Reuben James

James in his alleged rescue act. Painting by Alonzo Chappel, 1858

Patrick Reuben James (* around 1776 in Sleaford ; † December 3, 1838 in Washington, DC ) was a Boatswain's mate in the United States Navy , who became famous for an alleged or actual heroic deed in the American Tripolitan War .

Career

James was born in Sleaford around 1776 and later joined the United States Navy, serving on various ships, including the frigate USS Constellation . During the American Tripolitan War , the frigate USS Philadelphia was captured by pirates from the Berber Coast when it got stuck on a shoal off Tripoli .

During the blockade of the port there were several maritime skirmishes, the most intense of which was the gunboat skirmish on August 3, 1804. During this fighting, Lieutenant Stephen Decatur boarded a Tripolese gunboat he believed with a crew that included James. that the crew killed his brother after he had already surrendered. It has been reported several times that while Lieutenant Decatur was engaged in a duel with the Tripolitan captain, another Tripolitan seaman struck a saber at him and Reuben James threw himself in between, where he was hit in the head by the saber. The blow was not fatal and James was later able to resume service.

It has since emerged that this is likely not to be true. James' name is nowhere on the list of sailors wounded in combat and subsequently given medical treatment. Only one seaman by the name of Daniel Frazier was treated with a severe saber wound on the head. This supports the thesis that it was not James but Frazier who saved Decatur's life.

James continued to serve with Decatur in the Navy for a long time until he was retired in January 1836 due to poor health. He died in the US Naval Hospital in Washington, DC in 1838

James fought in the wars that followed

• Quasi-war
• American-Tripolitan War
• British-American War
• Second barbarian war

Honors

Three warships were named after Reuben James:

• The first USS Reuben James , a 1920 put into operation in destroyers of the Clemson-class destroyer , was the first ship of the US Navy, which in World War II was sunk.
• The second USS Reuben James was a Buckley-class destroyer entered into service in 1943 . It was sunk in 1971 as a target ship.
• The third USS Reuben James was an Oliver Hazard Perry class frigate entered service in 1986 . (It was taken out of service on July 18, 2013.)

Regarding the Reuben James , a song was written:

• The Sinking of the Reuben James , a folk song written by Woody Guthrie about the sinking of the USS Reuben James during the convoid service shortly before the USA entered the war. The singers were Johnny Horton and the Kingston Trio .

• James Island is named after Reuben James.

literature

• Joseph Wheelan: Jefferson's War. American's First War on Terror 1801-1805. Carroll & Graf Publishers. New York 2003.

Web links

• United States Naval Institute: Read We Forget
• History of the Reuben James in the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (English)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ USS Reuben James . United States Navy. Retrieved February 10, 2012.
2. ↑ Harry M. Majors: Exploring Washington . Van Winkle Publishing Co, 1975, ISBN 978-0-918664-00-6 , p. 23.