USS Jacob Jones (DD-61)-- Part 5: Sank in Eight Minutes

The destroyer's commander, David W. Bagley, ordered all life boats launched.  As the ship sank, her bow raisd in the air almost vertically before she sank.  At this point, the armed depth charges near the stern began to explode, killing men unable to escape the destroyer and stunning many in the water.

The Jacob Jones was the first American destroyer ever lost to enemy action. It sank in just eight minutes after being hit by the torpedo.  Two officers and 64 men of the crew died out its 99 man complement.

Several of the crew, including Lieutenant, Junior Grade, Stanton F. Klak, the officer-of-the-deck, when the torpedo struck, began to get men out of the water and into life rafts.  He was working in the cold North Atlantic waters and was striving to equalize  the loads on the various rafts.  Sadly, he died  of exhaustion and exposure.

USCG Cutter Tampa-- Part 2: Originally the USRCS Cutter Miami

Commissioned  19 August 1912, 190 feet long, 32.5 feet beam. 70 crew.

From 1912-1917, she mounted three six-pounder guns.  In the Navy she traded those for two 3-inch guns, machine guns and depth charges.

After commissioning, the Miami (original name until renamed the Tampa) served in the Revenue Cutter Service and did duties typical to revenue cutters.  It served on the International Ice Patrol, keeping an eye on icebergs in the North Atlantic, for several tours of duty.

It operated out of several stations as well, including Key West, Tampa and New York City.

On 29 August 1915, the U.S. Revenue Cutter Service and the U.S. Life-Saving Service  were merged to form the present-day U.S. Coast Guard.  A year later the name of the Miami was changed to Tampa.

--Cooter

USS San Diego Hits Mine-- Part 2: Off the U.S. Coast

The USS San Diego was recommissioned April 7 for use in World War I.  At first it operated in the Pacific before being ordered to the Atlantic.  Once there, the main job of the ship was to escort convoys across the North Atlantic to Europe.Ir was based out of Tompkinsville, New York, (Staten island) and Halifax, Nova Scotia.

An 18 July 1918, the San Diego was going to escort a convoy to France and its commander, Captain Harley H. Christy, ordered a zig-zag course with everyone on full alert for a submarine attack.  At 11:05 the next day, the ship was off Fire Island Lightship, N/Y/, when there was an explosion on the port side , well below the waterline.

Captain Christy thought his ship had been struck by a torpedo.  The San Diego began sinking rapidly and went below the water in 28 minutes.  Six men were killed.

--Cooter

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SS Tuscania-- Part 5: American Units Aboard the Ship When Sunk

100th Aero Squadron

158th Aero Squadron

213th Aero Squadron

32nd Infantry Division

20th Engineer Battalion

357th Infantry

165th Depot

--Cooter

SS Tuscania Sunk By U-Boat-- Part 3: Sunk By the UB-77

On 5 February 1918, the convoy the Tuscania was in was spotted by the UB-77 during daytime and then stalked until early evening.  The German submarine fired two torpedoes and the second one struck.  The Tuscania sank in four hours, nearly three years to the day of its maiden voyage.

Many of the drowned washed up on the shore of Islay Island,.Scotland, and are buried there.  After the war, many of them were reinterred in the Brookwood Military Cemetery.

In 1919, the United states built a memorial on the island.

--Cooter

SS Tuscania Sunk By German Torpedo-- Part 2

The ship, an ocean liner, was launched in 1914 and began carrying passengers between New York City and Glasgow, Scotland.  It made the news when it rescued the passengers and crew of the burning Greek steamer SS Athinai on 20 September 1915.

In 1916, the Tuscania was refitted as a troopship and in one trip across the Atlantic in March 1917 evaded a German submarine and a suspected merchant cruiser.

On 24 January 1918, the Tuscania departed Hoboken, New Jersey, with a crew of 384 and 2,013 Army personnel.

--Cooter

SS Tuscania Sunk in 1918 During World War I-- Part 1

From Wikipedia.

Back in February I wrote about the sinking of the SS Tuscania on February 6, 1918, after being torpedoed by a German submarine with the loss of 267 of the 2,179 American soldiers it was transporting to Europe.  In the last post I wrote about the DeKalb soldier, James Ellwood Lewis witnessing it.

Here is some more information about the Tuscania.

Was a luxury liner of the Cunard Line subsidiary Anchor Line.  Named after Tuscania, Italy.  Launched 4 September 1914.  Sunk Feb. 5, 1918.

It was 14,348 tons, 567 feet long, 66.4 foot beam.  Mounted a 4-inch naval gun mounted in October 1916.

Torpedoed by the U-77 while transporting American troops to Europe.  Two hundred and ten died.

--DaCoot

DeKalb Soldier Sees the Sinking of the Tuscania

From the March 28, 2018, MidWeek  "Looking Back."

1918, 100 Years Ago.

"  The sinking of the Tuscania was viewed by one DeKalb soldier, James Ellwood Lewis, who has written meager news to the effect that he was with the convoy of the ill-fated ship."

--Cooter

Worst North Atlantic Ship Disasters Involving Icebergs

From the Bethel Patch. From Ben Hill's iceberg database website. //// The Titanic is by far the best-known ship disaster in the North Atlantic involving an iceberg (and it also resulted in the most deaths), but there were others: 1. TITANIC-- 4-14-1912 Southampton-NY, 1,517 deaths // 2. CITY OF GLASGOW-- 3-1-1854 Liverpool to Philadelphia, 480 deaths // 3. CITY OF BOSTON-- 1-29-1870 Halifax to Liverpool, 192 deaths // 4. PACIFIC-- 1-23-56 Liverpool to NYC, 186 deaths // 5. PRESIDENT-- 3-11-1841 NYC to Liverpool, 120 deaths //// 6. JOHN RUTLEDGE-- 2-19-1856, 118 deaths // 7. LIMERICK-- 5-10-1849 Limerick to Quebec, 109 deaths // 8. HANS HEDTOFT-- 1-30-1959 Godthabb to Copenhagen, 95 deaths // 9. VALIANT-- 4-14-1897 St. Malob to St. Pierre, 78 deaths // 10. NARONIC-- 2-19-1893 Liverpool to NYC, 74 deaths.