Sometimes, even a notable sinking isn’t enough for a ship to be well known. Such is the case with USS Reuben James, the first American destroyer lost in the Second World War. A ship that has long been reduced to a historical footnote.
Largely due to her sinking coming so soon before Pearl Harbor overtook all the news.
The sinking of this ship was, in the end, probably an expected consequence of playing with fire. A tragedy for the crew. And a ship that, when she’s remembered at all, is only for that sinking.
Let’s change that, at least a bit, with this video.
Further Reading:
https://www.amazon.com/U-S-Destroyers-Revised-Illustrated-History/dp/1682477576/
https://www.amazon.com/US-Flush-Deck-Destroyers-1916-45-Caldwell/dp/1472819977/
https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/r/reuben-james-i.html
source
Rip
What were their names?
Oh, tell me
What were their names?
Did you have a friend on the good Reuben James?🎶
A map showing her estimated wreck location would be cool.
A drinking game of a shot whenever the narrator says "quiet service" would be fatal in no time
The 1921 episode in the Adriatic was probably due to US Navy being instrumental in ending the short lived "Republic of Fiume" of Gabriele D'Annunzio and others, a weird proto-fascist drug fuelled experiment straight out of a Fellini movie.
Those 4 stacker Clemsons were very identifiable. Have you done a video on the Clemson pileup at Honda Point?
Not a real shooting war, shooting war.😅😅😅
There was a bbc documentary in the early 2000s , and it had an interview with the uboat captain who torpedoed her, in this case Eric Topp. “ he described in detail the attack , the sinking and also how he had to deal with Doenitz when he returned to port.
Was neutrality patrol really keeping US neutral?
Hay Skynes History? Do you do April Fools videos? Or alternative history videos on a ship in a science fiction series?
Johhny Horton made a song about this ship, and until now it contained all my knowledge on the matter.
Thanks for a video of a little known ship today, but had the sad distinction of being the first U.S. ship to be sunk in WWII. My old ship the USS Dale CG-19 also went through the Charleston Naval Shipyard in 1980 and became a target in the pacific in the early 2000, however the Navy closed the shipyard now…a shame.
I do wonder whether the writer of the old Kenny Rodger’s song “Rueben James” named it after the ship.
Have a great day!
I first heard of the USS Reuben James from this song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_lPSX38zWk. I love the tag line, "Tell me what were their names, did you have a friend on the good Reuben James."
I don't think anyone was "taking videos" in 1926.
Great Video and very interesting thank you.
How can you say unexpected? The Germans were outside the us coast early inthe war sinking cargo ships before the war ?
Like always amazing video. I’ve always love the old flush deckers. They were instrumental in the US first few months in the battle of the Atlantic, as most modern USN destroyers were in the pacific. They really did prove their worth in both the USN and RN service.
Oh what were their names? what were their names? What were the names of the good Reuben James? so that old song goes….
Thanks
My son is named Rueben James;
…And This happened BEFORE the destroyer ever fired the shot At the mini-sub on December 7th of 1941… Which makes this the first combat casualties of World War 2!
Well, the Reuben James illegally fought German submarines. As early as 1940, the US Navy had received the “shoot-on-sight order”, which stipulated that US forces were allowed to fire on Axis units as soon as they were sighted. However, the USA was not yet at war with Germany. They probably wanted to provoke an entry into the war from the American side.
The Sinking of the Reuben James by Woody Guthrie
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICy5P1pKy5A
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FFG-37 also sunk as a target in 2013. But we know of her role she played in Tom Clancy’s Red Storm Rising. Hope they have another Reuben James in the pipeline.
The highlight of the video for me was learning that the USN had a force stationed in Yugoslavia during the 1920s. Always fun to learn about obscure historical facts.
I watch and enjoy this channel as warship design and history has long been of interest to me. If I were to offer up one small suggestion as to improving the content of these videos it would be that you include in your history the reason why a particular warship received its name -especially ships named after people. So in this example who was 'Ruben James' the person and why did he deserve the great honour of having a ship named after him?
For all I know Ruben James is well known in the USA – but not everyone watching your content is a US citizen of course.
8:35 “Get that fender inboard!”
It took video?😅 Or it went to film?
The song " Reuben James" was written by Woodie Guthrie who was a socialist/communist. The fact that it was a patriotic song about the men of a capitilist country illustrated the flaw in Marxism which believed that people all over the world were divided into workers and business owners and that workers around the world would unite together. This proved completely wrong as people are more loyal to their own culture than any working class.
I landed on the FFG 57 Rueben James many times. She was of a great and effective low cost class of frigates. Shame on the Navy for getting rid of them. A sin it was.
Well, if you go out looking for trouble, you'll probably find it. Selling arms to belligerents as a " neutral", escorting the ships into a known war zone, and firing upon the warring parties…
Typical American foreign policy hypocrisy…provoke, then blame