'He was begotten in the galley and born under a gun. Every hair was a rope yarn, every finger a fish-hook, every tooth a marline-spike, and his blood right good Stockholm tar.'
Old naval epitaph
A work detail takes a break on board the USS Texas, the first American battleship, to pose for the photographer around 1898. The view looking aft on the port side features one of the Texas' two 12-inch/35-caliber guns. Both turrets were placed en echelon off the ship's centerline, the port being slightly forward of amidships, the starboard slightly aft. In theory, this gave both guns end-on fire fore and aft.
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