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USS Jacob Jones (DE-130)
Encyclopedia
USS Jacob Jones (DE-130) was an built for the U.S. Navy during World War II
. She served in the Atlantic Ocean
and provided destroyer escort service against submarine
and air attack for Navy vessels and convoys.
She was named after Captain Jacob Jones
, who assumed command of the Mediterranean Squadron in 1821. She was laid down 26 June 1942 by the Consolidated Steel Corp., Ltd., Orange, Texas
; launched 1 November 1942; sponsored by Mrs. L. W. Hesselman; and commissioned 29 April 1943, Lt. Comdr. Walton B. Hinds, in command.
waters and arrived Charleston, South Carolina
, 7 July. On the 18th she steamed to Newport, Rhode Island
, to prepare for convoy
duty. A week later she sailed with a convoy of U.S. Coast Guard cutters and Navy ships, which steamed to North Africa
to support Allied operations in the Mediterranean. While escorting this convoy, Jacob Jones made her first antisubmarine attack 7 August firing 13 depth charges in two attacks. She arrived Casablanca
, French Morocco
, 13 August; a week later she departed with Task Force
64 escorting a convoy bound back to the United States
.
Arriving New York
5 September, Jacob Jones underwent inspection and on the 16th departed for ASW
convoy training with and at Casco, Maine
. She sailed for Norfolk, Virginia
, 21 September and on the 25th joined Convoy UGS-19 headed for North African waters off Casablanca. Arriving 12 October, Jacob Jones conducted ASW patrols before departing for Gibraltar
to join a westbound convoy the 19th. She arrived Norfolk 6 November with the southern section of the convoy, then departed for 10 days of repairs at Brooklyn Navy Yard
. On the 23d she joined a 64-ship Norfolk-to-Casablanca convoy. Upon her arrival 10 December, she patrolled waters off the coast of Africa for a week before returning to the United States with Convoy GUS-24.
, Jacob Jones joined off Cape Henry
24 January 1944. At that time the escort carrier was busy carrying troops and aircraft
to Europe as part of the mighty Allied buildup for the forthcoming invasion of Normandy. Returning to Norfolk 1 March, she resumed duty escorting convoys to England
.
Jacob Jones departed New York 28 March 1944 and joined five other destroyer escorts escorting a convoy bound for Moville
, Northern Ireland
. Arriving 7 April, she departed Derry
, Northern Ireland, 6 days later as one of several escorts for a 28-ship, westbound convoy that reached New York 23 April. After repairs and training, she made rendezvous 13 May with 44 merchant ships and 17 escorts for the 10-day passage to Northern Ireland and returned to New York 8 June with a westbound convoy.
For the next 12 months, Jacob Jones continued her escort duty for North Atlantic Convoys. Departing from either New York or Boston, Massachusetts, she sailed as convoy escort to such ports as Derry and Moville, Northern Ireland; Liverpool
, Southampton
and Plymouth
, England; and Le Havre
and Cherbourg
, France. When in the United States awaiting her next convoy, she maintained her operational readiness by training exercises in waters off Maine
or Long Island
. When in Europe, she operated on coastal and harbor ASW patrols. In all Jacob Jones crossed the Atlantic 20 times, providing protection for merchant and troop convoys in the North Atlantic.
3 days later, and sailed into San Diego, California
, harbor the 31st.
. She reached Pearl 16 August and commenced ASW exercises before embarking 108 passengers 4 September, they sailed for the West Coast. She arrived San Pedro, California, and discharged her passengers 10 September. Departing for the Panama Canal Zone
2 days later, she transited the Canal on the 20th and arrived Charleston, South Carolina, 25 September.
, Florida
, to Green Cove Springs, Florida
. Jacob Jones decommissioned 26 July 1946 and entered the Atlantic Reserve Fleet. She was berthed at Orange, Texas
, and struck from the Navy List
on 2 January 1971. She was sold 22 August 1973 and scrapped.
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. She served in the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
and provided destroyer escort service against submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
and air attack for Navy vessels and convoys.
She was named after Captain Jacob Jones
Jacob Jones
Commodore Jacob Nicholas Jones was an officer in the United States Navy during the Quasi-War with France, the Barbary Wars, and the War of 1812.-Biography:...
, who assumed command of the Mediterranean Squadron in 1821. She was laid down 26 June 1942 by the Consolidated Steel Corp., Ltd., Orange, Texas
Orange, Texas
Orange is a city in Orange County, Texas, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 18,643. It is the county seat of Orange County, and is the easternmost city in Texas. Located on the Sabine River at the border with Louisiana, it is part of the Beaumont–Port Arthur...
; launched 1 November 1942; sponsored by Mrs. L. W. Hesselman; and commissioned 29 April 1943, Lt. Comdr. Walton B. Hinds, in command.
World War II North Atlantic operations
After fitting out, Jacob Jones sailed 13 May for shakedown in BermudaBermuda
Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...
waters and arrived Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
, 7 July. On the 18th she steamed to Newport, Rhode Island
Newport, Rhode Island
Newport is a city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States, about south of Providence. Known as a New England summer resort and for the famous Newport Mansions, it is the home of Salve Regina University and Naval Station Newport which houses the United States Naval War...
, to prepare for convoy
Convoy
A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support, though it may also be used in a non-military sense, for example when driving through remote areas.-Age of Sail:Naval...
duty. A week later she sailed with a convoy of U.S. Coast Guard cutters and Navy ships, which steamed to North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
to support Allied operations in the Mediterranean. While escorting this convoy, Jacob Jones made her first antisubmarine attack 7 August firing 13 depth charges in two attacks. She arrived Casablanca
Casablanca
Casablanca is a city in western Morocco, located on the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Grand Casablanca region.Casablanca is Morocco's largest city as well as its chief port. It is also the biggest city in the Maghreb. The 2004 census recorded a population of 2,949,805 in the prefecture...
, French Morocco
French Morocco
French Protectorate of Morocco was a French protectorate in Morocco, established by the Treaty of Fez. French Morocco did not include the north of the country, which was a Spanish protectorate...
, 13 August; a week later she departed with Task Force
Task force
A task force is a unit or formation established to work on a single defined task or activity. Originally introduced by the United States Navy, the term has now caught on for general usage and is a standard part of NATO terminology...
64 escorting a convoy bound back to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Arriving New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
5 September, Jacob Jones underwent inspection and on the 16th departed for ASW
Anti-submarine warfare
Anti-submarine warfare is a branch of naval warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, or other submarines to find, track and deter, damage or destroy enemy submarines....
convoy training with and at Casco, Maine
Casco, Maine
Farmers found the surface of the town uneven, its hard and rocky soil "tolerably productive." Outlets of ponds, however, provided Casco with good sites for water powered mills. The town had four sawmills, four gristmills, a shook mill, a barrel stave mill, four shingle factories, a carriage factory...
. She sailed for Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....
, 21 September and on the 25th joined Convoy UGS-19 headed for North African waters off Casablanca. Arriving 12 October, Jacob Jones conducted ASW patrols before departing for Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
to join a westbound convoy the 19th. She arrived Norfolk 6 November with the southern section of the convoy, then departed for 10 days of repairs at Brooklyn Navy Yard
Brooklyn Navy Yard
The United States Navy Yard, New York–better known as the Brooklyn Navy Yard or the New York Naval Shipyard –was an American shipyard located in Brooklyn, northeast of the Battery on the East River in Wallabout Basin, a semicircular bend of the river across from Corlear's Hook in Manhattan...
. On the 23d she joined a 64-ship Norfolk-to-Casablanca convoy. Upon her arrival 10 December, she patrolled waters off the coast of Africa for a week before returning to the United States with Convoy GUS-24.
Refresher training in Maine
Following repairs at New York and refresher training at Casco, MaineCasco, Maine
Farmers found the surface of the town uneven, its hard and rocky soil "tolerably productive." Outlets of ponds, however, provided Casco with good sites for water powered mills. The town had four sawmills, four gristmills, a shook mill, a barrel stave mill, four shingle factories, a carriage factory...
, Jacob Jones joined off Cape Henry
Cape Henry
Cape Henry is a cape on the Atlantic shore of Virginia north of Virginia Beach. It is the southern boundary of the entrance to Chesapeake Bay.Across the mouth of the bay to the north is Cape Charles...
24 January 1944. At that time the escort carrier was busy carrying troops and aircraft
Aircraft
An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air, or, in general, the atmosphere of a planet. An aircraft counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines.Although...
to Europe as part of the mighty Allied buildup for the forthcoming invasion of Normandy. Returning to Norfolk 1 March, she resumed duty escorting convoys to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Jacob Jones departed New York 28 March 1944 and joined five other destroyer escorts escorting a convoy bound for Moville
Moville
Moville is a town and coastal resort on the Inishowen Peninsula of County Donegal, close to the northern tip of Ireland.-Location:...
, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
. Arriving 7 April, she departed Derry
Derry
Derry or Londonderry is the second-biggest city in Northern Ireland and the fourth-biggest city on the island of Ireland. The name Derry is an anglicisation of the Irish name Doire or Doire Cholmcille meaning "oak-wood of Colmcille"...
, Northern Ireland, 6 days later as one of several escorts for a 28-ship, westbound convoy that reached New York 23 April. After repairs and training, she made rendezvous 13 May with 44 merchant ships and 17 escorts for the 10-day passage to Northern Ireland and returned to New York 8 June with a westbound convoy.
For the next 12 months, Jacob Jones continued her escort duty for North Atlantic Convoys. Departing from either New York or Boston, Massachusetts, she sailed as convoy escort to such ports as Derry and Moville, Northern Ireland; Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
and Plymouth
Plymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
, England; and Le Havre
Le Havre
Le Havre is a city in the Seine-Maritime department of the Haute-Normandie region in France. It is situated in north-western France, on the right bank of the mouth of the river Seine on the English Channel. Le Havre is the most populous commune in the Haute-Normandie region, although the total...
and Cherbourg
Cherbourg-Octeville
-Main sights:* La Glacerie has a race track.* The Cité de la Mer is a large museum devoted to scientific and historical aspects of maritime subjects.* Cherbourg Basilica* Jardin botanique de la Roche Fauconnière, a private botanical garden.* Le Trident theatre...
, France. When in the United States awaiting her next convoy, she maintained her operational readiness by training exercises in waters off Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
or Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
. When in Europe, she operated on coastal and harbor ASW patrols. In all Jacob Jones crossed the Atlantic 20 times, providing protection for merchant and troop convoys in the North Atlantic.
Germany surrenders
Three weeks and a day after Germany's unconditional surrender, Jacob Jones departed Southampton, England, and steamed in convoy for the United States. She put into New York 8 June 1945 and entered the Brooklyn Navy Yard for overdue repairs and overhaul. On the 30th she departed for Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, for 2 weeks of ASW and shore bombardment exercises. Steaming independently from Guantanamo 19 July, she transited the Panama CanalPanama Canal
The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...
3 days later, and sailed into San Diego, California
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
, harbor the 31st.
Japan surrenders
As the Japanese Empire prepared to surrender, Jacob Jones departed the Destroyer Base, San Diego, California, 9 August 1945 for Pearl HarborPearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...
. She reached Pearl 16 August and commenced ASW exercises before embarking 108 passengers 4 September, they sailed for the West Coast. She arrived San Pedro, California, and discharged her passengers 10 September. Departing for the Panama Canal Zone
Panama Canal Zone
The Panama Canal Zone was a unorganized U.S. territory located within the Republic of Panama, consisting of the Panama Canal and an area generally extending 5 miles on each side of the centerline, but excluding Panama City and Colón, which otherwise would have been partly within the limits of...
2 days later, she transited the Canal on the 20th and arrived Charleston, South Carolina, 25 September.
Post-War decommissioning
She steamed from Charleston 24 October and 2 days later sailed up the St. Johns RiverSt. Johns River
The St. Johns River is the longest river in the U.S. state of Florida and its most significant for commercial and recreational use. At long, it winds through or borders twelve counties, three of which are the state's largest. The drop in elevation from the headwaters to the mouth is less than ;...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, to Green Cove Springs, Florida
Green Cove Springs, Florida
Green Cove Springs is a city in Clay County, Florida, United States. The population was 5,378 at the 2000 census. As of 2010, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 6,908. It is the county seat of Clay County....
. Jacob Jones decommissioned 26 July 1946 and entered the Atlantic Reserve Fleet. She was berthed at Orange, Texas
Orange, Texas
Orange is a city in Orange County, Texas, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 18,643. It is the county seat of Orange County, and is the easternmost city in Texas. Located on the Sabine River at the border with Louisiana, it is part of the Beaumont–Port Arthur...
, and struck from the Navy List
Naval Vessel Register
The Naval Vessel Register is the official inventory of ships and service craft in custody of or titled by the United States Navy. It contains information on ships and service craft that make up the official inventory of the Navy from the time a vessel is authorized through its life cycle and...
on 2 January 1971. She was sold 22 August 1973 and scrapped.