Name/Title
The Laws of the Navy [Plate IV]Description
The Laws of the Navy Plate II (of four) of an edition of the poem of cautionary tales and fatherly advice:
"If the fairway be crowded with shipping,
Beating homeward the harbour to win,
It is meet that, lest any should suffer,
The steamers pass cautiously in;
So thou, when thou nearest promotion,
And the peak that is gilded is nigh,
Give heed to thy words and thine actions,
Lest others be wearied thereby.
It is ill for the winners to worry,
Take thy fate as it comes with a smile,
And when thou art safe in the harbour
They will envy, but may not revile.
Uncharted the rocks that surround thee,
Take heed that the channels thou learn,
Lest thy name serve to buoy for another
That shoal, the Court-Martial Return.
Though Armour the belt that protects her,
The ship bears the scar on her side;
It is well if the Court shall acquit thee;
It were best hadst thou never been tried.
Now these are the Laws of the Navy
And many and mighty are they,
But the hull and the deck and keel
And the truck of the law is - OBEY!"Context
The July 23, 1896 issue of the British "Army and Navy Gazette" presented a poem that was destined to become one of the Naval World's literary classics. Written by Royal Navy Rear Admiral Ronald A. Hopwood, this work, entitled "The Laws of the Navy", set forth what might safely be termed the "wisdom of the ages" for all who seek to make their way in large, hierarchical organizations, with special emphasis on the seagoing versions. During the World War I era Lieutenant Rowland Langmaid, R.N., made a series of etchings to accompany the poem, which was published in the version presented here.
By the mid-1920s, the virtues of "The Laws of the Navy" having crossed from the "Red" side of the broad Atlantic and penetrated the consciousness of the "Blue" side, the poem began to appear in the U.S. Naval Academy's "Reef Points", a little handbook presented to Plebes ("Freshmen" to those unversed in things U.S. Navy) for their edification and guidance. It has been featured in the annual editions of this publication up to the present day, and many a hoary former Plebe can recite its words by heart, having been made to memorize them as an essential part of the educational process.
Starting in the early 1970s, "Reef Points" provided a brief introduction to "The Laws of the Navy", which is quoted here (as printed in the 1998-1999 edition) for the benefit of All Hands:
"As a word of advice, we include 'The Laws of the Navy' by Admiral R.A. Hopwood, R.N.(ret.). These twenty-seven laws contain words of wisdom that few of you will appreciate fully now, words which you may wish you had heeded twenty years from now. Read these laws, then apply them. See how those above you apply these rules--and how they sometimes disregard them--and the consequences. Be alert to learn from others; only through experience will your understanding of others broaden. You will become a richer and fuller person, a better naval officer."