John Hamilton Stubbs was the lieutenant commander of the Second World War navy destroyer HMCS Athabaskan. (This is not the Canadian academic of the same name.) Ever since he was a boy, he wanted to join the navy. When he was 10 years old, he joined the sea cadets, not knowing that in a few years he would be a Second World War hero.
On April 28, 1944, two enemy German boats attacked Athabaskan and her sister ship HMCS Haida. Approximately 10 minutes after the first hit, Athabaskan was ripped under the water by another torpedo.
The weight of the water pouring into Athabaskan's compartments had now dragged her down to the point where she was almost perpendicular. The last men to leave were sliding down her bow into the chilling water.
When the sailors were in the water, John Stubbs moved about from float to float offering words of encouragement and telling them to move their arms and legs.
Lieutenant-commander Stubbs also told them to sing this navy song: "Roll along, Wavy Navy, roll along Roll along, Wavy Navy, roll along If you must know who we are We're the RCNVR Roll along, Wavy Navy, roll along. Oh we joined for the money and the fun Yes, we joined for the money and the fun But of money there is none And the fun has just begun Roll along, Wavy Navy, roll along."
At one point, John Stubbs drifted to within several feet of the Haida's side and shouted his final command, "Get out of here, Haida! E-boats!" At that point, he might have been rescued quite handily, but he elected to stay with the remainder of his company. Ordering the Haida to safety, Lieutenant-commander John Hamilton Stubbs never thought that they would be defeated so he and his men never gave up.[1][2]
