‘Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood
Clean from my hand? No, this my hand will rather
The multitudinous seas incarnadine,
Making the green one red.’
William Shakespeare (1564–1616)
In a timeless—and seemingly endless—routine that most likely dates to the first ships, sailors swab the deck of the USS Pennsylvania (BB-38) in this pre-1929 photograph. Four other battlewagons lie in the background.
This and other photographs and artwork are available as prints through the Naval Institute Photo Archive. You may place orders or leave messages 24 hours a day at 1-800-233-8764, contact [email protected], or visit our website, www.usni.org.