DOLPHINS, SUBMARINES & SUBMARINERS
The NIGHT BEFORE ORSE
 
Posted by David Wiseman on July 24, 1999
by Kenny Buercklin
 
Twas the night before ORSE
And all thru the sub,
Not a watchstander worried
Not even a nub.
 
The officers in the wardroom
Were banging their heads.
Thinking of failing filled them
With dread.
 
The C.O. in his stateroom
And the ENG in a trance,
Had given up, thinking there
Wasn't a chance.
 
When fwd of maneuvering
There arose such a clatter,
The ENG came back running
To investigate the matter.
 
Away to the engineroom
He flew like a breeze,
Stopped by manuevering
And started to wheeze.
 
The lights from maneuvering
Were glistening off pipes.
Which gave the boat a luster
Like a new prototype.
 
When out of his bloodshot eyes
He did catch,
A movement of the aft
Escape trunk hatch.
 
As he clutched at his heart
And was turning around,
Down the ladder
Admiral Rickover came with a bound.
 
He was dressed in a wetsuit
From his head to his shoe,
And the clipboard he held
Looked just like brand new.
 
Now scram it, now flood it,
Some high airborne too!
Let's run some drills now
I'm ready; Are you?
 
His tight little mouth
Was drawn like a line.
His wrinkles were creased
And his white hair like twine.
 
His eyes they were narrowed
His skin was so pale.
And when he screamed
He made the instruments fail.
 
He spoke no kind words
But went right to work.
And told all the watchstanders
They operated like jerks.
 
With a spill in the tunnel
And the plant in a scram,
He reflooded the escape trunk
And out of it he swam.
 
But we heard him yell out
Before he shut down the lid.
I passed you, you bastards
And you're lucky I did