Navy Hymn: Eternal Father (Strong to Save)

Sung by the Sea Chanters chorus of the US Navy Band.

Info from http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq53-1.htm :

The song known to United States Navy men and women as the "Navy Hymn," is a musical benediction that long has had a special appeal to seafaring men, particularly in the American Navy and the Royal Navies of the British Commonwealth and which, in more recent years, has become a part of French naval tradition.
The original words were written as a hymn by a schoolmaster and clergyman of the Church of England, the Rev. William Whiting. Rev. Whiting (1825-1878) resided on the English coast near the sea and had once survived a furious storm in the Mediterranean. His experiences inspired him to pen the ode, "Eternal Father, Strong to Save." In the following year, 1861, the words were adapted to music by another English clergyman, the Rev. John B. Dykes (1823-1876) , who had originally written the music as "Melita" (ancient name for the Mediterranean island of Malta). Rev. Dykes' name may be recognized as that of the composer given credit for the music to many other well-known hymns, including "Holy, Holy, Holy," "Lead, Kindly Light," "Jesus, Lover of My Soul," and "Nearer, My God to Thee."
In the United States, in 1879 the late Rear Adm. Charles Jackson Train, an 1865 graduate of the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis was a lieutenant commander stationed at the Academy in charge of the Midshipman Choir. In that year, Lt. Comdr. Train inaugurated the present practice of concluding each Sunday's Divine Services at the Academy with the singing of the first verse of this hymn.
The hymn, entitled "Eternal Father, Strong to Save," is found in most Protestant Hymnals. It can be more easily located in these hymnals by consulting the "Index to First Lines" under "Eternal Father, Strong to Save." The words have been changed several times since the original hymn by Rev. Whiting was first published in 1860-61. One will find that the verses as now published differ from the original primarily in the choice of one or two words in several lines of each verse.

Category:

Comedy

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• Navy
• USN
• Hymn
• Eternal
• Father
• Strong
• To
• Save
• USNA
• Naval
• Academy
• Sailors
• Pearl
• Harbor
• USS
• Cole
• SEALs
• Seabees
• Corpsman

[MissStarlight2010]

This song means so much to me... it is such a big tribute to the men who fight for us along the oceans.

[lj1941]

This beautiful short hymn brings tears to these seventy year old eyes. Although I never served in the Navy-it sends a chill down my spine, I lost two brothers -in-law recently and they were both Navy vets of the Korean war> RIP Leonard and Ken!

[xPhoenixoftheOperax]

So, I know the navy has a chorsu but, do the marines have one as well?

[fleecyboy]

"Nearer My God, to Thee" is the hymn that was played as the Titanic was sinking. They are both truly beautiful hymns.

[RGAF1987]

So *this* is the hymn that they were singing on the movie *Titanic* when they were singing at the church service they had. I always wanted to know what song that was. Thanks for posting this!

[mikedumais]

I agree, what a beautiful hymn. I spent 10 years in the Navy starting out as an E-1 and rising to O-3. I loved every single minute of my Navy experience and especially the Sunday mornings that I spent in Navy chapels. This wonderful hymn was played/sung each and every Sunday.

[kydd5]

@lgmmrm Actually american pilots were very few in the Battle of Britain (not Operation Sea Lion, air attack was only part of that plan and it was German). At that time America was still strictly neutral until dec 1941 of course, this leading to a lot of pilots saying they were not american. As well as this, and more importantly, American pilots had had no real long experience of fighting, i would have to argue that British and Polish pilots during the battle of Britain were superior.

[kydd5]

@TheAow4321 During WW2 Japan designed and operated long distance subs, but did not 'span' the largest oceans as they did not perform well in operations and were very limited to what the could actually do. Japan didn't 'dream' of world domination, their first minister General Tojo was an imperialist expansionist, but there plans were only to invade Manchuria for its heavy industry, as well expand into other parts of Asia. On the contrary, sailing to the Eng. Channel would have been very hard.

[lgmmrm]

@Aenglaland if it weren't for america, then britain wouldn't have had it's best pilots of the RAF during Operation Sea Lion, the Eagle Squadrons were the best squadrons of the Battle of Britain, and they were completely American