"Down to the Sea. . . ."

You’re undoubtedly familiar with the term “down to the sea in ships.” It’s been used—sometimes in a spirit of adventure, sometimes of toil, sometimes of omen—by poets and orators for many generations.

Its source? The phrase is contained in the Prayer Book of the Church of England, but it far predates the Anglican faith. Look to Scripture, specifically Psalm 107:23-24:

They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters;
These see the works of the Lord, and His wonders in the deep.