S. BOATS POEM





Twelve little S boats "go to it" like Bevin
Starfish goes a bit too far
Then there were eleven

Eleven watchful S boats doing fine and then
Seahorse fails to answer
So there are ten

Ten stocky S-boats in a ragged line
Sterlet stops and drops out
Leaving us nine.

Nine plucky S-boats all pursuing fate
Shark is overtaken
Now we are eight

Eight sturdy S-boats men from Hants and Devon
Salmon now is overdue
And so the number's seven

Seven gallant S-boats trying all their tricks
Spearfish tries a newer one
Down we come to six

Six tireless S-boats fighting to survive
No reply from Swordfish
So we tally five

Five scrubby S-boats patrolling close inshore
Snapper takes a short cut
Now we are four

Four fearless S-boats too far out to sea
Sunfish bombed and scrap-heaped
we are only three


Three threadbare S-boats patrolling o'er the blue

Two ice-bound S-boats

One lonely S-boat

The last three lines are thankfully without a vessels name for these are the three that
survived the war
HMS Sealion
HMS Seawolf
HMS Sturgeon


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