Eternal Father, Strong to Save

"For Those in Peril on the Sea" redirects here. For the Goodies episode, see For Those in Peril on the Sea (The Goodies).

"Eternal Father, Strong to Save", typeset from The Hymnal Army and Navy which was used by American forces during World War II

"Eternal Father, Strong to Save" is a hymn associated with the Royal Navy, the United States Navy, United States Coast Guard and United States Marine Corps. Accordingly, it is often known as the Royal Navy Hymn or the United States Navy Hymn (or just The Navy Hymn), and sometimes by the last line of its first verse, "For Those in Peril on the Sea."

History

The original hymn was written by William Whiting of Winchester, England, in 1860. It was originally intended as a poem for a student of his, who was about to travel to the United States. In 1861, John B. Dykes, an Anglican clergyman, composed the tune "Melita" for this hymn. "Melita" is an archaic term for Malta, an ancient seafaring nation and the site of a shipwreck involving the Apostle Paul mentioned in Acts of the Apostles (chapters 27-28).

Lyrics

The original words are:

Eternal Father, strong to save,

Whose arm hath bound the restless wave,

Who bidd'st 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 walkedst 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.

Certain verses have been changed in modern hymnals for various reasons.

The first verse refers to God the Father's forbidding the waters to flood the earth as described in Psalm 104. The second verse refers to Jesus' miracles of stilling a storm and walking on the waters of the Sea of Galilee. The third verse references the Holy Spirit's role in the creation of the earth in the Book of Genesis, while the final verse is a reference to Psalm 107.

U.S. Episcopal Church version

In 1940, the U.S. Episcopal Church altered three verses of the hymn to include travel on the land in the second verse (referencing Psalm 50) and in the air in the third verse (again referencing Genesis). This was published as Hymn #513 while the original lyrics were also published as Hymn #512 in The Hymnal 1940. The Hymnal 1982, which is in current use by most Episcopal congregations in the USA, has further revised this version (as Hymn #579) with opening line "Almighty Father, strong to save..." by adding the word "space" to the final verse, so it ends "Glad praise from space, air, land, and sea" (because by 1982 space travel was a reality); the Hymnal also has a more traditional water-only version (as Hymn #608) with opening line "Eternal Father, strong to save..."

The 1940 version — incorporating sea, land, and air (but not space) — is:

Almighty Father, strong to save,

Whose arm hath bound the restless wave,

Who bidd'st the mighty ocean deep

Its own appointed limits keep:

O hear us when we cry to thee

For those in peril on the sea.

O Christ, the Lord of hill and plain

O'er which our traffic runs amain

By mountain pass or valley low;

Wherever, Lord, thy brethren go,

Protect them by thy guarding hand

From every peril on the land.

O Spirit, whom the Father sent

To spread abroad the firmament;

O Wind of heaven, by thy might

Save all who dare the eagle's flight,

And keep them by thy watchful care

From every peril in the air.

O Trinity of love and power,

Our brethren shield in danger's hour;

From rock and tempest, fire and foe,

Protect them whereso'er they go,

Thus evermore shall rise to thee

Glad praise from air and land and sea.

Stanzas 2-3 of the version in the 1940 Hymnal were written by the American Bishop Robert Nelson Spencer (1877–1961) and published in 1937.

U.S. military variants

Several additional or variant verses are in use in the U.S. military services, including the Marines, Seabees, submariners and coastguards.

SEALs

Eternal Father, faithful friend,

Be swift to answer those we send

In brotherhood and urgent trust

On hidden missions dangerous

O hear us when we cry to Thee

For SEALs in air, on land, and sea

Aviation (1943)

Lord, guard and guide the men who fly,

Through the great spaces of the sky;

Be with them traversing the air,

In darkening storms or sunshine fair.

O God, protect the men who fly,

Through lonely ways beneath the sky.

Aviation (variation)

Lord, guard and guide the men who fly

Through the great spaces in the sky,

Be with them always in the air,

In dark'ning storms or sunlight fair.

O, Hear us when we lift our prayer,

For those in peril in the air.

Marines

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.

-J.E. Seim, 1966

Seabees

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 prayer for all Seabees

Where'er they be on land or sea

-R.J. Dietrich, 1960

Submariners

Lord God, our power evermore

Who 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

-David B. Miller, 1965

Navy Nurses

O God, protect the women who,

in service, faith in thee renew;

O guide devoted hands of skill

And bless their work within thy will;

Inspire their lives that they may be

Examples fair on land and sea.

Lines 1-4, Merle E. Strickland, 1972,

and adapted by James D. Shannon, 1973.

Lines 5-6, Beatrice M. Truitt, 1948

Arctic Exploration

Creator, Father, who dost show

Thy splendor in the ice and snow,

Bless those who toil in summer light

And through the cold Antarctic night,

As they thy frozen wonders learn;

Bless those who wait for their return.

-L.E. Vogel, 1965

Coast Guard

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.

-George H. Jenks, Jr., 1955

Astronauts

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

For those who soar through outer space.

-J.E. Volonte, 1961

Doctors

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.

-Galen H. Meyer, 1969

Adapted by James D. Shannon, 1970

Military Families

God, who dost still the restless foam,

Protect the ones we love at home.

Provide that they should always be

By thine own grace both safe and free.

O Father, hear us when we pray

For those we love so far away.

-Hugh Taylor, date unknown

Naval (General)

Lord, guard and guide the men who fly

And those who on the ocean ply;

Be with our troops upon the land,

And all who for their country stand:

Be with these guardians day and night

And may their trust be in they might.

-author unknown, about 1955

The Airborne Hymn (General)

Eternal Father, strong to save,

Whose arm hath bound the restless wave

Who bid'st the mighty ocean deep

Its own appointed limits keep,

O hear us when we cry to Thee

For those in peril on the sea.

O Spirit Whom the Father sent

To spread abroad the firmament,

O Wind of Heaven, by Thy might

Save all who dare in Airborne flight

And keep them by Thy watchful care

They drop to battle from the air!

Lord, guard and guide all them who fly

And those who on the ocean ply;

Be with our troops upon the land

And all for who their country stand:

Be with these guardians day and night

Do keep them ever in Thy sight.

O Gracious God of love and power!

Our brethren shield in danger's hour;

From rock and tempest, fire and foe,

Protect them whereso'er they go.

Thus fore'ermore shall rise to Thee,

Glad praise from air, and land and sea.

Veterans going back to World War II remember singing the "Armed Forces Hymn" at church services in the United States and overseas. The hymn was an adapted version of the original Navy hymn "Eternal Father Strong to Save". With its beautiful, meaningful verses and powerful plea for protection, it evoked a strong emotional response from those singing the hymn. While preparing a funeral service for his friend, Colonel Delbert Townsend, a highly decorated paratrooper, Colonel John Kormann became aware that there were further adaptations to the basic hymn. In addition to the Navy, there were now verses for the Army, the Air Force, the Marines, the Coast Guard, the astronauts, Seabees, nurses, SEALS, etc. Dismayed that he found no words of "Eternal Father" for the "Airborne", Kormann, a past president of the 17th Airborne Division Association, proceeded to change a verse and add some words. At a reunion of Airborne veterans in Lancaster, PA, on March 7, 2010, Colonel Kormann formally proposed that the second verse of the hymn, as altered (below), be adopted and included in "Eternal Father", to be sung, as appropriate, at services for Airborne veterans. Thus, the "Airborne Hymn" was born.

Ship's Dedication

O Father, King of earth and sea,

We dedicate this ship to thee.

In faith we send her on her way;

In faith to thee we humbly pray:

O hear from heaven our sailor's cry

And watch and guard her from on high!

Author and date unknown

Ship's Decommissioning

And when at length her course is run,

Her work for home and country done,

Of all the souls that in her sailed

Let not one life in thee have failed;

But hear from heaven our sailor's cry,

And grant eternal life on high!

-Author and date unknown

Notable uses

This hymn was among those sung at a religious service aboard HMS Prince of Wales attended by Winston Churchill (who requested that the hymn be sung) and Franklin D. Roosevelt at the conference creating the Atlantic Charter. It was also the last song sung during the Sunday, April 14 Church Service aboard the RMS Titanic just hours before it sank.

Use in funerals

This hymn has been played or sung at a number of funerals for those who have served in the U.S. Navy. It was sung at the funeral of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, played by the Navy Band at the funeral of John F. Kennedy, sung at the funeral of Richard Nixon, and played by the Navy Band and the Coast Guard Band during the funeral of Ronald Reagan. Roosevelt had served as Assistant Secretary of the Navy and Kennedy was commanding officer of PT-109 in World War II.The hymn was also played to close the funeral of R. Buckminster Fuller, as well as at the Memorial Ceremony in Norfolk, VA for the USS Cole (DDG-67) after the bombing of the ship in October 2000. This is fitting as the hymn was also played at the funeral services of those killed among the crew of the USS Maine at the beginning of the Spanish-American War. It was performed by the U.S. Navy Sea Chanters at the State Funeral of President Gerald R. Ford, who had served in the Navy during World War II in the Pacific Theater. The hymn was sung by the congregation attending the funeral of news broadcaster Walter Cronkite at St. Bartholomew's Church in New York City. This was the last hymn sung at the funeral of Claude Choules, the last living fighter from WWI, at his funeral in Fremantle, Western Australia on May 20, 2011.

In popular culture

The hymn, and variants of it, make numerous appearances in films, TV shows, literature and other formats.

• Crimson Tide
• The Right Stuff
• The Perfect Storm
• Titanic – anachronistically uses 1940 version
• Flag in Exile
• Brothers
• JAG – American TV series
• Making Waves – British TV series
• 24 – American TV series
• Navy Log – American TV series
• Nation by Terry Pratchett

Parodies

• St. John's College as its fight song with the United States Naval Academy.

External links

• "Eternal Father, Strong to Save" at CyberHymnal
• "Eternal Father, Strong to Save" at Oremus Hymnal
• US Navy FAQ on the Navy Hymn

Sources

Eternal Father, Strong to Save is in the public domain. Some of the commentary is taken from http://www.navy.mil/navydata/questions/eternal.html, which was written by a sailor or employee of the U.S. Navy during the course of the person's official duties. As a work of the U.S. Federal Government, it is in the public domain. The short quotation from Robert Heinlein is believed to be fair use. USCG source: http://www.uscg.mil/hq/chaplain/misc/coast_guard_hymn.htm The Methodist purge is described at http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/VA-news/VA-Pilot/issues/1996/vp/.htm.