The Reuben James
It was there in the dark of that uncertain night,
When we stood to our guns, and waited for the fight
Then a whine and a crash and a loud explosion roar.
And they laid that Reuben James on that cold ocean floor.
Chorus
What were their names, tell me what were their names?
Did you have a friend on the good Reuben James?
What were their names, tell me what were their names?
The men who went down on the good Reuben James.
Ch.
One hundred men were drowned in that dark watery grave,
When that good ship went down, only 44 were saved,
Was the last day of October [1941], when they saved the 44,
From that cold icy water off that cold Greenland shore.
Ch.
Tonight there are lights in our country so bright,
On the farms and in the cities, they are telling of that fight.
And now the mighty battleships will sail the ocean main,
And remember the names of that good Reuben James
-- Woody Guthrie.
"Reuben James had just commenced turning to investigate a strong direction-finder bearing when a torpedo fired by the U-552 struck her port side. The explosion probably ignited the forward magazine, for the entire fore part of the ship was blown off as far aft as the fourth stack [indicating an obsolete world war one destroyer].The after part remained afloat for about five minutes, and as it went down several depth charges exploded, killing survivors in the water. Of the entire ship's company of about 160, only 45, including no officers, were rescued by other escorts." p. 94. Samuel Eliot Morison, R. Adm. USNR,The Battle of the Atlantic: September 1939-May 1943, History of United States Naval Operations in World War II, Vol. I, Little, Brown & Co., Boston: 1988.
[After fall of 1940, U-boats] could not be used within the prohibited zone of the Americas except at the cost of bringing in the United States, which Hitler could not then afford to do. ...Hitler gave strict orders that until his planned invation of Russia commenced, "there should be avoidance of any incident with the United States" (Germany attacked USSR June 22, 1941). Morison, op. cit. p. 35. |
