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Sad Saga of the Jacob Jones
Navy Diver salvages unexploded munitions.
Why would anyone want to dive on a shipwreck that’s broken in half and scattered all over the bottom of the ocean?
“It’s the story,” says Dr. Bill Scheibel, a veteran east coast diver who has logged many dives on the Jacob Jones, a U.S. Navy destroyer sunk by a German submarine during World War II. “In this saga, only an avid wreck diver can appreciate the adage, ‘Truth is stranger than fiction.’”
USS Jacob Jones Sunk by a German Submarine in 1942
Like the Japanese proverb: “a bee stinging a weeping face”—one misfortune following another—the “Jakie,” as the crew called her, succumbed to double jeopardy. During its first setback, the 1,100-ton vessel took two direct hits from the U-578. On the second, it fell victim to its own depth charges
At the beginning of the war, the destroyer was part of a roving anti-submarine warfare patrol cruising off Cape May, New Jersey, trying to stem the heavy losses of merchant ships. She carried depth charges that were timed and pre-set to explode at various depths in the cat and mouse game played with enemy submarines. Thus, as the ship sank, her own charges went off, killing some of the crew. Only ll of the 141 men aboard the Jakie survived and were rescued by another vessel after an army observation plane spotted them in their lifeboats.
In the late 1960s, Scheibel was researching east coast wrecks and found the story of the Jacob Jones intriguing. When he contacted late shipwreck historian Jean Haviland, she helped him compile a detailed account of the disaster. Although Scheibel had explored dozens of wrecks off the coast, he could never find anyone who had been on the Jakie.
While consulting with New Jersey charterboat captains, Scheibel met Capt, A.J.Dulinski who said he had recently picked up two images on his sonar that might be worth a look. Scheible and his dive buddy, the late John Dudas, hired him to take them on the three hour jaunt from Cape May to the proposed sites.
Map locates Cape May, NJ off which (A) U.S. Destroyer Jacob Jones was sunk by enemy submarine.
Capt. Dulinski had no difficulty finding the first of his two images, a huge target that appeared on the sonar. But when the divers took the 145-foot deep plunge, they found a massive ship with its three propellers still in place. Scheibel knew right away that it wasn’t the Jakie, a much smaller vessel with twin screws. He and Dudas were hovering over the plush ocean liner Northern Pacific, a wreck they would put on their list for another day. In the afternoon, when Capt. Dulinski dropped the divers on his second image, they found what they were looking for—the remains of the Jacob Jones.
The ship had broken in half, its demolished bow and main section resting in 130-feet of water. The stern, about one mile inshore from the rest of the wreck, was a mangled mass of twisted metal rising 30 feet off the bottom. The Navy had salvaged most of the unexploded ordnance around both sections, but divers should be aware that some of it could still be buried in the rubble.
A final footnote from a book on WWII closed the chapter on Scheibel’s diligent research. It reads: “On August 10, 1942, off Cape Ortegall, Spain, the U-578 was totally demolished by an Allied bombing attack. Capt. E.A. Rehwinkel and49 crew were lost at sea…there were no survivors.
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I enjoyed the Saga of the Jacob Jones. I live not far from that area and I never knew about this. I am glad the German submarine was eventually demolished. I’m interested in more shipwreck stories from WWII. Thank you!
do you have a list of names that was on the ship? my father law was on the Jacob jones He was one of the 11 that survived
Thank you so much for this information. I didn’t know there had been any dives there. My uncle was killed on the Jacob Jones. So amazing that this happened in US waters and so close to land.
Trying to trace nautical history of Cmdr Myron J Walker, in whose effects was found a framed photo of U.S.S. Jacob Jones. Did Walker perhaps serve on the “Jakie” or did he serve at another time under her commander?
Thank you for sharing your information. My fathers oldest brother died on the ship when he was 21, my dad was only 5 at the time and never talked of his brother. I am grateful and happy to learn the history.
I’m so sorry to learn about your father’s oldest brother. Many brave men died on the “Jakie.” They shall not be forgotten. The ship lives on as divers continue to honor her.
My great uncle died on the Jacob Jones. I grew up hearing about him but never really knew the full story of the sinking until a few years ago.
I’m so sorry to hear about your uncle. The sinking of the Jacob Jones is a sad story. I salute the brave men who died in this tragedy.
Thank you for sharing this. I’m interested in meeting other families affected by the attack on the Jakie. My grandfather was one of the few survivors. He passed in 2010, at the age of 91 and received his Purple Heart mere months before he left this earth. To anyone reading this, my grandpa never forgot your loved ones. He carried his shipmates with him always.
This is just a thought. (Others may add to it.) I suggest you go online and search for families of shipwreck disasters WW II. You might be able to think of other ways to word this. Let me know if you have any luck.
My uncle passed away on the Jacob Jones. His older brother was my father and his younger brother was only 14 years older than I. He used to tell stories about how much fun they had but he welled up in tears when telling of his loss. My grandmother never got over the loss of her middle son. A picture of him is displayed proudly in my family room.
I’m so sorry to hear about your uncle. This was a surprising and devastating loss. Only eleven of the one hundred and forty one men aboard ship survived. They were all brave sailors who will never be forgotten. Your uncle’s picture on the wall will always be a reminder of his bravery and contribution to victory over the Axis in WWII.
My grandfather was a Chief Machinist Mate, Charles Edward Kanach, who perished on the Jacob Jones leaving behind a widow and 6 children. His last name was spelled slightly different than mine. He had his children spell their last name as Kanash as people constantly mispronounced his last name. My grandmother never remarried and lived to the age of 90. My father was 8 when the Jacob Jones went down. My father and his 4 brothers all had to work at a very young age to help ends meet and all passed away before the age of 60.
The loss of the Jacob Jones brought a lot o sadness to the families of those who passed over the bar. I’m sorry to hear about your father and his brothers passing before age 60. My father passed at age 52 from a heart attack. Thank you for sharing your connection to the Jacob Jones.
My uncle, Charles Hedrick, was on the Jacob Jones and did not survive. Many years later, someone spoke to my Mother at a high school reunion and told her his body had washed up on Virginia Beach. Has anyone heard anything similar?
I’m so sorry to hear about your uncle. The only thing I can think of is for you to search for local newspapers published in that time period. Then, go back to the day after the ship went down and search each day for a month or so. I would guess that the discovery of the body surely must have have been reported in the paper. I’m not sure but I THINK someone who works in the National Archives MIGHT do this for you, but there would be a charge. If you ever get to Washington, DC, you could do it yourself if you have no luck searching on the computer.
My uncle perished on the Jacob Jones.
He was Mess Attendant John Baxter Roberson, 19 years of age. He and several of his shipmates had attended a birthday party for his 2 older brothers in Brooklyn NY on the 27th of February. They returned to the ship that evening to meet their horrible fate the next morning. I’ve heard that some attendants survived the initial blasts only to lose their lives in the water by depth charges as the Jones sank. My family has a picture postcard of DD130 he sent to his parents. He jokingly wrote “This ship will go down…………..in history.”
I’m so sorry to hear about your uncle. He was only 19 years old. Only eleven survived out of 141 aboard the Jacob Jones. If you read other comments, you will see that many others have written in telling about their relatives who were also lost. I’m still searching for a list of the victims. If you come across one, please let me know.
John Baxter Johnson, we are cousins. Uncle Johnnie is my Uncle as well. I just learned about him. The Brothers you mentioned in Brooklyn were Uncle Broadie and my Great Grandfather I’m assuming. Would you be able to send me a copy of that postcard? I have a Durham newspaper clipping with a picture of him that reports on his death.
My Great Uncle Chester Davis was killed on the Jacob Jones. He was a cook. I don’t know much more about him other than his death devastated my Grandmother and the family. If anyone has pictures of the crew please let me know…I’ve never seen him!
I’m sorry to hear about your uncle. Many brave men died in that disaster. If you don’t get a response from anyone here, contact the National Archives, the U.S. Navy and the Mariner’s Museum, Norfolk, VA. Let me know how you make out. Good luck!
Do you have a list of the people who parished? I am inquiring about Maurice Cullurott from Manchester NH. Thank you
Terrie: I will list some places you can call. If they can’t help you, ask them who you might call or email. (Some of these numbers might be old).
Naval History & Heritage Command: Office of Information 800-273-8255
My Navy Career Center: 833-330-662 Personnel Service Records, or 703-697-5342, 703-695-0965, or 888-341-0308
All Hands; U.S. Navy Magazine: 301-222-6403
Military Records–800-891-9285 email: [email protected]
Atlantic Divers–609-884-0330 email: [email protected]
When you call Atlantic Divers, ask them where the museum is that exhibits many of the Jacob Jones artifacts.
The National Archives in Washington, DC is a good place to conduct research.
There is a book the might contain Naval personnel from the Jacob Jones. It is called: Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.
Let me know how you make out. Email me at: [email protected], Best regards, Ellsworth Boyd