The First American Destroyer Sunk By Enemy Attack

The USS Jacob Jones was Jacob Nicholas Jone's namesake. Jones was a Naval officer who served in the Barbary Wars and the War of 1812.

Patrol And Rescue

The DD-61, Tucker-class destroyer was commissioned in 1916 and was tasked with patrolling the coast of New England. USS Jacob Jones was sent to the United Kingdom in April 1917, as the United States joined World War I.

When a German U-Boat attacked a British steamship on July 8, she was able to rescue 44 survivors. A couple of weeks later, when another steamship was attacked, the USS Jacob Jones escorted the ship and eventually brought on the 25 survivors.

For the remainder of the summer, the destroyer focused on escorting and rescuing ships. When October came around, she rescued 305 people from the Orama.

Enemy Attack

An enemy torpedo hit the USS Jacob Jones on December 6, 1917. The U-53's strike took out the ship's power, and they could not call for assistance.

As Commander David W. Bagley ordered everyone to leave the ship, it began sinking, and the depth charges began exploding. The USS Jacob Jones lost two officers and 64 men.

Somewhere on the bottom of the ocean lies the USS Jacob Jones and her crew, but no one knows exactly where.

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8 comments on “The First American Destroyer Sunk By Enemy Attack”

  1. What a poorly written headline! And in times like these. You idiots, write it as the history it was. Don't try to scare people. Lousy reporting is rampant these days. Don't add yourself to that long list!

    1. I agree. I found this sight is great if you want to learn history. But since Biden has been in office, a lot of things have changed in this country and around the world. Their headlines always appear as if it is a current event. I think they’d get more readers if the headline detail was for what it really is and not what it’s is not.

  2. The original photo shown , is actually the second U.S.S Jacob Jones Destroyer DD.-130 , which was sunk on 28 February 1942. It was the first American warship that was sunk in home waters during the Atlantic War .

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