# Punch Davy Jones's Locker

- By: John Tenniel
- Date: 1892-12-10
- Classification: Photograph
- Credit line: Punch, vol. 103
- Museum: [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Punch_Davy_Jones%27s_Locker.png)
- Rights: Public domain
- Picture: https://invisiblenetwork.ai/thumbs/commons/5/5f/Punch_Davy_Jones%27s_Locker.png
- Who can see it: Teens profiles and older (museums give no ratings; placed by Invisible Network from the museum's own words)

Illustration of Davy Jones sitting on his locker, wearing a pirate captain's uniform, while viewing a 1789 chart of Ferrol Harbor, Spain, belonging to HMS Howe. The ship had run aground at the mouth of the harbor on 2 November 1892, allegedly after using a poorly prepared naval chart to navigate its waters. A Royal Navy court-martial opened an inquiry into the conduct of Vice Admiral Henry Fairfax, who was charged with negligence for ordering a hazardous course when the ship entered harbor. On 7 January 1893 the court found that the charge against Fairfax was not proven.

"Davy Jones' Locker" is an idiom for the bottom of the sea: the state of death among drowned sailors. It is used as a euphemism for death at sea (to be "sent to Davy Jones's Locker"), whereas the name Davy Jones is a nickname for what would be the devil, saint, or god of the seas. The origins of the name are unclear and many theories have been put forth, including incompetent sailors, a pub owner who kidnapped sailors, or that Davy Jones is another name for the devil—as in "Devil Jonah". This nautical superstition was popularized in the 19th century.

The imprint:

CHART

of

FERROL HARBR

1789

HMS HOWE

The…