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 Golden Needle

 


Nautical Sampler Salty Stitcher

Stitch Count: 310 x 232 The Ballad of the Clampherdown (1892) was first published in the St. James’s Gazette of 25 March 1890 and I found it published in the Departmental Ditties and Barrack-Room Ballads by Rudyard Kipling in 1899. The 18 verse ballad speaks to the rise and the eventual fall of the fictitious battleship Clampherdown of the Royal Navy. I chose the second verse of the ballad to highlight in this sampler to speak to the pride and trust that sailors have in their ship, the hope that precedes each voyage, and the recognition of the power of the ocean. In the end, the Clampherdown sank but not after winning a hand-to-hand victory over their French foe.