John Masefield was a 20th century English writer and poet, noted for his poem Sea Fever which contains the line: "And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by." This line appeared on the dedication plaques of the USS Enterprise-A and the USS Defiant.
In 2268, James T. Kirk quotes from Sea Fever to Leonard McCoy. (TOS: The Ultimate Computer)
In 2287, Leonard McCoy confused the Masefield for Herman Melville, but was corrected by Spock. (Star Trek V: The Final Frontier)