Bell salvaged from WW1 US Navy wreck off Scilly

The ship was the first US Navy destroyer lost to enemy action

The ship’s bell from a Word War One wreck has been raised from the sea bed off the Isles of Scilly.

The USS Jacob Jones was the first US Navy destroyer to be lost to enemy action when it was torpedoed by a German submarine in December 1917.

In August 2022 the wreck was found about 328ft (100m) below the surface by a specialist dive crew.

Now the ship’s bell will be preserved and put on display in Washington DC, as a memorial to the 64 men who died.

The bronze bell has been underwater for 107 years

The USS Jacob Jones had been escorting a troop and supply convoy from southern Ireland to Brittany when it was torpedoed by the German U-boat U-53, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said.

The warship went down in just eight minutes and was the first destroyer in US Navy history to be lost to enemy action.

‘A massive achievement’

The exact location of its resting place remained a mystery until August 2022 when it was found by the Darkstar technical dive team approximately 40 miles south of the Isles of Scilly.

Despite the depth, senior figures at the US Navy’s Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC) were worried trophy hunters might target the wreck so they asked the MoD for help.

Experts from the Defence Equipment and Support’s Salvage and Marine Operations (SALMO) team used a high-tech remotely operated vehicle (ROV) to bring the bell to the surface.

The recovery of the bell was used as a trial mission for the XLX-C Work Class Remote Operated Vehicle

Andy Liddell, from SALMO, said: “I am proud of what the team have achieved.

“To assist our allies in the recovery of the bell from such a historic wreck on the first deployment of the new ROV is a massive achievement.”

Rear Adml (rtd) Sam J Cox, director of the NHHC, added: “This most recent chapter in the story of Jacob Jones is one of collaboration and mutual respect for the site.

“The US Navy is grateful to the Salvage and Marine Operations Team for recovering the bell, which will serve as a memorial to sailors who made the ultimate sacrifice in the defence of both the United States and the United Kingdom.”

A memorial wreath and the Stars and Stripes flag were left on the wreck

After a ceremonial handover to the US authorities, the bell will eventually be given to the expert conservators of the NHHC Underwater Archaeology Branch in Washington DC before going on permanent display.

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