For Those in Peril

Those who labor in service to others-warriors, political and religious leaders, educators, reporters, physicians, nurses, scientists, explorers, pioneers and others-often do so in peril.

Early on a Saturday morning this February, the space shuttle COLUMBIA broke apart during re-entry just minutes before its scheduled landing. All seven astronauts aboard perished, two Navy Flight Surgeons among them, Captain David Brown and Commander Laurel Clark.

A friend sent me an email with this picture attached: (Editorial cartoon showing the space shuttle entering the gates of heaven--)

Another friend mentioned she thought there was a verse of the "Navy Hymn" for astronauts.

The "Navy Hymn" has many verses about various parts of the Navy, but I did not remember one for astronauts. I decided to do some research to find out more about the "Navy Hymn."

The first four verses of the "Navy Hymn" are from a poem written in 1860 by the Rev. William Whiting, an English schoolmaster and clergyman.He wrote the ode, "Eternal Father, Strong to Save" for a student about to depart for America. Whiting lived on the English coast and his inspiration came from once experiencing a furious storm in the Mediterranean Sea.

The following year another English clergyman, the Rev. John B. Dykes, a composer of over 300 hymns, penned a tune for the poem.He named the tune "Melita" after an island associated with a Biblical shipwreck. Today the island is known as Malta, the island the Apostle Paul reached after his ship went down (Acts 28:1).

Rev. Whiting's first verse didn't quite fit Rev. Dykes' melody, so some lines and words were rearranged: Whiting's original first verse:

O thou who bidd'st the ocean deep
Its own appointment limits keep,
Thou Who dost bind the restless wave,
Eternal Father, strong to save;
O hear us when we cry to Thee
For all in peril on the sea.

Eternal Father, strong to save,
Whose arm hath bound the restless wave,
Who biddest the mighty ocean deep
Its own appointed limits keep;
Oh, hear us when we cry to Thee,
For those in peril on the sea!

O Christ! Whose voice the waters heard
And hushed their raging at Thy word,
Who walked'st on the foaming deep,
And calm amidst its rage didst sleep;
Oh, hear us when we cry to Thee,
For those in peril on the sea

Most Holy Spirit! Who didst brood
Upon the chaos dark and rude,
And bid its angry tumult cease,
And give, for wild confusion, peace;
Oh, hear us when we cry to Thee,
For those in peril on the sea!

O Trinity of love and power!
Our brethren shield in danger's hour;
From rock and tempest, fire and foe,
Protect them wheresoe'er they go;
Thus evermore shall rise to Thee
Glad hymns of praise from land and sea.

In 1879 Lieutenant Commander (later to become Rear Admiral) Charles Train was the conductor of the Midshipman Choir at the Naval Academy. He concluded each Sunday's Divine Service with the singing of "Eternal Father, Strong to Save," a tradition which continues to this day. Now commonly known as the "Navy Hymn" in most hymnals, it is part of religious services, retirement ceremonies and funerals in the U.S. Navy, the Navies of the British Commonwealth and the French Navy.

The evening of April 14, 1912 Rev. Ernest Carter conducted a worship service on board the passenger ship Titanic on her maiden voyage from Southampton, England to New York City. Among the hymns sung was "Eternal Father, Strong to Save."After the service the Rev. said "It is the first time that there have been hymns sung on this boat...but we trust and pray it won't be the last."

More recently the "Navy Hymn" was a part of the musical score of the motion picture, Titanic.

The "Navy Hymn" was a favorite of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who had served as Secretary of the Navy. It was sung at his funeral in Hyde Park, New York, in April 1945. It was also played by the Navy Band in 1963 as President John F. Kennedy, a PT boat commander in World War II, was carried up the steps of the U.S. Capitol to lie in state.

Since the original work of Revs. Whiting and Dykes, many verses have been added to the "Navy Hymn." In 1915, Mary C. D. Hamilton wrote two verses for men involved with the new business of flying:

Lord, guard and guide the men who fly
Through the great spaces in the sky.
Be with them always in the air,
In darkening storms or sunlight fair;
O God, protect the men who fly,
Through lonely ways beneath the sky.

Aloft in solitudes of space,
Uphold them with Thy saving grace.
Thou Who supports with tender might
The balanced birds in all their flight.
Lord, if the tempered winds be near,
That, having Thee, they know no fear.

During or shortly after World War II, new fifth and six lines were substituted in the first verse creating what is now known as the Naval Aviation verse:

Eternal Father, grant, we pray,
To all Marines, both night and day,
The courage, honor, strength, and skill
Their land to serve, thy law fulfill;
Be thou the shield forevermore
From every peril to the Corps.

Lord God, our power evermore,
Whose arm doth reach the ocean floor,
Dive with our men beneath the sea;
Traverse the depths protectively.
O hear us when we pray, and keep
Them safe from peril in the deep.

Another verse was composed for submariners by the Rev. Gale Williamson, date unknown:

Bless those who serve beneath the deep,
Through lonely hours their vigil keep.
May peace their mission ever be,
Protect each one we ask of thee.
Bless those at home who wait and pray,
For their return by night and day.

In 1948, Beatrice M. Truitt wrote four lines for the Seabees. R. J. Dietrich wrote the final two in 1960:

Lord, stand beside the men who build,
And give them courage, strength, and skill.
O grant them peace of heart and mind,
And comfort loved ones left behind.
Lord, hear our prayers for all Seabees,
Where'er they be on land or sea.

Eternal Father, Lord of hosts,
Watch o'er the men who guard our coasts.
Protect them from the raging seas
And give them light and life and peace.
Grant them from thy great throne above
The shield and shelter of thy love.

There are many more verses, some unrelated to the Navy.I will close with two verses in memory of David and Laurel. In 1969, Galen Meyer, with adaptations by James Shannon in 1970, wrote this verse for those involved in the healing arts:

Creator, Father, who first breathed
In us the life that we received,
By power of thy breath restore
The ill, and men with wounds of war.
Bless those who give their healing care,
That life and laughter all may share.

Eternal Father, King of birth,
Who didst create the heaven and earth,
And bid the planets and the sun
Their own appointed orbits run;
O hear us when we seek thy grace
From those who soar through outer space.

the original column was about the space shuttle, but it is a tribute to all veterans.

Nice. My fathers favorite hymn. The only time I ever head him sing. Thanks for posting a comprehensive history of the hymn.

My Father's favorite ( he came from a long, long line of seamen from Cape Hatteras )--

Let the Lower Lights Be Burning
Let the Lower Lights Be Burning. Text: Philip P. Bliss, 1871. Music:
Philip P. Bliss, 1871. OHT Incipit: 56532 17666 21712. Brightly beams ...

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