USS Jacob Jones

[Foxbat]

The ship became the first US Navy destroyer ever to be lost to enemy action. It happened in WW1. Now, a British salvage operation has recovered the ship’s bell. Normally, the wreck (a war grave) would not be disturbed but due to concerns of unauthorised salvage possibilities, the US Navy requested MOD assistance.

It might not sound like much but a ship’s bell can be an important focal point for the ancestors of those lost at sea so it‘s nice to see both navies working together to achieve this.

British salvage team recover bell rom American warsip on sea bed

Defence Equipment & Support’s Salvage and Marine Operations (SALMO) team has recovered an iconic symbol of one of the most notable US Navy shipwrecks.

ukdefencejournal.org.uk

 

[Tirellan]

A most unfortunate typo in that headline

 

[Dave]

The ship became the first US Navy destroyer ever to be lost to enemy action.

So, the key word there is "destroyer" (as in a 'long-endurance warship') which means that the War of 1812 does not count, and the the brig Eagle, the brig Linnet, and a US Navy row galley (tentatively identified as the Allen) that lie in the Poultney River, or the US Navy schooner Ticonderoga (and probably more uncharted) in Lake Champlain, all of which don't count.

 

[Foxbat]

So, the key word there is "destroyer" (as in a 'long-endurance warship') which means that the War of 1812 does not count, and the the brig Eagle, the brig Linnet, and a US Navy row galley (tentatively identified as the Allen) that lie in the Poultney River, or the US Navy schooner Ticonderoga (and probably more uncharted) in Lake Champlain, all of which don't count.

Yes. Destroyers did not exist back then. To give the destroyer its full and original title: Torpedo Boat Destroyer. First developed in the 1890s.

Destroyers were originally developed to protect capital ships from small, fast moving torpedo boats. The ship to counter them had to be fairly fast and better gunned. The ultimate evolution of the destroyer was dictated by the wars. In WW1 it began to develop an anti-submarine role and in WW2, it also started to play a role in air defence.

The modern USN destroyers tend to be multi-role and can be used for land attack, air defence and anti-submarine warfare. In the RN, the destroyer (Type 45) tends to specialise in air defence whilst the type 26 frigate will be used in an anti-submarine role. The types 31 and 32 frigates will take on a less specialised, multi-purpose role. The modern destroyer is more akin to a WW2 light cruiser (which often tended to play big roles in air defence) than any destroyer of that time.

 

[Dave]

Ah! That quote, when taken out of context, made me think that the article was trying to say that it was the first warship lost by the US between 1776 and 1917 in enemy action, but when I read the whole article, it does no such thing.

What is surprising is that they have disturbed a war grave.

 

[Toby Frost]

A most unfortunate typo in that headline

It could have been worse. I wouldn't want a British savage team near my ships.

 

[Pyan]

What is surprising is that they have disturbed a war grave.

It was done on the request of the US Navy...

However, due to risk of unauthorised and illegal salvaging of the ship’s bell, the Navy History and Heritage Command requested Ministry of Defence assistance.”