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Jacob Jones

Ship Designation: 
DD-130
Date Lost: 
Saturday, February 28, 1942
U-Boat Attack off New Jersey Coast
At the first light of dawn 28 February 1942, undetected German submarine U-578 fired a spread of torpedoes at the unsuspecting destroyer. The deadly fish sped unsighted and two or possibly three struck the destroyer's port side in rapid succession. ... According to her survivors, the first torpedo struck just aft of the bridge and caused almost unbelievable damage. Apparently, it exploded the ship's magazine; the resulting blast sheered off everything forward of the point of impact, destroying completel y the bridge, the chart room, and the officers' and petty officers' quarters. As she stopped dead in the water, unable to signal a distress message, a second torpedo struck about 40 feet forward of the fantail and carried away the after part of the ship a bove the keel plates and shafts and destroyed the after crew's quarters. Only the midships section was left intact. ... All but 25 or 30 officers and men, including Lt. Comdr. Black, were killed by the explosions. The survivors, including a badly wounded, practically incoherent signal officer, went for the lifeboats. Oily decks, fouled lines and rigging, and the clutter of the ship's strewn twisted wreckage hampered their efforts to launch the boats. Jacob Jones remained afloat for about 45 minutes, allowing her survivors to clear the stricken ship in four or five rafts. Within an hour of the initial explos ion Jacob Jones plunged bow first into the cold Atlantic, as her shattered stern disappeared, her depth charges exploded, killing several survivors on a nearby raft.

Lost At Sea Log

Number of sailors in this log: 121

Namesort descending Service Branch
BM 2c C. Allen USN
F 2c Charles Ballew USN
F 1c James Ballew USN
BM 2c Herbert Barnes USN
SC 3c William Beckman USN
LCdr Hugh Black USN
GM 3c Henry Bolen USN
WT 1c Sherman Boyd USN
Sea 2c John Branson USN
Sea 1c John Brewer USN
MM 1c Hobert Brock USN
Lt(jg) Ben Bronstein USN
Sea 2c Allen Burdick USN
Cox John Burns USN
PhM 1c Frank Burth USN
Sea 1c Bennie Byklom USN
Sea 1c James Callahan USN
WT 1c Anthony Chajhowswi USN
Y 2c Russell Chamberlain USN
MM 1c Finch Clemens USN

Pages

Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships