As I have written before, I’ve been enjoying getting to know everyone as well as learning about shipbuilding. Walking around the shipyard a couple months ago, I met Bill Henderson, a Preservation Technician and a 2021 Master Shipbuilder. While Bill and I were chatting, he mentioned that he wrote poetry. He later shared with me a few of the poems he had written. Impressed, I asked him to write a poem for our 2022 Master Shipbuilders.
I’m including Bill’s poem for the Master Shipbuilders as a special blog post because I thought all of our team would like to read it. Entitled Flesh and Steel, this poem speaks directly to what we do every day.
Flesh and Steel
We are the men and women
That build these ships of steel
From the setting the first unit
And laying of the keel
Working in the a.m.
Early morning light
Working when the sun goes down
And all throughout the night
Our country needs these mighty ships
That are strong and true
Working now with sweat and blood
You see that’s what we do
We are many people
Working now as one
For it’s never-ending
Until the job is done
So when my life is over
And I cease to be
Our shores will be guarded
By these greyhounds of the sea
Thank you again, Bill, for sharing your poetry with us. We’ve published this poem in the 2022 Master Shipbuilder Program, and Bill was gracious to read it in person at the Open House, which you can see in the video.
Chuck
President, General Dynamics Bath Iron Works