Welcome to Casks and Quivers! I started this site/blog to discuss issues associated with two of my favorite activities: Brewing and Archery. As a member of the Society for Creative Anachronism, I have interest in how these activities occurred in the Middle Ages as well as in more modern times. I am particularly interested in finding modern scientific support for Medieval practices. Recently, I developed an interest in researching the history of the WWII destroyer, USS Patterson, U.S. submarine war patrol reports, and poetry written in January 1 deck logs of ships during WWII. If you would like to know more about me “mundanely” and my SCA persona click on the about tab in the menu. If you have any questions, feel free to email me or use this contact form.
My friend, Gary Guinn, teamed up with me to author a book about the US Navy tradition of writing the first deck log entry of the New Year in verse. The book is now available for pre-order from McFarland Books. See the Midwatch in Verse page here.
“A unique and original telling of the story of the US Navy in World War II. A humane and delightful look at young officers in wartime called on to perform the most incongruous of duties—to write a poem in the place of a deck log. Midwatch in Verse informs, delights, and reveals a side of the US Navy known only to the few. Highly recommended.”
Admiral James Stavridis, author of “To Risk It All: Nine Conflicts and the Crucible of Decision” and “2034: A Novel of the Next World War.” Sixteenth Supreme Allied Commander at NATO – 2009-2013.
We also developed a new website for the Midwatch in Verse tradition.
Recent Posts
Free for all on the open seas: USS Buckley’s crew repels Nazi boarding attempt
In the battle for the Atlantic during WWII, US and British warships protected convoys of merchant ships supplying the Allied war effort from German U-boats. Early in the war, the U-boats had considerable success in sinking Allied shipping, but as … Continue reading →
New Website for Book
We’ve set up a new website for our upcoming book, Midwatch in Verse: New Year’s Deck Log Poetry of the United States Navy, 1941–1946. Click here to go to the site.
Continue reading →Midwatch in Verse Update (3/23/2022)
The Midwatch in Verse Project continues to move forward. As indicated in earlier posts, my friend Gary Guinn and I signed a contract with McFarland Publishing for a book-length treatment of the old Navy tradition. Here is a brief explanation: … Continue reading →
Midwatch in Verse: An Update
See updates at the bottom of this post. Latest on 2/24/2022 Thanks to all of those folks who have given feedback on this series. If you have not read any of these entries here is the introduction to the concept. … Continue reading →
Mid-Watch in Verse: USS Radford (DD-446)
This is a continuation of the Mid-Watch in Verse series. A Deck Log from a US Navy vessel chronicles exacting administrative detail regarding the status of the ship, its location, speed, etc. However, for a four hour period at the … Continue reading →