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The Lucky Bag is the term for the
United States Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (US Naval Academy, USNA, or Navy) is a federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as Secretary of the Navy. The Naval Academy ...
yearbook A yearbook, also known as an annual, is a type of a book published annually. One use is to record, highlight, and commemorate the past year of a school. The term also refers to a book of statistics or facts published annually. A yearbook often ...
dedicated to the graduating classes. A traditional ''Lucky Bag'' has a collection of photos taken around the academy and photographs of each graduating officer along with a single paragraph describing the individual written by a friend. While no one knows for sure, it is speculated that it is named after the "lucky bag" that contains the possessions of sailors who lost items at sea. Each year every midshipman and graduating officer receives a ''Lucky Bag'', and every edition of the ''Lucky Bag'' is archived by both the Naval Academy and the United States Naval Academy Alumni Association.


History

Every man-of-war, you know, has her Lucky Bag, containing a little of every thing, and something belonging to every body. For variety of contents, a regular Lucky Bag may vie with the caldron that witches boil and bubble “at the pit of
Acheron The Acheron (; grc, Ἀχέρων ''Acheron'' or Ἀχερούσιος ''Acherousios''; ell, Αχέροντας ''Acherontas'') is a river located in the Epirus region of northwest Greece. It is long, and its drainage area is . Its source is ...
.” : ''horse of middy and waister’s sock,'' : ''dresses of a cat mouse game'' : ''Purser’s slops and topman’s hat,'' : ''Boatswain’s call and colt and cat,'' : ''Belt that on the berth-deck lay,'' : ''In the Lucky Bag find their way;'' : ''Gaiter, stock and red pompoon,'' : ''Sailor’s pan, his pot and spoon,'' : ''Shirt of cook and trowser’s duck,'' : ''Kid and can and “doctor’s truck,”'' : ''And all that’s lost, and found on board,'' : ''In the Lucky Bag is always stored.' “This bag,” Mr. Editor, which I am about to overhaul, has been open for fifteen or twenty years. The facts collected about the Navy during that time — hints dropped by messmates — opinions, notions, &c., have, been picked up and carefully preserved in this “bag.” Before I proceed though, to arrange from this medley of the “bit o’ writin” for you, mm, I must in good earnest bespeak the indulgence of your readers, and seriously invite their attention to the facts which go to show a link to 10 pages,
Matthew Fontaine Maury Matthew Fontaine Maury (January 14, 1806February 1, 1873) was an American oceanographer and naval officer, serving the United States and then joining the Confederacy during the American Civil War. He was nicknamed "Pathfinder of the Seas" and i ...
,
USN The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage o ...
, used the term "Lucky Bag", and defined it, long before the
United States Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (US Naval Academy, USNA, or Navy) is a federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as Secretary of the Navy. The Naval Academy ...
was created. Matthew Maury wrote many articles about the "Lucky Bag" and called the articles, "Scraps From The Lucky Bag". It was information on Naval reform in all its venues and more. This is well known by serious historians. The use of term goes back further than 1820 in the
United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
and back to the British Navy. Read the link to see a typical "Lucky Bag Scrap" on US Naval Reform. The United States Naval Academy, to a huge extent, was created due to Matthew Maury's "Scraps From The Lucky Bag" that were published under noms de plumes in newspapers, copied, and passed around in flyers in and outside of the USN to stir people to action for changes in the Navy and transcribed by William Maury Morris for these modern times. The lucky bag is also defined as a where loose items from a ship are stored until being returned to the owner. According to the 1940 edition of ''
The Bluejacket's Manual ''The Bluejacket's Manual'' is the basic handbook for United States Navy personnel. First issued in 1902 to teach recruits about naval procedures and life and offer a reference for active sailors, it has become the "bible" for Navy personnel, pro ...
'' (a handbook for U.S. Navy enlisted personnel), "The ''lucky bag'' is a place where the police petty officers stow for safe-keeping effects that are found adrift about the ship. All clothes, etc., found about the decks are placed in the lucky bag. When clothes are piped down, the police petty officer attends and takes care of all clothes not called for and places these in the lucky bag. All effects in this bag belong to the person who lost them. At frequent intervals the lucky bag is opened and the effects distributed to the owners. Where persons have been guilty of carelessness in leaving their effects adrift, they are placed on the report." According to the log of the USS ''Yosemite'', on June 24, 1898 several sailors were given 72 hours extra duty for having an article in the lucky bag.


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External link

*{{commonscatinline United States Naval Academy Yearbooks