October 31, 1941: The Sinking of the Reuben James

October 31, 1941: The destroyer USS Reuben James is sunk by a German U-boat off the coast of Iceland. There were 100 deaths, and only 44 survivors.

This was an act of war, as America had not yet entered World War II, but it did not move Congress to declare war on Nazi Germany, and President Franklin D. Roosevelt knew he couldn't ask them. Still.

Folksinger Woody Guthrie wrote "The Sinking of the Reuben James" about it:

Tell me: what were their names?
Tell me: what were their names?
Did you have a friend on the good Reuben James?

Woody's guitar reads, "This machine kills fascists."

Reuben James (1776-1838) was a boatswain's mate from Delaware, famous for his heroism in saving the life of his commanding officer, Lieutenant Stephen Decatur, during the Gunboat Battle of August 3, 1804, in the First Barbary War -- although there is dispute as to whether he was the sailor who saved Decatur.

On April 1, 1943, a new destroyer named Reuben James was christened. It was decommissioned only 4 years later, after the War ended. A 3rd ship with the name, a frigate, served from 1982 to 2013.

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October 31, 1941 was a Friday. It was also Halloween. This was also the day that Mount Rushmore was declared "finished." I have a separate entry for that event. Actress Sally Kirkland was born on this day.

Baseball season was over. The NBA hadn't been founded yet. And the NHL season didn't start until the next day. But there were 4 college football games that night:

* Penn State beat New York University, 42-0 at the Polo Grounds.

* Clemson beat George Washington University, 19-0 at Griffith Stadium in Washington.

* South Carolina beat The Citadel, 13-6 at the County Fairgrounds in Orangeburg, South Carolina.

* And the University of Miami beat Texas Tech, 6-0 at Burdine Stadium in Miami. Burdine Stadium was renamed the Orange Bowl in 1959.