The Tucker-class destroyer USS Jacob Jones (DD-61) was laid down by the New York Shipbuilding Corporation in Camden, New Jersey, on 3 August 1914– the same day the Kaiser’s Germany declared war on France and dusted off the (terribly modified) Schlieffen Plan that would jump start what would become the Western Front.
USS Jacob Jones Description: (Destroyer # 61) underway in 1916, soon after she was completed. U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command Photograph. NH 52123.
Jones, commissioned 10 February 1916, was sent to fight “Over There” after America entered the war and served on the front lines of the battle against the U-boats, earning the dubious distinction of being both the first U.S. destroyer ever to be lost to enemy action, and the only American destroyer sunk during WWI.
USS Jacob Jones (Destroyer # 61) Sinking off the Scilly Islands, England, on 6 December 1917, after she was torpedoed by the German submarine U-53. Photographed by Seaman William G. Ellis. Smithsonian Institution Photograph. Catalog #: Smithsonian 72-4509-A
After over a century since its loss, her final resting place was recently been found by a team of technical divers (Darkstar) based in the United Kingdom.
ATLANTIC OCEAN (Jan. 22, 2024) — Larger Multibeam image of the wreck of USS Jacob Jones (DD-61). The U.K. Ministry of Defence’s Salvage and Marine Operations (SALMO) unit successfully conducted a survey of the historic WWI wreck of the Tucker-class destroyer USS Jacob Jones (DD-61) in the Atlantic Ocean on Jan. 22, 2024. (Updated larger courtesy asset image of multibeam data collected and provided by the UK National Oceanography Centre and further processed by Wessex Archaeology.)
Her wreck, now confirmed, was recently inspected and her bell respectfully recovered to prevent it being lost to history via unlawful salvage.
Via the Naval History and Heritage Command:
In a joint effort between the United Kingdom and the United States, the UK Ministry of Defence’s Salvage and Marine Operations, or SALMO, unit successfully conducted a survey of the historic World War One wreck of USS Jacob Jones (DD-61). The operation, carried out at the behest of Naval History and Heritage Command, or NHHC, and with pivotal support from the U.S. Embassy in London, led to the recovery of a key artifact — the ship’s bell.
ATLANTIC OCEAN (Jan. 22, 2024) The U.K. Ministry of Defence’s Salvage and Marine Operations (SALMO) unit successfully conducted a survey of the historic WWI wreck of the Tucker-class destroyer USS Jacob Jones (DD-61) in the Atlantic Ocean on Jan. 22, 2024. The operation, carried out at the behest of Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC) and with pivotal support from the U.S. Embassy in London, led to the recovery of the ship’s bell. NHHC, located at the Washington Navy Yard, is responsible for preserving, analyzing, and disseminating U.S. naval history and heritage. (Updated image courtesy asset provided by U.K. Ministry of Defence, Salvage and Marine Operations (SALMO))
The UK MOD’s SALMO team not only collected ROV video data and recovered the ship’s bell, but also placed a wreath and American flag on the wreck in tribute to the Sailors lost 107 years ago. After its recovery, the bell was placed into the temporary custody of Wessex Archaeology, a private firm contracted by NHHC. Later this year, after a ceremonial handover, the bell will be sent to the NHHC’s Underwater Archaeology Branch for conservation treatment and eventual display at the National Museum of the U.S. Navy.
ATLANTIC OCEAN (Jan. 22, 2024) The U.K. Ministry of Defence’s Salvage and Marine Operations (SALMO) unit successfully conducted a survey of the historic WWI wreck of the Tucker-class destroyer USS Jacob Jones (DD-61) in the Atlantic Ocean on Jan. 22, 2024. The operation, carried out at the behest of Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC) and with pivotal support from the U.S. Embassy in London, led to the recovery of the ship’s bell. During the recovery, the UK MOD’s SALMO team placed a wreath and an American flag on the wreck to honor lost sailors. NHHC, located at the Washington Navy Yard, is responsible for preserving, analyzing, and disseminating U.S. naval history and heritage. (Image courtesy asset provided by U.K. Ministry of Defence, Salvage and Marine Operations (SALMO))