Posted on Dec 6, 2017
Dec. 6 1917 : German Submarine U-53 sank USS Jacob Jones (DD 61)
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Good or bad history needs to be communicated. After all , we learn from the mistakes of the past. Here is some of that history from 100 years ago.
Destroyer DD-61
USS Jacob Jones
The first Jacob Jones (DD-61) was laid down 3 August 1914 by New York Shipbuilding Corp.. Camden, N.J.: launched 29 May 1916; sponsored by Mrs. Jerome Parker Crittendon, great-granddaughter of Jacob Jones; and commissioned 10 February 1917, Lieutenant Cmdr. W. S. Pye in command. It was destined to be the first American destroyer lost to enemy fire.
After shakedown, Jacob Jones began training exercises off the New England coast until entering the Philadelphia Navy Yard for repairs. Upon the outbreak of war between the United States and Germany 6 April 1917, Jacob Jones patrolled off the Virginia coast before departing Boston for Europe 7 May.
Arriving Queenstown, Ireland, 17 May, she immediately began patrol and convoy escort duty in waters of the United Kingdom. On 8 July she picked up 44 survivors of the British steamship Valetta, the victim of a German U-boat. Two weeks later, while escorting British steamship Dafila, Jacob Jones sighted a periscope; but the steamship was torpedoed before an attack on the submarine could be launched. Once again a rescue ship, Jacob Jones took on board 25 survivors of the stricken Dapfila.
Throughout the summer the destroyer escorted supply laden convoys and continued rescue operations in submarine-infested waters. On 19 October she picked up 305 survivors of torpedoed British cruiser Orama. After special escort duty between Ireland and France, she departed Brest, France, 6 December on her return run to Queenstown. At 1621, as she steamed independently in the vicinity of the Isles of Scilly, her watch sighted a torpedo wake about a thousand yards distant. Although the destroyer maneuvered to escape, the high-speed torpedo struck her starboard side, rupturing her fuel oil tank. The crew worked courageously to save the ship; but as the stern sank, her depth charges exploded. Realizing the situation hopeless, Comdr. Bagley reluctantly ordered the ship abandoned. Eight minutes after being torpedoed, Jacob Jones sank with 64 men still on board.
http://www.worldwar1.com/dbc/jjones.htm
http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/weapons_USS_Jacob_Jones_DD61.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Jacob_Jones_(DD-61)
@ col mikel COL Mikel J. Burroughs @ ltc stephen LTC Stephen C. @ ltc stephen LTC Stephen F. @ ltc frank LTC (Join to see) @ ltc wayne LTC Wayne Brandon @ maj william Maj William W. 'Bill' Price @ maj stephen LTC (Join to see) @ capt tom Capt Tom Brown @ capt marty Maj Marty Hogan @ smsgt doc SMSgt Minister Gerald A. "Doc" Thomas @ tsgt joe TSgt Joe C. @ ssgt robert SSgt Robert Marx @ sra christopher SrA Christopher W. @ msg andrew MSG Andrew White @ ssg robert SSG Robert Webster @ sgt jim SGT Jim Arnold @ sp5 mark SP5 Mark Kuzinski @ spc margaret SPC Margaret Higgins @ po1 chip PO1 William "Chip" Nagel @ po1 tony PO1 Tony Holland
Destroyer DD-61
USS Jacob Jones
The first Jacob Jones (DD-61) was laid down 3 August 1914 by New York Shipbuilding Corp.. Camden, N.J.: launched 29 May 1916; sponsored by Mrs. Jerome Parker Crittendon, great-granddaughter of Jacob Jones; and commissioned 10 February 1917, Lieutenant Cmdr. W. S. Pye in command. It was destined to be the first American destroyer lost to enemy fire.
After shakedown, Jacob Jones began training exercises off the New England coast until entering the Philadelphia Navy Yard for repairs. Upon the outbreak of war between the United States and Germany 6 April 1917, Jacob Jones patrolled off the Virginia coast before departing Boston for Europe 7 May.
Arriving Queenstown, Ireland, 17 May, she immediately began patrol and convoy escort duty in waters of the United Kingdom. On 8 July she picked up 44 survivors of the British steamship Valetta, the victim of a German U-boat. Two weeks later, while escorting British steamship Dafila, Jacob Jones sighted a periscope; but the steamship was torpedoed before an attack on the submarine could be launched. Once again a rescue ship, Jacob Jones took on board 25 survivors of the stricken Dapfila.
Throughout the summer the destroyer escorted supply laden convoys and continued rescue operations in submarine-infested waters. On 19 October she picked up 305 survivors of torpedoed British cruiser Orama. After special escort duty between Ireland and France, she departed Brest, France, 6 December on her return run to Queenstown. At 1621, as she steamed independently in the vicinity of the Isles of Scilly, her watch sighted a torpedo wake about a thousand yards distant. Although the destroyer maneuvered to escape, the high-speed torpedo struck her starboard side, rupturing her fuel oil tank. The crew worked courageously to save the ship; but as the stern sank, her depth charges exploded. Realizing the situation hopeless, Comdr. Bagley reluctantly ordered the ship abandoned. Eight minutes after being torpedoed, Jacob Jones sank with 64 men still on board.
http://www.worldwar1.com/dbc/jjones.htm
http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/weapons_USS_Jacob_Jones_DD61.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Jacob_Jones_(DD-61)
@ col mikel COL Mikel J. Burroughs @ ltc stephen LTC Stephen C. @ ltc stephen LTC Stephen F. @ ltc frank LTC (Join to see) @ ltc wayne LTC Wayne Brandon @ maj william Maj William W. 'Bill' Price @ maj stephen LTC (Join to see) @ capt tom Capt Tom Brown @ capt marty Maj Marty Hogan @ smsgt doc SMSgt Minister Gerald A. "Doc" Thomas @ tsgt joe TSgt Joe C. @ ssgt robert SSgt Robert Marx @ sra christopher SrA Christopher W. @ msg andrew MSG Andrew White @ ssg robert SSG Robert Webster @ sgt jim SGT Jim Arnold @ sp5 mark SP5 Mark Kuzinski @ spc margaret SPC Margaret Higgins @ po1 chip PO1 William "Chip" Nagel @ po1 tony PO1 Tony Holland
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Posted 7 y ago
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Great historical share and yes we do need to review and learn it all- good and bad
SMSgt Lawrence McCarter SrA Christopher Wright MSgt John McGowan SGT Gregory Lawritson Cpl (Join to see) Lt Col Scott Shuttleworth LTC (Join to see) MSG Frederick Otero LTC Greg Henning SGT Mark Halmrast LCDR (Join to see) SFC Dave Beran SCPO Morris Ramsey SPC Margaret Higgins SGT Jim Arnold SFC William H. PO1 William "Chip" Nagel SSG James BehnkePFC (Join to see) CPL Dave Hoover
SMSgt Lawrence McCarter SrA Christopher Wright MSgt John McGowan SGT Gregory Lawritson Cpl (Join to see) Lt Col Scott Shuttleworth LTC (Join to see) MSG Frederick Otero LTC Greg Henning SGT Mark Halmrast LCDR (Join to see) SFC Dave Beran SCPO Morris Ramsey SPC Margaret Higgins SGT Jim Arnold SFC William H. PO1 William "Chip" Nagel SSG James BehnkePFC (Join to see) CPL Dave Hoover
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Thanks SGT John " Mac " McConnell for sharing the background on the sinking of the Destroyer USS Jacob Jones (DD 61) by German Submarine U-53 on December 6, 1917.
Of the 99 officers and enlisted assigned, 64 men went down with the quickly sinking destroyer.
It is interesting that chivalry played a role after the sinking of vessels by submarines in the Great War.
1. The USS Jacob Jones picked up many survivors of vessel sinking in the months preceding its sinking with no indication of machine gunning survivors in a manner which was more common in WWII.
2. German submarine commander, Kapitänleutnant Hans Rose, took two badly injured Jacob Jones crewmen aboard his submarine and then radioed the U.S. base at Queenstown with the coordinates for the survivors.
images: U-53 World War I German U-boat crew.; U-53 c1915; David Worth Bagley {1883-1960); Kapitänleutnant Hans Rose
"Commander David W. Bagley, the destroyer's commander, ordered all life rafts and boats launched. As the ship sank, her bow raised in the air almost vertically before she began to slip beneath the waves. At this point the armed depth charges began to explode, killing men who had been unable to escape the destroyer, and stunning many others in the water. The destroyer, the first United States destroyer ever lost to enemy action, sank eight minutes after the torpedo struck the rudder, taking with her two officers and 64 men.
In the water, several of the crew — most notably Lieutenant, junior grade, Stanton F. Kalk, the officer-of-the-deck when the torpedo struck — began to get men out of the water and into the life rafts. Kalk worked in the cold Atlantic water to equalize the load among the various rafts, but died of exhaustion and exposure.
Bagley noted in his official account that about 30 minutes after Jacob Jones sank, the German submarine surfaced about two to three miles from the collection of rafts and took one of the American sailors on board. According to Uboat.net, what Rose of U-53 had done was surface and take aboard two badly injured American sailors. Rose had also radioed the American base at Queenstown with the approximate coordinates of the sinking before departing the area.
Bagley, unaware of Rose's humanitarian gesture, left most of the food, water, and medical supplies with Lieutenant Commander John K. Richards, whom he left in charge of the assembled rafts. Bagley, Lieutenant Commander Norman Scott (Jacob Jones' executive officer) and four crewmen (brought along to row), set out for aid in the nearby Isles of Scilly. At 13:00 on 7 December, Bagley's group was sighted by a British patrol vessel just six nautical miles (11 km) from their destination. The group was relieved to find that the British sloop HMS Camellia had found and taken aboard most of the survivors earlier that morning; a small group had been rescued on the night of the sinking by the American steamer Catalina.
Several men were recognized for their actions in the aftermath of the torpedo attack. Kalk (posthumously) and Bagley received the Navy Distinguished Service Medal. Others honored included Chief Boatswain's Mate Harry Gibson (posthumously) and Chief Electrician's Mate L. J. Kelly, who both received the Navy Cross; and Richards, Scott, and Chief Boatswain's Mate Charles Charlesworth all received letters of commendation. Rose was awarded the Pour le MĂ©rite and Ritterkreuz des Hohenzollerschen Hausordens mit Schwertern for this and other achievements in the tonnage war."
FYI COL Mikel J. Burroughs LTC Stephen C. LTC Ivan Raiklin, Esq. Capt Seid Waddell Maj Marty Hogan SFC William Farrell SSgt Robert Marx SPC (Join to see) SrA Christopher Wright PO1 William "Chip" Nagel SP5 Robert Ruck SCPO Morris Ramsey SGT Michael Thorin SPC Margaret Higgins SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL LTC Wayne Brandon LTC Bill Koski LTC Greg Henning
Of the 99 officers and enlisted assigned, 64 men went down with the quickly sinking destroyer.
It is interesting that chivalry played a role after the sinking of vessels by submarines in the Great War.
1. The USS Jacob Jones picked up many survivors of vessel sinking in the months preceding its sinking with no indication of machine gunning survivors in a manner which was more common in WWII.
2. German submarine commander, Kapitänleutnant Hans Rose, took two badly injured Jacob Jones crewmen aboard his submarine and then radioed the U.S. base at Queenstown with the coordinates for the survivors.
images: U-53 World War I German U-boat crew.; U-53 c1915; David Worth Bagley {1883-1960); Kapitänleutnant Hans Rose
"Commander David W. Bagley, the destroyer's commander, ordered all life rafts and boats launched. As the ship sank, her bow raised in the air almost vertically before she began to slip beneath the waves. At this point the armed depth charges began to explode, killing men who had been unable to escape the destroyer, and stunning many others in the water. The destroyer, the first United States destroyer ever lost to enemy action, sank eight minutes after the torpedo struck the rudder, taking with her two officers and 64 men.
In the water, several of the crew — most notably Lieutenant, junior grade, Stanton F. Kalk, the officer-of-the-deck when the torpedo struck — began to get men out of the water and into the life rafts. Kalk worked in the cold Atlantic water to equalize the load among the various rafts, but died of exhaustion and exposure.
Bagley noted in his official account that about 30 minutes after Jacob Jones sank, the German submarine surfaced about two to three miles from the collection of rafts and took one of the American sailors on board. According to Uboat.net, what Rose of U-53 had done was surface and take aboard two badly injured American sailors. Rose had also radioed the American base at Queenstown with the approximate coordinates of the sinking before departing the area.
Bagley, unaware of Rose's humanitarian gesture, left most of the food, water, and medical supplies with Lieutenant Commander John K. Richards, whom he left in charge of the assembled rafts. Bagley, Lieutenant Commander Norman Scott (Jacob Jones' executive officer) and four crewmen (brought along to row), set out for aid in the nearby Isles of Scilly. At 13:00 on 7 December, Bagley's group was sighted by a British patrol vessel just six nautical miles (11 km) from their destination. The group was relieved to find that the British sloop HMS Camellia had found and taken aboard most of the survivors earlier that morning; a small group had been rescued on the night of the sinking by the American steamer Catalina.
Several men were recognized for their actions in the aftermath of the torpedo attack. Kalk (posthumously) and Bagley received the Navy Distinguished Service Medal. Others honored included Chief Boatswain's Mate Harry Gibson (posthumously) and Chief Electrician's Mate L. J. Kelly, who both received the Navy Cross; and Richards, Scott, and Chief Boatswain's Mate Charles Charlesworth all received letters of commendation. Rose was awarded the Pour le MĂ©rite and Ritterkreuz des Hohenzollerschen Hausordens mit Schwertern for this and other achievements in the tonnage war."
FYI COL Mikel J. Burroughs LTC Stephen C. LTC Ivan Raiklin, Esq. Capt Seid Waddell Maj Marty Hogan SFC William Farrell SSgt Robert Marx SPC (Join to see) SrA Christopher Wright PO1 William "Chip" Nagel SP5 Robert Ruck SCPO Morris Ramsey SGT Michael Thorin SPC Margaret Higgins SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL LTC Wayne Brandon LTC Bill Koski LTC Greg Henning
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SGT John " Mac " McConnell
Always a pleasure LTC Stephen F. . Thanks for the addition to the story my friend.
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