Queen of the Waves

Queen of the Waves is a French hymn (author unknown) sung by French fishermen seeking protection from storms.

In the United States, it became well known as a result of the Galveston Hurricane of 1900. The nuns of the St. Mary's Orphan Asylum had the orphans sing this song (in English) in order to calm them. Of the 93 children and 10 sisters in the orphanage, only three teenage boys survived.

As a result of this event, the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word across the world sing this song every year on September 8, and remember the sisters and orphans that died that day.

The Sisters of Charity created an audio CD titled Queen of the Waves: Centennial Remembrance of The Great Storm of 1900, and MP3 audio files are available from the official 1900 Storm Remembrance Site. This CD tells the story of the Saint Mary's Orphanage during the 1900 Storm and includes the song Queen of the Waves.

Also, Gertrude Ederle, the first woman to swim across the English Channel in 1926 was popularly known in the press as "Queen of the Waves."

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