As the survivors struggled to stay afloat, unsecured depth charges from the Reuben James hit the water as the ship sank. Chorus: "What were their names, tell me what were their names/Did you have a friend on the good Reuben James?" On April 2, 1942, the same U-boat—U-552— sank the SS David H. Atwater, an unescorted collier, off the coast of Virginia. It changed the world more than any other single event in history. "Sinking Of The Reuben James" What were their names, tell me what were their names Did you have a friend on the Good Reuben James Have you heard of a ship called that good Reuben James Stand by hard fighting men both of honor and fame She flew the stars and stripes of the land of the free It is accompanied by Woody Guthrie's song written shortly after the sinking of the USS Reuben James DD … The Reuben James was one of five destroyers escorting the convoy’s more than 50 merchant ships, many of which flew the Union Jack. By escorting British ships, a German official said, the Reuben James became fair game: “Anybody walking along the railroad tracks at night should not be surprised if they get run over by an express train.” Senator Gerald P. Nye of North Dakota seemed to agree. Corbin Dyson and Charles Harris. On the Reuben James, torpedoman Robert Howard recalled, “All you had was a pair of binoculars and a rubber ear to press against the skin of the ship to listen for [submarine] screw noises.”. Roosevelt did not break off diplomatic relations with Germany, and he stayed away from the bellicose rhetoric he had used after the Greer and Kearny attacks. On November 2, Almeda Edwards, wife of Lt. Cmdr. U-boat U-552 fired a torpedo at the ammunition ship, and inadvertently hit the Reuben James, sinking the US ship with the loss of 100 of the 144 men aboard the ship. She flew the Stars and Stripes of the land of the free But tonight she's in her grave at the bottom of the sea. Of the ship’s crew, only 45 were saved; 99 sailors perished, including all seven of the ship’s officers. fair game, it was only a matter of time before we became involved in a
The Sinking Of The Reuben James:Johnny Horton. Did you have a friend on the good Reuben James?”. On September 4, 1941, a German U- boat attacked the destroyer USS Greer (DD-145) as she steamed alone toward Iceland. Young men in Logan County, West Virginia, home of lost sailor George Woody, sought revenge. Dezember 1838 in Washington, D.C.) war ein Boatswain's mate[1] der United States Navy, der für eine angebliche oder tatsächliche Heldentat im Amerikanisch-Tripolitanischen Krieg berühmt wurde. Reuben James (DD-245), a four-stack Clemson-class destroyer 2. While escorting convoy HX-156, the American destroyer U.S.S. Tell me, what were their names? Those who survived the blast jumped into the frigid water. Because German U-boats (submarines) considered all ships in the convoys
#1. "The Sinking Of The Reuben James" Have you heard of a ship called the good Reuben James Manned by hard fighting men both of honor and fame? The pretext was that the Navy was helping to supply American troops stationed in Iceland. D C G Did you have a friend on that good Reuben James Verse 3 G G D G It was there in the dark of that uncertain night G D G That we watched for the U-boats and waited for the fight. Sadly, most of the country ignored the sinking. Writing ‘The Sinking of the Reuben James’ “When the U.S.S. The ship named for James, the USS Reuben James, was a four-stack destroyer, commissioned in 1920. The sinking of the Reuben James contributed to the American war sentiment, and the U.S. and Germany went to war six weeks later. Edwards, wrote to her husband, “It has been two days and still no one has told me that you are coming back to me. Found on more albums: Times when the very landscape appears to shift. Reuben
It also includes photos of DE-153 and Guided Missile Frigate Reuben James FFG-57. I know you will though….” Before she could mail her letter, however, she learned that her husband would not return. Sadly, most of the country ignored the sinking. “You can’t expect to walk into a barroom brawl and hope to stay out of the fight,” he said. The Sinking Of The Reuben James Lyrics The Sinking Of The Reuben James is found on the album This Land Is Your Land: The Asch Recordings, Vol. My two Uncles died on board when the ship was sunk. One who did not was folk singer Woody Guthrie, who wrote his now famous
On October 23, 1941, U.S. Navy destroyer USS Reuben James left Newfoundland to escort a convoy bound for Britain. Nearby ships rushed in to save the survivors. But there’s NEVER been anything like THIS before. Convoy duty was hazardous and becoming more so by the day. There have been countless thousands of published works devoted to all or of it. He said he was “itching to get a crack at” the German Navy. Germany and Great Britain had been at war for two years. This song is about the Reuben James, an American destroyer that was sunk by a German U-Boat in October 1941, two months before the US joined the war. Merchant ships of other nations, such as Great Britain, were free to tag along, and these “hitchhikers” got U.S. Navy protection. Although not the first U.S. Navy ship torpedoed before the war, the Reuben James was the first one lost. While news of the sinking arrived quickly, word on the fate of the crew took several days longer. Woody Guthrie had started to write a song including each name on the casualty list of the sinking. She flew the Stars and Stripes of the land of the free But tonight she's in her grave at the bottom of the sea Woody Guthrie had started to write a song including each name on the casualty list of the sinking. 6731 Whittier Avenue, Suite C-100 McLean, VA 22101, From Tolkien to Hitler: Famous Soldiers of World War I, The Battle for Omaha Beach: The Men of the D-Day Invasion, Napoleon Bonaparte’s Last Campaign: The Battle of Waterloo, Operation Barbarossa: World War II’s Eastern Front, The Battle of Gettysburg: Turning Point of the American Civil War, What Made the German Luger the Most Famous Pistol in Modern Warfare, The Essential Role of Navy PBR Boats in the Vietnam War, The Real Story of General George Patton, Jr’s Death & Final Days, Colonel William O. Darby and the U.S. Army Rangers, Operation Frantic On Eastern Front: Preview Of the Cold War. U-boats had already torpedoed several merchant ships in this convoy and a burning ship had silhouetted the Kearny, making her an easy target. Forty-three years earlier, the sinking of the USS Maine in Havana harbor had led to an outcry for war, but the sinking of the Reuben James did not spark the same reaction. The Greer dodged two torpedoes and counterattacked with depth charges. the news of the sinking reached America, many concerned people wrote letters
the latter part of 1941, U.S. Navy ships provided escorts for convoys
XHTML: You can use these tags: . Germany defended the attack. of friends or loved ones. Lyrics to 'The Sinking Of The Reuben James' by Woody Guthrie. The United States was still neutral, at least officially, but neutrality offered little solace—or protection. Acting with “cold precision,” the ships and their crews rescued the few survivors. “If it hadn’t been for those depth charges, we probably would have had another 40 or 50 survivors,” recalled Fireman Second Class George Giehrl. But there’s NEVER been anything like THIS before. Aboard USS Reuben James (DD 245) when hit on 31 Oct 1941 Roosevelt’s logic was simple: “If you see a rattlesnake poised to strike, you do not wait until he has struck before you crush him.”. Nimitz, Chief of Bureau of Navigation.”. John Ryan, 43, joined the Navy after his son, John Jr., died on the Reuben James. For
Fast-emerging British singer, songwriter and pianist Reuben James’ virtuoso jazz techniques and soulful, evocative voice have led him to be widely regarded as one the most exciting and creatively assured artists to have emerged in recent years. Now the USS Reuben James became the first United States warship to be sunk as a result of hostile action in World War II. Reuben James (FFG-57), an Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate There are two songs with the title Reuben James: 1. In Boston harbor, the Navy held a memorial service on the deck of the USS Constitution (“Old Ironsides”), a ship well known to sailor Reuben James, as the families of the lost seamen looked on with “tear-stained, tight-lipped faces.” Six women, led by Almeda Edwards, “tossed flowers on the ebbing tide and even as they did the sun broke through the thick clouds and bathed the wreaths in its pale light,” the Associated Press reported. After the news of the sinking reached America, many concerned people wrote letters to the Navy to find out the fate of friends or loved ones. Woody Guthrie was staying at the Almanac House in Greenwich Village when he wrote this song. While on leave, boatswain’s mate Frederick Post had a drink with a friend and predicted it would be the last drink they would ever have together. Reuben James was torpedoed by the Nazis off the coast of Iceland in late October [1941], killing 86 and wounding 44, Woody was inspired to write a ballad about the incident. Rescuers heard “cursing, praying, and hoarse shouts for help” from sailors struggling to stay alive. As dawn broke on the 31st she was torpedoed by U-552 commanded by Erich Topp, who was to become the third most successful U Boat captain of the war. I knew I had read the backstory somewhere not too long ago. “The whole front of the ship lifted up and it was gone. The Navy performed these duties while the United States maintained its official neutrality. On October 31, 1941, the USS Reuben James became one of America’s first casualties of war—even before war was declared. In connection with the list of the survivors and the list of those lost on the Reuben James, which was recently forwarded, all survivors of the Reuben James disaster have reported to this Receiving Ship with the exception of THOMPSON, James C., Sea.2c., USN, 300-43-32, and TURNBULL, Thomas P., E.M.2c., USN, 223-53-96, both of whom were seriously injured. “I know I got picked up pretty quick,” said William Bergstresser, a chief machinist’s mate. Have you heard of a ship called the good Reuben James Manned by hard fighting men both of honor and fame? (The Reuben James was the first U.S. naval ship sunk by German U-boats in World War II.) The sinking of the Lusitania in 1915 contributed to U.S. war sentiment, and America entered the war in early 1917, almost two years later. This subterfuge was necessary because of isolationist sentiment in Congress, but it fooled few, least of all the German Navy. "The Sinking of the Reuben James" is a song by Woody Guthrie about the sinking of the U. S. convoy escort USS Reuben James, which was the first U. S. naval ship sunk by German U-boats in World War II. She was armed with four 4-inch guns in her main battery, torpedo tubes, depth charges, and numerous antiaircraft weapons. to the Navy to find out the fate
The Sinking of the Reuben James is a folk song written by Woody Guthrie about the ship Reuben James (DD-245) and her sinking while on convoy duty shortly before the U.S. entered World Wa… Survivors on the Reuben James saw the instantaneous damage. A torpedo fired by U-552 hit her on the port side, ignited her forward magazine, and blew her in half. - Johnny Horton Makes History - on COLUMBIA Records in 1960. It is considered the first American naval casualty of WWII. They listened to the radio, read the newspapers, and knew the score. She was armed with four 4-inch guns in her main battery, torpedo tubes, depth charges, and numerous antiaircraft weapons. Others were torn apart.”. A D Did you have a friend on the Good Reuben James? Japanese officials were strangely silent. Heywood L. “Tex” Edwards, a 1926 Naval Academy graduate and a member of the 1928 U.S. Olympic wrestling team. As for a declaration of war, the New York Times noted, “The people, their Representatives in Congress and even many high officials of the government are deeply divided on the subject.” Rather than spark enlistments, Navy enlistments declined 15 percent in November 1941, something officials attributed to the loss of life on the Reuben James. One had been demolished by the torpedo; the other could not be lowered into the water because of the steep angle of the sinking ship. Patrick Reuben James (* um 1776 in Sleaford; 3. Five weeks later, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, the U.S. Congress declared war on Japan, and Germany declared war on the United States. British Prime Minister Winston Churchill cabled Roosevelt that he “grieved at the loss of life you have suffered with Reuben James.” In her daily newspaper column, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt wrote that she could not “help but think of every one of the 120 men and their families, who are anxiously awaiting news.” The Russian newspaper Pravda praised the United States for having “taken its fighting post,” and the London Daily Mail predicted that the United States was “marching down the last mile to a declaration of war.”. For gunner’s mate Walter Sorensen, his main wish was to come home on leave just once more, “even if it is only for a few days.” “Ol’ Rube” was not as rugged or in the same class as modern destroyers like the Kearny, but “in an emergency … these craft must be used as found,” retired Admiral William V. Pratt told Newsweek magazine. Have you heard of a ship called the good Reuben James Manned by hard fighting men both of honor and fame? 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