ln the beginning, the world was all wet.
Today, it is still 4/5 wet.
Man -- the nomad --
in the course of his migrations
often encountered bodies of water too wide
or... too deep to be crossed.
Always the thinker,
man soon evolved
the most primitive form of aquatic transportation --
the log.
Supported by the log...
or seated upon it,
the next question was one of propulsion.
First the foot, then the hand.
And then...
-- Aha!
The first marine invention...
the paddle.
From the paddle, the logical development was the oar,
which employed the simple mechanics of the lever and fulcrum,
-- Ugh ! Uh ! -- producing maximum power
with a minimum of effort.
Ugh!
Uh!
Because of the limitless uncharted expanse of water,
the ancient mariner ofttimes found himself
far, far out at sea,
with only the stars to guide him.
Star light, star bright --
Gosh , l wish l knew where l was tonight.
Swiftly and surely, the stars steered him on...
... to his destination.
ln the 13th century, even as today,
great thinkers worried
about what shape the world was in.
-- Some great minds firmly believed
that if you sailed west far enough...
-- ...you would sail off the edge of the world.
From the earliest days,
sailors were preyed upon by...pirates!
ln those romantic days,
ships often changed captains very suddenly.
This colorful ceremony
-- was called "walking the plank"
or "feeding the sharks."
Eight bells!
Come and get it!
When old father Neptune went on the rampage...
...for safety's sake,
sailors would lash themselves to the mast.
Thus, the sailor was able
-- to stick to his post through hail and high water.
The flag is the sign language of the sea.
Sailors could communicate with each other
by semaphoring and wigwagging.
-- "A"... "B"...
"C"... "D"...
"E"... "F"... "G"...
"H"... "I"... "J"... "K"...
"L," "M," "N," "O," "P," "Q," "R," "S," "T,"
Oh! B-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b --
Ouch!
Uh, he wigged when he should have wagged.
The happy, carefree sailor expressed himself
["The Sailor's Hornpipe" plays] -- with the hornpipe, traditional dance of the sea.
Hauling in rope...
hoisting sail...
...rowing...
[ Up-tempo jazz music plays ] ...lookout...
Look out!
-- Aah! Whoo-hoo-Hoo-Hoo!
Ah, the clipper ship --
the queen of the seven seas...
the heyday of sail.
lron men...
... wooden ships.
Through centuries of practice,
the sailor has developed the perfect set of sea legs.
["Blow the Man Down" continues]
-- A sailor is easily recognized by his walk.
-- Oh, knots.
Heh.
Who should know how to tie knots better than the sailor?
He invented them.
-- The square knot...
the sheepshank...
Baaa!
the granny knot...
A very interesting knot.
-- There's great strength...
-- Oh!
The slipknot.
Now the barrel knot, the most slipproof of all.
Take it away!
This explains why sailors are often called ''old tars. ''
And now, through trial and error,
the sailor has, at last, mastered the sea --
a far cry, indeed, from his early ancestors
-- to the modern scientific mariner of today.
["When Johnny Comes Marching Home" plays]
-- All hands, man battle stations.
Stand by to attack.
-- Hey! Stand by to attack!