The USS Reuben James was DD-245. I'm sure the captain of the guided missle frigate (FFG-57) named for the first Reuben James knows about his ship's namesake.
As for the liberal business, Woody Guthrie was a "card-carrying" liberal who wrote this song for the purpose of encouraging America to fig...
The song was written by Stan Rogers. And, yes, he was a genius. Heather Dale does an excellent job singing it. I'll bet that if you check the copyright info on the CD you will find that Heather credits Stan.
One wonders what Musorgski would have made of this. But, if Ravel could orchestrate it, why not ELP?