Eternal Father, Strong to Save
Encyclopedia
"Eternal Father, Strong to Save" is a hymn
often associated with the Royal Navy
or the United States Navy 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."
. 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).
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
' miracle
s 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.
, 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:
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.
(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.
, 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 U.S.S. 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.
. 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.
Hymn
A hymn is a type of song, usually religious, specifically written for the purpose of praise, adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification...
often associated with the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
or the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
. 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 StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. In 1861, John B. Dykes
John Bacchus Dykes
John Bacchus Dykes was an English clergyman and hymnist.-Biography:...
, an Anglican clergyman, composed the tune "Melita" for this hymn. "Melita" is an archaic term for Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
, an ancient seafaring nation and the site of a shipwreck
Shipwreck
A shipwreck is what remains of a ship that has wrecked, either sunk or beached. Whatever the cause, a sunken ship or a wrecked ship is a physical example of the event: this explains why the two concepts are often overlapping in English....
involving the Apostle Paul mentioned in Acts of the Apostles
Acts of the Apostles
The Acts of the Apostles , usually referred to simply as Acts, is the fifth book of the New Testament; Acts outlines the history of the Apostolic Age...
(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.
- 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
God the Father
God the Father is a gendered title given to God in many monotheistic religions, particularly patriarchal, Abrahamic ones. In Judaism, God is called Father because he is the creator, life-giver, law-giver, and protector...
's forbidding the waters to flood the earth as described in Psalm
Psalms
The Book of Psalms , commonly referred to simply as Psalms, is a book of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Bible...
104. The second verse refers to Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
' miracle
Miracle
A miracle often denotes an event attributed to divine intervention. Alternatively, it may be an event attributed to a miracle worker, saint, or religious leader. A miracle is sometimes thought of as a perceptible interruption of the laws of nature. Others suggest that a god may work with the laws...
s of stilling a storm and walking on the waters of the Sea of Galilee
Sea of Galilee
The Sea of Galilee, also Kinneret, Lake of Gennesaret, or Lake Tiberias , is the largest freshwater lake in Israel, and it is approximately in circumference, about long, and wide. The lake has a total area of , and a maximum depth of approximately 43 m...
. The third verse references the Holy Spirit
Holy Spirit
Holy Spirit is a term introduced in English translations of the Hebrew Bible, but understood differently in the main Abrahamic religions.While the general concept of a "Spirit" that permeates the cosmos has been used in various religions Holy Spirit is a term introduced in English translations of...
'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). The Hymnal 1982The Hymnal 1982
The Hymnal 1982 is the hymnal of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America. It is one in a series of 7 official hymnals of the Episcopal Church, including The Hymnal 1940...
, 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:
- Eternal Father, strong to save,
- Whose arm hath bound the restless wave,
- Who bidst the mighty ocean deep
- Its own appointed limits keep;
- O, hear us when we cry to Thee
- For those in peril on the sea!
- Christ, the Lord of hill and plain,
- O'er which our traffic runs amain,
- By mountain pass or valley low,
- Wherever Lord our 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.
- -Author and date unknown
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 they 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 they 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 ChurchillWinston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
(who requested that the hymn be sung) and Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
at the conference creating the Atlantic Charter
Atlantic Charter
The Atlantic Charter was a pivotal policy statement first issued in August 1941 that early in World War II defined the Allied goals for the post-war world. It was drafted by Britain and the United States, and later agreed to by all the Allies...
. 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 US Navy. It was sung at the funeral of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, played by the Navy Band at the funeral of John F. KennedyJohn F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
, sung at the funeral of Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
, and played by the Navy Band and the Coast Guard Band during the funeral of Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
. Roosevelt had served as Assistant Secretary of the Navy
Assistant Secretary of the Navy
Assistant Secretary of the Navy is the title given to certain civilian senior officials in the United States Department of the Navy....
and Kennedy was commanding officer of PT-109
Motor Torpedo Boat PT-109
PT-109 was a PT boat last commanded by Lieutenant, junior grade John F. Kennedy in the Pacific Theater during World War II...
in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.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
USS Cole (DDG-67)
The second USS Cole is an Arleigh Burke-class Aegis-equipped guided missile destroyer homeported in NS Norfolk, Virginia. The Cole is named in honor of Marine Sergeant Darrell S. Cole, a machine-gunner killed in action on Iwo Jima on 19 February 1945, during World War II...
(DDG-67) after the bombing of the ship
USS Cole bombing
The USS Cole Bombing, or the USS Cole Incident, was a suicide attack against the United States Navy destroyer on October 12, 2000 while it was harbored and refueled in the Yemeni port of Aden. Seventeen American sailors were killed, and 39 were injured...
in October 2000. This is fitting as the hymn was also played at the funeral services of those killed among the crew of the U.S.S. Maine at the beginning of the Spanish-American War. It was performed by the U.S. Navy Sea Chanters at the State Funeral
State funeral
A state funeral is a public funeral ceremony, observing the strict rules of protocol, held to honor heads of state or other important people of national significance. State funerals usually include much pomp and ceremony as well as religious overtones and distinctive elements of military tradition...
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
Walter Cronkite
Walter Leland Cronkite, Jr. was an American broadcast journalist, best known as anchorman for the CBS Evening News for 19 years . During the heyday of CBS News in the 1960s and 1970s, he was often cited as "the most trusted man in America" after being so named in an opinion poll...
at St. Bartholomew's Church in New York City. This was the last hymn sung at the funeral of Claude Choules
Claude Choules
Claude Stanley Choules was the last World War I combat veteran, and was the last military witness to the scuttling of the German fleet in Scapa Flow. He was also the last veteran to have served in both world wars, and the last seaman from the First World War...
, 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 TideCrimson Tide (film)The film has uncredited additional writing by Quentin Tarantino, much of it being the pop-culture reference-laden dialogue.The U.S. Navy objected to many of the elements in the script — particularly the aspect of mutiny on board a U.S. naval vessel — and as such, the film was produced...
- The Right Stuff
- The Perfect StormThe Perfect Storm (film)The Perfect Storm is a 2000 dramatic disaster film directed by Wolfgang Petersen. It is an adaptation of the 1997 non-fiction book of the same title by Sebastian Junger about the crew of the Andrea Gail that got caught in the Perfect Storm of 1991. The film stars George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg,...
- TitanicTitanic (1997 film)Titanic is a 1997 American epic romance and disaster film directed, written, co-produced, and co-edited by James Cameron. A fictionalized account of the sinking of the RMS Titanic, it stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Jack Dawson, Kate Winslet as Rose DeWitt Bukater and Billy Zane as Rose's fiancé, Cal...
– anachronisticallyAnachronismAn anachronism—from the Greek ανά and χρόνος — is an inconsistency in some chronological arrangement, especially a chronological misplacing of persons, events, objects, or customs in regard to each other...
uses 1940 version - Flag in ExileFlag in ExileFlag in Exile is the fifth Honor Harrington novel by David Weber. In the story, the disgraced Honor enters a self-imposed exile on Grayson.- Plot summary :...
- Brothers
- The hymn appears in Benjamin BrittenBenjamin BrittenEdward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten, OM CH was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He showed talent from an early age, and first came to public attention with the a cappella choral work A Boy Was Born in 1934. With the premiere of his opera Peter Grimes in 1945, he leapt to...
's opera Noye's FluddeNoye's FluddeNoye's Fludde is an early 15th century mystery play from the Chester Mystery Cycle. It was set to music by Benjamin Britten in 1957 based on an edition by Alfred W. Pollard...
. - JAGJAG (TV series)JAG is an American adventure/legal drama television show that was produced by Belisarius Productions, in association with Paramount Network Television and, for the first season only, NBC Productions...
– American TV series - Making Waves – British TV series
- Mr. BeanMr. BeanMr. Bean is a British comedy television programme series of 14 half-hour episodes written by and starring Rowan Atkinson as the title character. Different episodes were also written by Robin Driscoll, Richard Curtis and one by Ben Elton. The pilot episode was broadcast on ITV on 1 January 1990,...
- British TV series - 2424 (TV series)24 is an American television series produced for the Fox Network and syndicated worldwide, starring Kiefer Sutherland as Counter Terrorist Unit agent Jack Bauer. Each 24-episode season covers 24 hours in the life of Bauer, using the real time method of narration...
– American TV series - Navy LogNavy LogNavy Log is an American anthology series that initially aired on CBS. The series featured over 70 regular guests and told about the greatest survival war stories in the history of the United States Navy. This series premiered on September 20, 1955. The following year, it was moved to ABC, where it...
– American TV series - NationNation (novel)Nation is a Terry Pratchett novel, published in the UK on September 11, 2008. It is the first non-Discworld Pratchett novel since Johnny and the Bomb . Nation is in an alternate history of our world in the 1860s. The book received recognition as a Michael L...
by Terry PratchettTerry PratchettSir Terence David John "Terry" Pratchett, OBE is an English novelist, known for his frequently comical work in the fantasy genre. He is best known for his popular and long-running Discworld series of comic fantasy novels... - In the short story “Ordeal in SpaceOrdeal in Space"Ordeal in Space" is a science fiction short story by Robert A. Heinlein, originally published in Town & Country, May 1948. It is one of Heinlein's Future History stories and appears in his collection, The Green Hills of Earth....
”, included in the collection The Green Hills of EarthThe Green Hills of Earth"The Green Hills of Earth" is a science fiction short story by Robert A. Heinlein, and the title of a song, "The Green Hills of Earth", mentioned in several of his novels...
(© 1951), Robert A. HeinleinRobert A. HeinleinRobert Anson Heinlein was an American science fiction writer. Often called the "dean of science fiction writers", he was one of the most influential and controversial authors of the genre. He set a standard for science and engineering plausibility and helped to raise the genre's standards of...
added an additional verse - Jane's Fleet CommandFleet CommandFleet Command , previously labeled as Jane's Fleet Command, is a real-time tactics naval warfare simulation computer game released in 1999. It was developed by Sonalysts Inc. and published by Electronic Arts...
- StarCraft 2 - track Better Tomorrow
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 domainPublic domain
Works are in the public domain if the intellectual property rights have expired, if the intellectual property rights are forfeited, or if they are not covered by intellectual property rights at all...
. 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
Work of the United States Government
A work of the United States government, as defined by United States copyright law, is "a work prepared by an officer or employee of the U.S. government as part of that person's official duties." The term only applies to the work of the federal government, including the governments of "non-organized...
of the U.S. Federal Government
Federal government of the United States
The federal government of the United States is the national government of the constitutional republic of fifty states that is the United States of America. The federal government comprises three distinct branches of government: a legislative, an executive and a judiciary. These branches and...
, it is in the public domain. The short quotation from Robert Heinlein is believed to be fair use
Fair use
Fair use is a limitation and exception to the exclusive right granted by copyright law to the author of a creative work. In United States copyright law, fair use is a doctrine that permits limited use of copyrighted material without acquiring permission from the rights holders...
. 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.