UNderway REPlenishment by the VEGA
a poem by Tom Lytle
page 2 of 2
A ditty I created on the morning watch one day after a successful underway replenishment exercise off Okinawa

Up forward the bosn's boys do hurry,
Fore and aft, up and down, and sideways they scurry,
And who is that we see, so nimble and quick,
My gosh, it can't be, but it is - Mister Clicq.

And aft around holds six and five,
The men in the second are looking alive,
There on the quarter we see Duddybar,
Wishing that drogue were someplace afar.

Let's not forget Casey's engine house crew,
They're down in the boiler room doing their do,
A key to the success on this fair day,
Is the handling of that throttle in a careful way.

On the bridge throughout this en-tire evolution,
All are seeking but one solution,
How to feel as though rested throughout, complete,
After standing for long hours on the balls of their feet.

The men on the flying bridge are doing just that,
Each signal man's arms fly this way and that,
And there in an over, looking position,
Stopwatch in hand, Quinn, ship's chief statistician.

Then don't forget, for this is their day,
Supply who are working in the hardest way,
To see them operate in such a fashion,
We know they enjoy their job with a passion.

At last the day is nearing it's end,
The last destroyer has just rounded the bend,
And, on, the other, side of the fence,
The cruisers and carriers have departed long since.

All hands lean back with a sigh of relief,
Having in their minds this one belief,
The fleet has seen through our strength and might,
That the men of the Vega can do the job right.

Finally, we hear the glorious word, Secure,
And all hands head below with much furor,
Lying there in their racks about O'come with sleep,
Each man is proud how we did slip the meat to the fleet.

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