Few pieces of music are as closely tied to the sea as "Eternal Father, Strong to Save." Families of sailors, Marines, and Coast Guardsmen often ask for it at a ceremony on the water, and many guests know the melody even if they cannot name it. Its history is short to tell and worth knowing.
The words were written in 1860 by the Reverend William Whiting (1825–1878), a schoolmaster and Church of England clergyman who lived on the English coast. According to the Naval History and Heritage Command, Whiting had once survived a furious storm in the Mediterranean, and that experience shaped the hymn's refrain: "O hear us when we cry to Thee, for those in peril on the sea."
In 1861 the words were set to music by another English clergyman, the Reverend John B. Dykes, whose tune is called Melita, the ancient name for the Mediterranean island of Malta. Dykes also wrote the music for "Holy, Holy, Holy," among other familiar hymns.
In 1879, Lieutenant Commander Charles Jackson Train, in charge of the midshipman choir at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, began the practice of closing each Sunday's Divine Services with the first verse of the hymn. The custom held, and the hymn came to be known in the Navy simply as the Navy Hymn.
Over the years, new verses were written so the hymn could speak for people beyond those at sea. The Naval History and Heritage Command records a verse for aviators, "Lord, guard and guide the men who fly," traced to a 1915 hymn by Mary C. D. Hamilton, along with verses written for Marines, Seabees, submariners, those who guard the coasts, and others. The Episcopal hymnal of 1940 added verses for travelers on land and in the air.
The hymn is often used at funerals for people who served in or alongside the Navy. It was President Franklin D. Roosevelt's favorite hymn and was sung at his funeral in 1945, and it was played as President John F. Kennedy's body was carried up the steps of the Capitol.
At a private ceremony at sea, families usually play a recording through the Bluetooth speakers on deck, either as the remains are released or as the captain rings eight bells. Download the version you want ahead of time, since cell signal offshore is unreliable. Our guide to music at a ceremony has more on choosing the moment.
The hymn was written by someone who had been in peril on the sea and came home. It fits the moment when a family gives someone back to it.