The United Kingdom and the United States have recovered an 80-pound brass bell from the first American ship sunk by submarines during World War I.
The lost destroyer, USS Jacob Jones, was torpedoed in 1917 off the southeastern tip of Great Britain.
He had been escorting a convoy of troops and supplies to France and was sailing alone for gunnery training when he was hit by a German submarine.
The ship flooded within minutes and, when it sank in the frozen Atlantic, the crew found themselves afloat with only three lifeboats. The officers then set sail for the coast of England and returned the next day to pick up those who were stranded. Of the seven officers and 103 men on board, only 46 survived.
Lost for more than a century, the ship was found 60 miles southwest of the Isles of Scilly in 2022 and a search was launched for its bell at a depth of 115 metres. tThe search came to an end this week, as evidenced by a wreath and an American flag placed at the dive site.
The United Kingdom and the United States have recovered the bell of the first American ship sunk by submarines during the First World War, seen here after being recovered from its former resting place 115 meters in the Atlantic.
The destroyer lost was USS Jacob Jones DD 61, part of the initial group of ships sent for the American war effort in April 1917.
“The ship played an important role in safeguarding convoys transporting troops and supplies from the United States to the United Kingdom and France that were critical to the Allied victory,” said Sam J. Cox, director of Naval History and Heritage Command ( NHHC), in a statement.
“The ship’s remains are a sacred war grave and are the final resting place for many of the 64 men who were lost in the sinking,” the retired Navy rear admiral continued.
‘The policy of the US Navy is not to touch these wrecks. However, due to the risk of unauthorized and illegal recovery of the ship’s bell, NHHC requested assistance from the Ministry of Defence.
‘The US Navy is grateful to Marine and Salvage Operations [SALMO team for recovering the bell, which will serve as a memorial to sailors who made the ultimate sacrifice in the defense of both the US and the UK,’ Cox concluded.
The bell had been located within the debris in January – but due to its weight and the dangers of recovering an item at such a depth, it remained there until now.
Local divers were unable to hand over the operation to the US largely due to logistics, as well as the far-flung nature of the ship’s resting place.
So, the US sought the assistance of the United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defense, which agreed to assist in the recovery of the bell.
Photos from the site where the bell was recovered show a wreath and American flag being laid in its place, commemorating the many lives lost on that fateful day.
. Eight months later, it was sunk off the Southeastern tip of Great Britain by a German torpedo
The ship – which like all Tucker class destroyers was adorned with a massive bell at its mast – had been escorting a troop and supply convoy into France, but was sailing by itself when it was struck. Seen here is the recovered bell, with the names Jacob Jones 1915 legible on its side
The ship was one of six Tucker class destroyers used in the conflict, and was the first US destroyers to displace more than 1,000 tons
he warship went down in just eight minutes, and was the first destroyer in US Navy history to be lost to enemy fire
Of 7 officers and 103 who manned the ship, 64 died due to drowning or explosions caused by the impact of torpedo. Some were even electrocuted, after charges in the boat’s hull were submerged by flooding water
British divers found the wreck after more than 100 years back in August 2022, but the bell remained there due to its weight and the dangers of recovering an item at such a depth
Here is the site from which the Bell was recovered, with a wreath and US flag laid in its place
One of six 1150-ton Tucker-class destroyers designed and built for the Navy ahead of WWI, the ship embarked on its maiden voyage in April 1917 as part of the first cadre of ships sent to aid the Allies in the conflict.
The vessel, which measured at 315 feet (96 meters) long and just over 30 feet (9.1 meters) wide, was armed with eight 21 inch torpedo tubes and four four-inch guns.
She was powered by a pair of steam turbines which were able to propel the vessel to a speed of up to 30 knots (34.5 miles per hour).
But within eight months, it became the first US destroyer ever to be sunk by enemy fire when it was shot by a German U53 under the command of Kapitänleutnant Hans Rose – who would go on to radio an American base with coordinates out of pity for the stranded survivors.
Having been headed to the French peninsula of Brittany by way Ireland, the vessel was travelling around 40 miles away from the Isles of Scilly when she was spotted by the German submarine.
Dominic Robinson, one of the divers who took part in the expedition that found the ship some 20 miles away back in August 2022, commented on the ship’s historical significance at the time.
The Dark diver said: ‘One of the most interesting things about this vessel was the remarkable stories that came with its sinking.
‘The destroyer’s commander ordered all life rafts and boats launched, but as the ship was sinking the armed depth charges began to explode – which is what killed most of the men who had been unable to escape the ship initially.
‘A few of the crew and officers also tried to get men out of the water and into the life rafts.
‘One name in particular was Stanton F. Kalk, who spent his time swimming between the rafts in the freezing Atlantic water.
‘But he ended up dying of cold and exhaustion – he was awarded the Navy’s Distinguished Service Medal for his heroic actions that day.
‘The German submarine commander, Captain Hans Rose, showed an incredible act of kindness – he actually saw all the Jacob Jones men in the water and took two badly injured crewmen aboard his own submarine.
‘He then radioed his enemies at the US base in Queenstown with their coordinates to come and rescue the survivors.’
Dominic Robinson (pictured amid the dive) led a team of experienced British deep sea divers
With 150 men onboard, 66 soldiers lost their lives when the Jacob Jones met its watery grave
Jacob Jones sank in eight minutes without issuing a distress call.
Dominic, who has been completing deep sea divers for over 30 years, explained how he and his fellow Dark Star divers were able to identify the vessel.
Dominic said: ‘We had already decided we were going to look for the vessel, but because of its depth and remoteness it is very difficult to get to.
‘So we spent this week going to different GPS locations – provided by the UK hydrographic office – who have information on the location of shipwrecks upon the seabed, but do not know which ones they are.
‘We found the vessel on our second day of diving to other wrecks in the area, but there had been many hours of research before hand.
‘On the day, five of us went into the water, and the ship was about 115 meters to the seabed and 110 meters to the top of the wreck.
‘It was very clear that it was Jacob Jones immediately – you can see its name written on parts of the shipwreck.
‘This was a steam ship which contained big boilers and very big engines to get it to travel at such a speed.’
The huge ship’s bell sat atop a pile of sand and wreckage of the USS Jacob Jones since 1917
Jacob Jones said: ‘It was very clear that it was Jacob Jones immediately’ thanks to inscriptions
Robingson, a member of the diving team that found the USS Jacob Jones – seen here in a painting at right – saying in a statement this week: ‘It’s great to see that the bell has been recovered’
!['It will be a permanent memorial to the brave men who lost their lives in the freezing waters of the Western Approaches in [December] 1917'. Seen here is a painting of the Jones crew stranded at sea.](https://whatsnew2day.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/1708446038_518_Bell-from-the-first-US-destroyer-sunk-in-WWI-is.jpg "Bell from the first US destroyer sunk in WWI is salvaged by British divers after being lost for more than a century 33")
“It will be a permanent memorial to the brave men who lost their lives in the icy waters of the Western Approaches in [December] 1917′. Seen here is a painting of the Jones crew stranded at sea.
This week, Robinson again shared his own thoughts on the recent operation, revealing how the bell would be displayed at the National Museum of the US Navy for years to come.
“It’s great to see that the bell has been recovered,” he said of the bell’s future fate in a Facebook post.
‘[A]After its conservation, it will be a permanent memorial to the brave men who lost their lives in the icy waters of the Western Approaches in [December] 1917.’