trips.

She was presumed sunk near Hokkaido
By a mine in November, Forty-four
She had sailed from Midway in October
To be heard from, nevermore.

Now, remembrance in a Memorial
To Honor Her and Her stalwart Crew
So we don't forget those lost to war
It's the very least, that we can do!

Del "Abe" Jones
03.21.2008

ODE TO A HARSH MISTRESS

Thanks, Don, for poems. Will be using some poems, prose, lyrics in submarine cookbook to benefit, in part, USSVI Scholarship Fund. Of course, sub version of "Eternal Father" is included

Wonder what poems, lyrics, are other favorites of submariners?

Who is Abe Jones? Did he also pen "Harsh Mistress"?

Have always liked this prose:

The Heart that Beats in the Shark of Steel

In all of it's power and glory - tactical weapons and weapons of mass destruction, precise navigation and sophisticated communications, absolute stealth and long range sonar, nuclear propulsion to steam submerged many times around the world; ability to deter an enemy, defend a people or destroy a nation; respected by all, feared by most, and loved only by the men called submariners - the submarine is but a mass of steel, electronics and weaponry.

 It's the sweat of the men in her that's the lifeblood flowing through the veins of the beast. It's their courage that matches the violence of the seas. It's their dedication and ingenuity that provide the margin of victory over the enemy. It's their service that assures the peace for a free nation. And it's their personal sacrifice that is shared only by their families. These are the men who live in the belly of the beast. They are the crew. They are the heart that beats in the shark of steel.  -- Captain Don V. Hahnfeldt , CO. USS Tennessee SSBN 734 (retired) A Submariner

Reprinted from 1997 Submarine Review

Edited by nancy 2008-03-24 10:26 AM

Yes...

There are many links to other of his works here (scroll to bottom):

http://www.submarinesailor.com/poetry/OnEternalPatrol.asp