USS Reuben James (DD-245)

USS "Reuben James" (DD-245) was a four-funnel made after World War I that was the first US Navy ship named for Boatswain's Mate Reuben James (–1838), who distinguished himself fighting in the First Barbary War, and was the first sunk by hostile action in the European Theater of World War II. "Reuben James" was laid down on 2 April 1919 by the New York Shipbuilding Corporation of Camden, New Jersey, launched on 4 October 1919, and commissioned on 24 September 1920, with Commander Gordon W. Hines in command. The destroyer was sunk by a torpedo attack from German submarine near Iceland on 31 October 1941, before the United States had officially joined the war.
Service history.
Assigned to the Atlantic Fleet, "Reuben James" was used in the Mediterranean Sea during 1921–1922. "Reuben James" went from Newport, Rhode Island, on 30 November 1920, to Zelenika, Yugoslavia, arriving on 18 December. During the spring and summer of 1921, it operated in the Adriatic Sea and the Mediterranean out of Zelenika and Gruz (Dubrovnik), Yugoslavia, assisting refugees and participating in postwar investigations. In October 1921 at Le Havre, it joined the protected cruiser at ceremonies marking the return of the Unknown Soldier to the U.S. At Danzig, from 29 October 1921 to 3 February 1922, it assisted the American Relief Administration in its efforts to relieve hunger and misery. After duty in the Mediterranean, it departed Gibraltar on 17 July.
Based then at New York City, the ship patrolled the Nicaraguan coast to prevent the delivery of weapons to revolutionaries in early 1926. During the spring of 1929, it participated in fleet maneuvers that helped develop naval airpower. It was decommissioned at Philadelphia on 20 January 1931. Recommissioned on 9 March 1932, the ship again operated in the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, patrolling Cuban waters during the coup by Fulgencio Batista. It transferred to San Diego during 1934. After maneuvers that evaluated aircraft carriers, "Reuben James" returned to the Atlantic Fleet in January 1939.
World War II.
Upon the beginning of war in Europe in September 1939, it was assigned to the Neutrality Patrol, guarding the Atlantic and Caribbean approaches to the American coast. During March 1941, "Reuben James" joined the force established to escort convoys sailing to Great Britain. This force escorted convoys as far as Iceland, after which the convoys became the responsibility of British escorts. It was based at Hvalfjordur, Iceland, commanded by Lieutenant Commander Heywood Lane Edwards.
On 23 October, it sailed from Naval Station Argentia, Newfoundland, with four other destroyers, escorting eastbound Convoy HX 156. At dawn on 31 October, it was torpedoed near Iceland by German submarine commanded by "Kapitänleutnant" Erich Topp. "Reuben James" had positioned itself between an ammunition ship in the convoy and the known position of a German "wolfpack", a group of submarines poised to attack the convoy. "Reuben James" was hit forward by a torpedo meant for a merchant ship and her entire bow was blown off when a magazine exploded. The bow sank immediately. The aft section floated for five minutes before going down. Of a crew of seven officers and 136 enlisted men plus one enlisted passenger, 100 were killed, leaving only 44 enlisted men and no officers who survived the attack.