A Nautical Riddle

I was a ship but not on the sea

             I had a keel unbuttressed by wrongs

Mouth and meridian             davit and hawser

 

I had a ratline draped forehead to ear

Billet and bollard                       fo’c’sle and scuppers

             I breathed in water, was keelhauled in air

 

Grog and bilge                          hardtack and weevils

I was the saw that cut out the rot

             I had seams that begged for oakum

 

I was the mop that swabbed the decks

             And I was the swab

Vessel and fleet                       harbor and berth

 

Week after week hammocked

Hammered and scraped             varnished and rigged

             I was a compass fixed in its bearings

 

Coffer and locks                       brightwork and windlass

I was a doctor with a briefer name           I was thirsty

             Tell me, what am I             Repair me