USS Jacob Jones (DD-61)

Last updated

USS Jacob Jones (DD-61).jpg
USS Jacob Jones (DD-61)
History
US flag 48 stars.svgUnited States
NameUSS Jacob Jones
Namesake Jacob Jones [1]
Ordered1913 [2]
Builder
Yard number150 [3]
Laid down3 August 1914 [1]
Launched29 May 1915 [1]
Sponsored byMrs. Jerome Parker Crittenden [1]
Commissioned10 February 1916 [1]
IdentificationDD-61
FateSunk by SM U-53, 6 December 1917 [1]
General characteristics
Class and type Tucker-class destroyer
Displacement
  • 1,060 long tons (1,080 t) [2]
  • 1,205 long tons (1,224 t) fully loaded
Length315 ft 3 in (96.09 m) [1]
Beam30 ft 6 in (9.30 m) [2]
Draft9 ft 8 in (2.95 m) [2]
Propulsion
Speed30 knots (56 km/h) [1]
Complement99 officers and enlisted [1]
Armament

USS Jacob Jones (Destroyer No. 61/DD-61) [Note 1] was a Tucker-class destroyer built for the United States Navy prior to the American entry into World War I. The ship was the first U.S. Navy vessel named in honor of Jacob Jones.

Contents

Jacob Jones was laid down by the New York Shipbuilding of Camden, New Jersey, in August 1914 and launched in May of the following year. The ship was a little more than 315 feet (96 m) in length, just over 30 feet (9.1 m) abeam, and had a standard displacement of 1,090 long tons (1,110 t). She was armed with four 4-inch (10 cm) guns and had eight 21 inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes. Jacob Jones was powered by a pair of steam turbines that propelled her at up to 30 knots (56 km/h).

After her February 1916 commissioning, Jacob Jones conducted patrols off the New England coast. After the United States entered World War I in April 1917, Jacob Jones was sent overseas. Patrolling the Irish Sea out of Queenstown, Ireland, Jacob Jones rescued the survivors of several ships, picking up over 300 from the sunken Armed merchant cruiser Orama.

On 6 December, Jacob Jones was steaming independently from Brest, France, for Queenstown, when she was torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-53 with the loss of 66 men, becoming the first United States destroyer sunk by enemy action. [4] Jacob Jones sank in eight minutes without issuing a distress call; the German submarine commander, Kapitänleutnant Hans Rose, after taking two badly injured Jacob Jones crewmen aboard his submarine, radioed the U.S. base at Queenstown with the coordinates for the survivors. The Veterans of Foreign Wars post in Dedham, Massachusetts is named for the ship. [5]

Design and construction

Jacob Jones was authorized in 1913 as the fifth ship of the Tucker class which, like the related O'Brien class, was an improved version of the Cassin-class destroyers authorized in 1911. Construction of the vessel was awarded to New York Shipbuilding of Camden, New Jersey, which laid down her keel on 3 August 1914. Ten months later, on 29 May 1915, Jacob Jones was launched by sponsor Mrs. Jerome Parker Crittenden (née Paulina Cazenove Jones), a great-granddaughter of the ship's namesake, Commodore Jacob Jones (1768–1850), a U.S. Navy officer during the War of 1812. [1] As built, Jacob Jones was 315 feet 3 inches (96.09 m) in length and 30 feet 6 inches (9.30 m) abeam and drew 9 feet 8 inches (2.95 m). The ship had a standard displacement of 1,060 long tons (1,080 t) and displaced 1,205 long tons (1,224 t) when fully loaded. [2]

Jacob Jones had two Curtis steam turbines that drove her two screw propellers, and an additional steam turbine geared to one of the propeller shafts for cruising purposes. The power plant could generate 17,000 shaft horsepower (13,000 kW) and move the ship at speeds up to 30 knots (56 km/h). [1] [2]

Jacob Jones' main battery consisted of four 4-inch (102 mm)/50 Mark 9 guns, [1] [6] [Note 2] with each gun weighing in excess of 6,100 pounds (2,800 kg). [6] The guns fired 33-pound (15 kg) armor-piercing projectiles at 2,900 feet per second (880 m/s). At an elevation of 20°, the guns had a range of 15,920 yards (14,560 m). [6]

Jacob Jones was also equipped with eight 21-inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes. The General Board of the United States Navy had called for two anti-aircraft guns for the Tucker-class ships, as well as provisions for laying up to 36 floating mines. [2] From sources, it is unclear if these recommendations were followed for Jacob Jones or any of the other ships of the class.

United States Navy career

USS Jacob Jones was commissioned into the United States Navy on 10 February 1916 under the command of Lieutenant Commander William S. Pye. Following her commissioning, Jacob Jones conducted training exercises off the New England coast, and then entered the Philadelphia Navy Yard for repairs. On 3 Feb. 1917, the day the United States broke diplomatic relations with Germany, the ship nearly sank in the naval yard. Contemporary reports said it might have been an act of sabotage. [7] Upon the United States' entry into World War I on 6 April 1917, Jacob Jones patrolled off the coast of Virginia. [1] She sailed from Boston for Europe on 7 May with a group of destroyers that included Cassin, [8] and arrived at Queenstown, Ireland, on 17 May. [1]

Jacob Jones' duties at Queenstown involved patrolling and escorting convoys in the Irish Sea and making occasional rescues of survivors of sunken ships. On 8 July, Valetta was torpedoed by German submarine U-87 some 120 nautical miles (220 km) west of Fastnet Rock; [9] Jacob Jones arrived on the scene and picked up 44 survivors of the British steamship. [1] While escorting British steamship Dafila two weeks later, lookouts on Jacob Jones sighted a periscope, but before the destroyer could make an attack on the submarine, U-45 torpedoed and sank the steamship. [1] [10] Jacob Jones was able to take on 26 of Dafila's 28-member crew after the ship went down. [10]

On 19 October, the British Armed merchant cruiser Orama and ten destroyers, including Jacob Jones, were escorting an eastbound convoy of twenty steamers, when German submarine U-62 surfaced in the midst of the group. The submarine launched its only remaining torpedo at Orama, sinking that vessel. [11] While sister ship Conyngham saw and depth charged U-62 (to no avail), [11] Jacob Jones turned her attentions to rescuing Orama's survivors, gathering 309. [1]

Sinking

In early December, Jacob Jones helped escort a convoy to Brest, France, with five other Queenstown-based destroyers. The last to depart from Brest on the return to Ireland, Jacob Jones was steaming alone in a zig-zag pattern when she was spotted by Kapitänleutnant Hans Rose on the German submarine U-53. [12] At 16:20 on 6 December 1917, near position 49°23′N6°13′W / 49.383°N 6.217°W / 49.383; -6.217 , lookouts on Jacob Jones spotted a torpedo 800 yards (730 m) distant headed for the ship's starboard side. Despite having her rudder put hard left and emergency speed rung up, Jacob Jones was unable to move out of the way, and the torpedo struck her rudder. Even though her depth charges did not explode, Jacob Jones was adrift. The jolt had knocked out power, so the destroyer was unable to send a distress signal; since she was steaming alone, no other ship was present to know of Jacob Jones' predicament. [12]

Commander David W. Bagley, the destroyer's commander, ordered all life rafts and boats launched. [12] 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. [13] The destroyer, the first United States destroyer ever lost to enemy action, [4] sank eight minutes after the torpedo struck the rudder, taking with her two officers and 64 men. [13]

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. [13] Kalk worked in the cold Atlantic water to equalize the load among the various rafts, but died of exhaustion and exposure. [14]

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. [13] According to Uboat.net, what Rose of U-53 had done was surface and take aboard two badly injured American sailors. [15] Rose had also radioed the American base at Queenstown with the approximate coordinates of the sinking before departing the area. [1] [16]

Bagley, unaware of Rose's humanitarian gesture, [1] 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. [13]

Several men were recognized for their actions in the aftermath of the torpedo attack. Kalk (posthumously) and Bagley received the Navy Distinguished Service Medal. [14] [17] Others honored included Chief Boatswain's Mate Harry Gibson (posthumously) and Chief Electrician's Mate L. J. Kelly, who both received the Navy Cross; [18] and Richards, Scott, and Chief Boatswain's Mate Charles Charlesworth all received letters of commendation. [19] Rose was awarded the Pour le Mérite and Ritterkreuz des Hohenzollerschen Hausordens mit Schwertern for this and other achievements in the tonnage war.

Wreck

On August 11, 2022, British deep-sea divers located the wreck of Jacob Jones off the Isles of Scilly at a depth of 377 feet (115 m). [20] Numerous artifacts were located, including the 80-pound (36 kg) ship's bell. [21] [22] [23] The divers, who found the bell lying on its side, flipped it upright and photographed and filmed it. [21]

On 15 January 2024, [21] the British Ministry of Defence used an underwater robotic vehicle to salvage the ship's bell at the request of the U.S. Navy's Naval History and Heritage Command. [21] [24] [25] The inscriptions "Jacob Jones" and "1915" were still visible on the bell, and its clapper was still in place. The bell was placed in the custody of Wessex Archaeology in Salisbury, England, with plans calling for it to be sent to the Naval History and Heritage Command's underwater archaeology unit at the Washington Navy Yard in Washington, D.C. [21]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ The United States Navy's hull classification system—in which Jacob Jones would have been designated DD-61—was not implemented until July 1920. Even though Jacob Jones was never known as DD-61 while afloat, many reference works nevertheless extend the system and refer to the ship by what her designation would have been, had she survived the war.
  2. ↑ The 50 denotes the length of the gun barrels; in this case, the gun is 50 calibers, meaning that the barrel is 50 times as long as its bore diameter, 200 inches (5.1 m) in this case. The Mark number is the version of the gun; in this case, the ninth U.S. Navy design of the 4-inch/50 gun.

Related Research Articles

USS <i>Benham</i> (DD-49) Aylwin-class destroyer

USS Benham was an Aylwin-class destroyer built for the United States Navy prior to the American entry into World War I. The ship was the first U.S. Navy vessel named in honor of Rear Admiral Andrew E. K. Benham.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stanton Frederick Kalk</span> United States naval officer

Stanton Frederick Kalk was an officer in the United States Navy during World War I. He received the Navy's Distinguished Service Medal for his actions after his ship was torpedoed by a German submarine.

USS <i>Aylwin</i> (DD-47) Aylwin-class destroyer

USS Aylwin was the lead ship of Aylwin-class destroyers built for the United States Navy prior to the American entry into World War I. The ship was the second U.S. Navy vessel named in honor of John Cushing Aylwin, a U.S. Navy officer killed in action aboard Constitution during the War of 1812.

USS <i>Balch</i> (DD-50) Aylwin-class destroyer

USS Balch was an Aylwin-class destroyer built for the United States Navy prior to the American entry into World War I. The ship was the first U.S. Navy vessel named in honor of George Beale Balch, a US Navy officer who served in the Mexican–American War and the American Civil War, and as Superintendent of the United States Naval Academy.

<i>OBrien</i>-class destroyer Destroyer class of the US Navy

The O'Brien class of destroyers was a class of six ships designed by and built for the United States Navy shortly before the United States entered World War I. The O'Brien class was the third of five classes of destroyers that were known as the "thousand tonners", because they were the first U.S. destroyers over 1,000 long tons (1,016 t) displacement.

USS <i>OBrien</i> (DD-51) Lead ship in OBrien-class

USS O'Brien was the lead ship of O'Brien-class destroyers built for the United States Navy prior to the American entry into World War I. The ship was the second US Navy vessel named in honor of Jeremiah O'Brien and his five brothers Gideon, John, William, Dennis, and Joseph who, together on the sloop Unity, captured a British warship during the American Revolutionary War.

USS <i>Nicholson</i> (DD-52) OBrien-class destroyer

USS Nicholson was an O'Brien-class destroyer built for the United States Navy before the American entry into World War I. The ship was the second U.S. Navy vessel named in honor of five members of the Nicholson family who rendered distinguished service in the American Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, and the American Civil War: brothers James, Samuel, and John Nicholson; William Nicholson, son of John; and James W. Nicholson, grandson of Samuel.

USS <i>Winslow</i> (DD-53) OBrien-class destroyer

USS Winslow was an O'Brien-class destroyer built for the United States Navy prior to the American entry into World War I. The ship was the second US Navy vessel named in honor of John Ancrum Winslow, a US Navy officer notable for sinking the Confederate commerce raider CSS Alabama during the American Civil War.

USS <i>McDougal</i> (DD-54) OBrien class destroyer

USS McDougal was an O'Brien-class destroyer built for the United States Navy prior to the American entry into World War I. The ship was the second U.S. Navy vessel named in honor of David Stockton McDougal, a U.S. Navy officer notable for his leadership during an 1863 battle off Japan while in command of Wyoming.

USS <i>Cushing</i> (DD-55) OBrien-class destroyer

USS Cushing was an O'Brien-class destroyer built for the United States Navy prior to the American entry into World War I. The ship was the second U.S. Navy vessel named in honor of William B. Cushing, a U.S. Navy officer best known for sinking the Confederate ironclad warship CSS Albemarle during the American Civil War.

USS <i>Ericsson</i> (DD-56) OBrien-class destroyer

USS Ericsson was an O'Brien-class destroyer built for the United States Navy prior to the American entry into World War I. The ship was the second U.S. Navy vessel named in honor of John Ericsson, the Swedish-born builder of the ironclad warship USS Monitor during the American Civil War.

USS <i>Tucker</i> (DD-57) Lead ship of Tucker-class

USS Tucker was the lead ship of her class of destroyers built for the United States Navy prior to the American entry into World War I. The ship was the first U.S. Navy vessel named for Samuel Tucker.

<i>Tucker</i>-class destroyer Destroyer class of the US Navy

The Tucker class of destroyers was a ship class of six ships designed by and built for the United States Navy shortly before the United States entered World War I. The Tucker class was the fourth of five classes of destroyers that were known as the "thousand tonners", because they were the first U.S. destroyers over 1,000 long tons (1,016 t) displacement.

USS <i>Conyngham</i> (DD-58) Tucker-class destroyer

USS Conyngham was a Tucker-class destroyer built for the United States Navy prior to the American entry into World War I. The ship was the first U.S. Navy vessel named for Gustavus Conyngham.

USS <i>Porter</i> (DD-59) Tucker-class destroyer

USS Porter was a Tucker-class destroyer built for the United States Navy prior to the American entry into World War I. The ship was the second U.S. Navy vessel named in honor of both David Porter and his son David Dixon Porter.

USS <i>Wainwright</i> (DD-62) Tucker-class destroyer

USS Wainwright was a Tucker-class destroyer built for the United States Navy prior to the American entry into World War I. The ship was the first U.S. Navy vessel named in honor of U.S. Navy officers Jonathan Wainwright, his cousin, Commander Richard Wainwright, and his son, Jonathan Wainwright, Jr..

<i>Bagley</i>-class destroyer Destroyer class of the US Navy

The Bagley class of eight destroyers was built for the United States Navy. They were part of a series of USN destroyers limited to 1,500 tons standard displacement by the London Naval Treaty and built in the 1930s. All eight ships were ordered and laid down in 1935 and subsequently completed in 1937. Their layout was based on the concurrently-built Gridley class destroyer design and was similar to the Benham class as well; all three classes were notable for including sixteen 21 inch torpedo tubes, the heaviest torpedo armament ever on US destroyers. They retained the fuel-efficient power plants of the Mahan-class destroyers, and thus had a slightly lower speed than the Gridleys. However, they had the extended range of the Mahans, 1,400 nautical miles (2,600 km) farther than the Gridleys. The Bagley class destroyers were readily distinguished visually by the prominent external trunking of the boiler uptakes around their single stack.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Action of 17 November 1917</span> Naval battle between US and German forces

The action of 17 November 1917 was a naval battle of the First World War. The action was fought between a German U-boat and two United States Navy destroyers in the North Atlantic Ocean.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Action of 15 October 1917</span>

The action of 15 October 1917 was a naval engagement of World War I between Imperial Germany and the United States off the coast of Mine Head, Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Navy operations during World War I</span>

United States Navy operations during World War I began on April 6, 1917, after the formal declaration of war on the German Empire. The United States Navy focused on countering enemy U-boats in the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea while convoying men and supplies to France and Italy. Because of United States's late entry into the war, her capital ships never engaged the German fleet and few decisive submarine actions occurred.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Naval History & Heritage Command. "Jacob Jones". DANFS . Retrieved 24 April 2009.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Gardiner, pp. 122–23.
  3. ↑ "Jacob Jones (6105470)" . Miramar Ship Index . Retrieved 24 April 2009.
  4. 1 2 Willshaw, Fred (2009). "USS Jacob Jones (DD-61)". Destroyer Archive. NavSource Naval History. Retrieved 24 April 2009.
  5. ↑ "History and Memorials". U.S.S. Jacob Jones Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2017. Retrieved 24 February 2016.
  6. 1 2 3 DiGiulian, Tony (15 August 2008). "United States of America: 4"/50 (10.2 cm) Marks 7, 8, 9 and 10". Naval Weapons of the World. Navweaps.com. Retrieved 22 April 2009.
  7. ↑ "Attempt to scuttle destroyer Jacob Jones in Philadelphia; Petty Officer put in irons" (PDF). New York Times. 4 February 1917. Retrieved 3 February 2017.
  8. ↑ Naval History & Heritage Command. "Cassin". DANFS . Retrieved 22 April 2009.
  9. ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit during WWI: Valetta". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 24 April 2009.
  10. 1 2 Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit during WWI: Dafila". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 24 April 2009.
  11. 1 2 Gibson and Prendergast, p. 221.
  12. 1 2 3 Feuer, p. 21.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 Feuer, p. 22.
  14. 1 2 "Lieutenant (Junior Grade) Stanton F. Kalk, USN (1894–1917)". Online Library of Selected Images: People. Navy Department, Naval Historical Center. 21 September 2002. Retrieved 24 April 2009.
  15. ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit during WWI: Jacob Jones (Uss)". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 24 April 2009.
  16. ↑ "USS Jacob Jones (Destroyer # 61), 1916–1917". Online Library of Selected Images: U.S. Navy Ships. Navy Department, Naval Historical Center. 29 September 2002. Retrieved 24 April 2009.
  17. ↑ Naval History & Heritage Command. "Bagley". DANFS . Retrieved 24 April 2009.
  18. ↑ Stringer, pp. 73, 90.
  19. ↑ Stringer, pp. 188, 210, 212.
  20. ↑ Gross, Jenny (18 August 2022). "U.S. Ship Sunk by Germans in 1917 Is Found Off English Coast". The New York Times . New York City. Retrieved 20 August 2022. 'It's a really big deal, to be blunt,' said [Michael] Lowrey, the naval historian. 'The U.S. Navy got into World War I late, and they didn't lose a lot of major ships. The one destroyer they lost in combat was the Jacob Jones.'
  21. 1 2 3 4 5 Beavis, Lauren; Stebbings, Lili (14 August 2022). "Divers find missing 1917 US shipwreck near Cornwall coast". CornwallLive. SWNS.
  22. ↑ "US World War One wreck found by divers off Cornwall". BBC News. 18 August 2022.
  23. ↑ Ruane, Michael E. (20 February 2024). "British divers recover bell from U.S. destroyer sunk by U-boat in WWI". washingtonpost.com. The Washington Post . Retrieved 20 February 2024.
  24. ↑ Grady, John (13 February 2024). "Relic Recovered from U.S. Destroyer Lost in WWI". usni.org. United States Naval Institute . Retrieved 20 February 2024.
  25. ↑ Pengelly, Matt (17 February 2024). "Bell salvaged from WW1 US Navy destroyer sunk off the Isles of Scilly". www.bbc.co.uk/news. BBC News. Retrieved 17 February 2024.

Bibliography


This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.