Long before the advent of the hippie
and the yuppie
There was a class of warship that was fondly
called the Guppy.
Now the Guppy was a submarine, in case
you didn't know,
Long and black and sleek she was, and always
on the go.
In World War Two, the submarines were
our first line of attack,
Many of them went out to sea and some did
not come back,
Now the submariners knew this but still
they went to war,
To defend their nation's freedom was what
they were fighting for.
After World War Two had ended, when
the Japs and Germans quit,
Someone thought the old subs should be
streamlined just a bit,
So they re-designed the old boats and named
them GUPPY Class
With snorkels, better batt'ries and a hull
to make 'em fast.
They went to sea both north and south
from the East to setting sun,
They never knew when night was o'er and
daytime had begun.
Theirs was a life of silence and the darkness
of the deep,
Sometimes their only pleasure were a few
hours of blessed sleep.
They ploughed the seas from Pole to
Pole in defense of freedom's goals,
From Pearl Harbor, and Yokosuka to the
faroff Iceland shoals,
To spy on Soviet submarines and other ships
of war
Was the job of these brave lads who roamed
the ocean floor.
They ran patrols from Greenland to the
shores of Timbuktu
The GIUK GAP and MED RUN were just nothing
for a crew
of Guppy sailors who thought the NORTHERN
RUN okay,
Then take shore leave in Norfolk for another
night of play.
How many Guppies were there? Far
more than I could name.
And each has earned an honored place in
the Guppy Hall of Fame.
They fought the war with Soviets in secrecy
and guile
Until the foe gave up the fight, which
made it all worth while.
Now they're gone, as all ships go when
their tour of duty's o'er,
Brave Guppies, stalwart warriors, they
roam the seas no more,
They've gone to graves far out at sea and
this should be their lot,
Gone from the sight of those they served
but not to be forgot.
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