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| Survivors Awaiting Rescue off the Isles of Scilly |
F. Luis Mora
(1874-1940) |
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Acquisition Number: 60-382-A
Medium: Oil on Canvas
Status: Reproduction Available - Click Here
On the evening of 6 December 1917 while on patrol, USS Jacob Jones (DD-61) was torpedoed by German U-53 off the Isles of Scilly, southwest of England. Efforts by the crew to save the ship failed, and the commander ordered it abandoned. In an extraordinary humanitarian gesture, the commander of U-53 radioed the American base at Queenstown, Ireland, with the location of the sinking ship. British ships came to the rescue overnight as 38 survivors huddled together on boats and rafts. During the wait, Lt (j.g.) Stanton F. Kalk swam from one raft to another in an attempt to equalize the weight in them and preserve the lives of his men. Kalk over-taxed his own strength and died of exposure and exhaustion. For his heroism, Kalk was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Medal.
Courtesy of Navy Art Collection, Naval History and Heritage Command
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