Lubbers don't live! Oh learn a lesson from Joe Gotch
Navy training-aid cartoon sheet under a 'Lubbers Don't Live!' banner. A sailor reads a watch bill, stands lookout without a lifebelt, hears 'abandon ship' over the phones, and ends up reading a book outside the 'David Jones Locker Club' under the sea. The tell is fear-appeal told as a rhyme about the lifebelt.
Propaganda techniques used in this poster
- Date
- 1943
- Period
- Second World War
- Made by
- U.S. Navy, Bureau of Naval Personnel, Training Aids
- Region
- North America
- Country
- United States
- Medium
- Poster
- Issuer type
- Military
- Regime
- Roosevelt Administration
- Leader
- Franklin D. Roosevelt
- Audience
- Own forces
- Purpose
- Warn or inform
- Theme
- War and the military
- Event
- World War II
- Regime
- Roosevelt administration
- Leader
- Franklin D. Roosevelt
- Source
- Identified Openly sourced: the speaker is who they say they are
- Source
- U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, Record Group 44, World War II Posters, retrieved October 4, 2026
- Rights
- Public domain (U.S. government work)
U.S. Navy, Bureau of Naval Personnel, Training Aids. National Archives and Records Administration, RG 44, 44-PA-1309D (NAID 514926).
Text on the object
OH LEARN A LESSON FROM JOE GOTCH WITHOUT A LIFEBELT HE STOOD WATCH LUBBERS DON'T LIVE! "ABANDON SHIP" CAME OVER THE PHONES HE NOW RESIDES WITH DAVEY JONES WATCH DAVID JONES LOCKER CLUB NEPTUNE AV. [imprint:] U. S. NAVY, BUREAU OF NAVAL PERSONNEL, TRAINING AIDS ... NAV. PERS. 900,008 A-5 [imprint:] U. S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE : 1943-O-561903
