US Navy Calls For Poem Submissions: Naval History and Heritage Command Announces the 2023 New Year’s Decklog Poem Contest

Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Jeremy Graham | PHILIPPINE SEA (Dec. 31, 2019) Quartermaster 3rd Class Luke Farley, from Springfield, Ill., writes the New Year deck log entry on the bridge of the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Chancellorsville (CG 62). Chancellorsville is forward-deployed to the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations in support of security and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Jeremy Graham)  

WASHINGTON NAVY YARD, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, UNITED STATES

12.15.2022

Story by Chief Petty Officer Torrey Lee  

Naval History and Heritage Command

Over the 247 years of the US Navy’s active service, commissioned vessels have served across the globe, building new traditions and legacies. With entries dating back to 1929, January first has marked the start of one of the Navy’s most uniquely creative traditions, the New Year’s decklog poem.

These poems, written by decklog watches across the fleets, provide a creative outlet for Sailors to encapsulate the previous year’s trials and events through verse. US Navy vessels have been encouraged to keep this tradition, as Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC) continues to spotlight the most creative poems in an annual decklog entry contest.

"These poems help illustrate the mindset of Sailors because they are not restricted by the usual constraints of what goes into a decklog. They can write about what they feel and what has happened," said Alexis VanPool, the decklog program coordinator at NHHC.

Over the years, enlisted and officers of every paygrade have authored these decklog poems. The poems narrate stories from places of pride to others sharing their thoughts on their fellow crew.

Ironically, one of the first recorded examples was brought to light due to a commanding officer’s disapproval. A junior officer aboard USS Pennsylvania (BB-38) recalled that his skipper was a humorless fella who had never heard of this tradition and sent the log back for rewriting. Since then, the Navy has made this an official tradition with a supporting NAVADMIN message.

“I don’t remember which ship it was, but the 2021 poem had a line that read, 'they thought 2019 had been a crazy year, but 2020 said hold my beer'. And I thought that was clever and funny," said VanPool.

The heart of the competition is to show the emotions and mindsets of the ship’s crew. Decklogs tell the operational history of a vessel. These poems give a uniquely human element to the Sailors serving aboard.

“Both my grandfathers served during World War II, and getting to read the deck logs from the ships they served on provides me with an enormous feeling of connection and closeness to both of them, especially since they’ve both passed on,” said VanPool. "This tradition is essential because it will allow not only historians and researchers insight into the mindset of the modern Sailor, but because it provides a connection between Sailors and their descendants.”

To be eligible for the competition:

 Entries must be from a commissioned US Navy vessel deployed or at shore.
 Entries must be submissions to the ship’s official decklog.
 Entries must be written as the first entry on January 1, 2023.
 Entries must be unclassified.
 All paygrades active and reserve are eligible.

First to third place winners will be announced in April, National Poetry Month. The first-place author will receive a piece of historic copper sheathing from USS Constitution.

Submission will only be accepted by email at [e-mail]. Scanned PDFs of the decklog entry are the preferred form of digital submission.

“When I read the decklogs, I feel an enormous sense of pride because I am preserving not only naval history but the voices of the Sailors and helping to facilitate the connection between them and the people who love them,” said VanPool.

For more information about the decklog completion, visit NHHC at www.history.navy.mil.

NHHC, located at the Washington Navy Yard, is responsible for preserving, analyzing, and disseminating US naval history and heritage. It provides the knowledge foundation for the Navy by maintaining historically relevant resources and products that reflect the Navy's unique and enduring contributions through our nation's history and supports the fleet by assisting with and delivering professional research, analysis, and interpretive services. NHHC comprises many activities, including the Navy Department Library, the Navy Operational Archives, the Navy art and artifact collections, underwater archeology, Navy histories, ten museums, the USS Constitution repair facility, and the historic ship Nautilus.

• Date Taken: 12.15.2022
• Date Posted: 12.15.2022 09:41
• Story ID: 435239
• Location: WASHINGTON NAVY YARD, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, US