Cadets Dress Ship

The tweet on the pipe called the muster fall-in The cadets all fell in with nary a din For now they’d be grouped for “Hands to Cleanship” To dress up the ship afore the Old Man's pip-pip Well-trained, the cadets set to their work The Bo ‘suns and POGIs made sure they didn’t shirk. The awnings were tautened with the Shark's Mouth agape The ropes in the grommets brought all into shape The hydrants and fittings were brassoed and shined The scuppers were cleaned where muck was confined Running rigging was secured with belaying pins All loose gear were neatly stacked in their bins Hawsers and towropes were carefully coiled Wire ropes ‘spiked, unkinked and oiled. The decks were all cleaned with the broom and the brush Fenders and pontoons secured so sides wouldn’t crush With hammers the cable was chipped off of rust The shackles were oiled after cleaning the dust. The bitters on the bits were tethered on tight With the bitter ends belayed and tucked out of sight. The QD was holystoned with water and sand (All set for the do with the Naval Band) The Old Lady was painted in her customary gray Her waists all shaped up for the rest of the day The guns were all covered for the incoming squall Even before the “cover guns” call The Inglefields were mustered, the pennants and flags Strung for’ard to stern without any sags And thus was the ship all dressed to the tee As shipshape and dandy as she rightly ought to be. Their tasks all done, the cadets did secure But the day was not done, there was more to endure!