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SLIDESHOW | images | 240515-N-WO404-1337 LONDON, England (May 15, 2024) The ship’s bell of USS Jacob Jones (DD 61) is transferred back to the custody of the U.S. Navy during a ceremony at Lancaster House. Adm. James W. Kilby, vice chief of naval operations, center left, accepted custody of the bell on behalf of the U.S. Navy from U.K. Vice Adm. Martin Connell, second sea lord and deputy chief of naval staff, center right. The bell was recovered in January 2024 by the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence’s Salvage and Marine Operations (SALMO) team with support from Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC), was initially stabilized by Wessex Archaeology and is intended for display in the future new National Museum of the U.S. Navy following conservation efforts. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Jonathan Nelson/Released)

Royal Navy Second Sea Lord Vice Adm. Martin Connell 

Admiral Kilby, Admiral Cox, ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon, and a very warm welcome to Lancaster House. Lancaster House is a magnificent building. It is right in the heart of London, not far from Buckingham Palace. And it's, I think, a very fitting venue for us to have this handover of what is a remarkable bell…just looking it at tells a story. I'm very proud that we've got this opportunity to do so today.

As a mariner, bells have huge significance and symbolism. They are a central part of our ships and in historic times they’d have shifted the watch, and everyone would have very much marked their day by the ship’s bell. Today, they have a bit more of a symbolic nature to them. Let me give you two brief examples from my own personal experience.

When I was fortunate enough to command an aircraft carrier, the ship’s name was HMS Illustrious, it was the fifth named ship. The fourth ship was also an aircraft carrier and received action damage in the Second World War. That bell from that fourth ship sat outside my cabin, and it was a daily reminder sort of to me and all of my Sailors about what happens in war. This bell was ripped apart with the blast damage that it received at the time. That bell now sits in the Chief of Naval Operations’ dining room in the Pentagon. And it's yet another symbol of the U.K., U.S., Royal Navy, United States Navy relationship.

Also, I've got two children. Their names are inscribed inside the ship’s bell on one of our ships that’s in operations right now. We have this tradition whereby some people who choose to do so can have their children baptized using the ship’s bell turned upside down and then afterwards, their names and that date are inscribed inside the bell. Other navies do something similar or different.

But I think it shows just how important the bell is to a ship. Those ships get lost from time to time, and often as we know through action damage. Those become sacred places, particularly where people have lost their lives. We know where those are around our shores and we're very keen to protect them. But also in a circumstance like the recovery of this bell. I pay testament to Andy and your DE&S team — some of whom are here today, which is great – for the work of sensitivity and for especially recovery of such objects. It's great that we could mark this moment today and hand this bell back to the original owners of the United States Navy. Thank you.

Mr. Sam Cox, Director, Navy History and Heritage Command

Ladies and gentlemen, within a month of the U.S. declaring war, six U.S. Navy destroyers arrived at Queenstown, followed two weeks later by six more, which included USS Jacob Jones, commanded by Lieutenant Commander David Bagley.  These were the first American combat forces to arrive in the European theater, and at a desperate time when the German U-boats were sinking 14 ships every day, with Britain facing the prospect of starvation.  These destroyers, and more to follow, were integrated into the British Western Approaches Command – the first U.S. Navy ships ever placed under foreign command, beginning the special relationship between the U.S. Navy and the Royal Navy that has existed ever since.

Lingering hard feelings from the War of 1812 were quickly forgotten in the rapid exchange of technology and operational experience.  In particular, American Vice Admiral Sims tipped the balance of argument in favor of convoys as the best counter to the U-boats, while the British in turn shared the most sensitive Intelligence of Room 40, enabling the convoys to avoid the U-boats.

During the course of escorting multiple convoys, Jacob Jones rescued 379 Sailors from three sunken British ships, before she in turn was torpedoed on 6 December 1917 by U-53, commanded by Kapitanleutnant Hans Rose, the fifth most successful U-boat commander of the war.  At 3,000 yards, this was also the longest successful torpedo shot of the war.

In the fading light, lookouts on Jacob Jones alertly sighted the torpedo at 800 yards, and the Officer of the Deck immediately took evasive action – a few more feet and the torpedo would have been avoided.  However, the blast near the stern was so devastating that the ship sank within eight minutes, with the crew unable to get to the stern to disarm the depth charges, which subsequently went off, killing many survivors in the water.  Known as one of the more chivalrous U-boat commanders, Rose surfaced U-53, radioed the position of the sinking, and took aboard two wounded U.S. Sailors who survived.  Over the next day, British ships would rescue the other 36 survivors.

Jacob Jones was the first U.S. Navy destroyer ever lost due to enemy action, and the only one in World War One sunk by the enemy.  Her sacrifice was instrumental in the combined U.S/U.K. efforts that resulted in several thousand U.S. Marines and almost two million soldiers of the American Expeditionary Force arriving in the battlefields of France with the loss of only about 200 soldiers to U-boats – this was by far the largest and fastest oceanic transfer of a military force in history.  The Germans did the math, knew they couldn’t win, and sued for an armistice.

The U.S. Navy considers a shipwreck to be a fit and final resting place for Sailors lost at sea or in battle and it is normally our policy to leave it undisturbed.  However, to preclude unauthorized salvage of the bell, SALMO responded to our request to recover the bell, for which we are most grateful.  We also greatly appreciate the efforts of Wessex Archeology, the National Oceanography Centre and Gray and Pape, Inc., in conserving the bell.

The bell will ultimately be displayed in the National Museum of the United States Navy in honor of the crew of this gallant ship and as a testament to the enduring friendship between the U.S. Navy and the Royal Navy.  This ship was lost in the course of victory, and victory has a price, as does freedom – and we will not forget.  Thank You.

United States Navy Vice Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jim Kilby 

Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, so great to be here with you. Second Sea Lord Vice Admiral Connell, thanks for your friendship, and thanks for your help. It was instrumental in recovering this bell today. Thank you, Sam Cox, for what you do for our Navy, reminding us of our history every day and especially this event. I’ll make my remarks brief…we covered a lot of it, but I wanted to cover a little bit about the crew and the significance of that great work.

And then for the work of this SALMO organization. We would not be here without the United Kingdom's Defense Equipment and what we just heard about the very first employment of this technology. It's wonderful. We've talked about technologies like that for the last few days, a wonderful harbinger of the future of the Navy.

As Admiral Cox said, the Jacob Jones only sailed for a relatively short time, and he mentioned 397…I would say almost 400 people saved in her short lifespan, doing the work off your country. Shortly after she was struck, her captain, Commander Bagley, ordered abandoned ship, and her XO was a man named Lieutenant Commander Norman Scott and he helped marshal the survivors into their lifeboats and help direct them over to a location where they could be rescued. Both of these officers would serve in World War Two and Admiral Scott, at the time, he was awarded the Medal of Honor for his action off of Savo Island.

But it wasn't just these two officers. There were many people on the crew that were significant…Lieutenant Junior Grade Stanton Kalk swam from raft to raft until he expired to exposure.

Chief Boatswain’s Mate Harry Gibson, Chief Electrician’s Mate Lawrence Kelly, Seaman Second Class Burger, Quartermaster Third Class Howard Chase, and many others like them allowed the lifeboats to be released in that short amount of time so this group could survive. This bell is a reminder of their story.

And for us, it represents a symbol of our career, of our profession and what we've chosen to do for our respective countries. So, when this bell returns to America, that story will be brought to life soon now, in a museum in a way that people can understand the sacrifices of Sailors and their significance of that action in a way that it will be enduring. And as you said, it is quite proper to let those souls rest and remain on the bottom but we will remember them now because of this representative for us and thank you, Martin, again, for our symbol of our two countries working together. It is a wonderful thing, and I'm proud to be part of the Navy and proud to be part of our alliance with you. Thank you.