Divers have discovered the wreckage of an American warship sunk off the British Isles of Scilly in World War I. At a depth of nearly 115 meters they found the USS Jacob Jones, a 105 meter long US Navy destroyer that was torpedoed and sunk by a German U-boat in December 1917.
The USS Jacob Jones was one of six Tucker-class ships designed and built by the United States Navy before the United States entered World War I. The formidable ship was the very first American destroyer ever sunk by an enemy attack. 66 men – two officers and 64 sailors – of the 150-man crew were killed on December 6, 1917.
Was torpedoed by a German submarine
The USS Jacob Jones had accompanied a ship convoy to the French port of Brest with other destroyers and was alone on its way back to Britain when she was spotted on the afternoon of December 6 by the crew of the German submarine U 53 and from a distance from 2700 meters was immediately torpedoed. The lookout could see the torpedo, but the evasive maneuver came too late.
The torpedo struck the USS Jacob Jones amidships in a fuel oil bunker. Although it did not immediately catch fire, the American destroyer immediately began to sink over the stern. With live depth charges on board, which were about to explode at any moment, the captain ordered the crew to abandon the destroyer.
Ship could not send distress call
When the stern was submerged to the point where the bow was nearly vertical in the air, the depth charges exploded, killing several crew members who were not far enough from the ship. Because the power went out with the torpedo hit, the USS Jacob Jones was also unable to send a distress call.
Just eight minutes after the USS Jacob Jones was hit by the torpedo, she sank 40 miles south of the Isles of Scilly, a group of more than 140 islands off the southwestern tip of England, near the English Channel in the Atlantic Ocean.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
