The Story

The “Battle of the Atlantic “ intensified after Germany declared war on the United States on December 11, 1941, with German U-Boats targeting American shipping.

By early 1942 , the East Coast was vulnerable, with inadequate defenses, making ships easy targets for the U-Boat menace. As a result, the U-Boats sank hundreds of vessels, killed over 4,500 sailors and merchant marine crew members, while significantly disrupting vital supply routes to Europe.

On February 28, 1942 the USS Jacob Jones (DD 130) was sunk by a U-Boat (U-578) off the New Jersey coast, near Cape May. It was the first U.S. warship destroyed by Germany following its declaration of war against our country, signaling a dramatic national wake-up call as it shattered Americans’ sense of invulnerability to homeland attack. 

In addition to the immediate loss of 131 US Navy crew, including three sets of brothers, the attack galvanized public support for the war effort, revealed America’s vulnerabilities in anti-submarine warfare and prompted critical improvements in our military strategies and national security.