Here is a story that stands apart in military history as an example of faith, patriotism, and courage under fire — yet it’s in danger of being forgotten. The Four Chaplains Memorial Foundation is working to change that.

“This is a story of sacrifice on behalf of fellow man, and of men of faith who gave the ultimate sacrifice,” Executive Director Christine Beady told LifeZette. It’s a story, she said, “of both faith in God and love of country.”

During World War II, on the night of Feb. 2, 1943, the U.S.A.T. Dorchester carried 902 servicemen, merchant seamen, and civilian workers.

“It was once a luxury liner that had been turned into a transport ship for the Army,” noted Beady.

The Dorchester, one of three ships in a convoy, was slicing through the frigid waters between Newfoundland and Greenland, headed for an American base in Greenland.

It was escorted by the Coast Guard Cutters Tampa, Escanaba, and Comanche.

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German U-boats were constantly patrolling these vital sea channels, and several ships had already been blasted and sunk. Hans J. Danielsen, the ship’s captain, was concerned. Using sonar, the Tampa had earlier detected a submarine. The captain knew he was in dangerous waters — they were crossing waters known as Torpedo Alley.

When the Dorchester was only 150 miles from its destination, Danielsen ordered the men to sleep in their clothing and keep life jackets on, according to Beady. Many soldiers in the ship’s hold disregarded the order because of the engine’s heat, while others ignored it because the life jackets were uncomfortable, Beady noted.

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The surviving life jacket from USAT Dorchester

At 12:55 a.m. on February 3, a periscope rose ominously from the Atlantic waters. A German submarine, U-223, had spotted the Dorchester. Three shots were fired — and one struck the starboard side.

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Captain Danielsen gave the order to abandon ship; the Dorchester was rapidly taking on water. In less than 20 minutes, the Dorchester would slip beneath the surface of the Atlantic.

The blast had also knocked out radio contact with the three escort ships. The CGC Comanche, however, saw the flash of the explosion and responded, rescuing 97 survivors. The CGC Escanaba circled the Dorchester, rescuing an additional 132 survivors. The third cutter, CGC Tampa, continued on, escorting two other ships.

Aboard the Dorchester, panic and chaos set in, Beady said. The blast had killed scores of men, and many more were seriously wounded. Others, stunned by the explosion, were stumbling in the darkness.

Men jumped from the ship into lifeboats, overcrowding them to the point of capsizing. Some rafts drifted away from the Dorchester before soldiers could climb aboard.

Through the chaos, four Army chaplains from different faiths brought hope and light — Lt. George L. Fox, Methodist; Lt. Alexander D. Goode, Jewish; Lt. John P. Washington, Roman Catholic; and Lt. Clark V. Poling, Dutch Reformed.

The four chaplains immediately spread out among the soldiers, calming the frightened, tending the wounded and leading others toward safety.

“Witnesses of that terrible night remember hearing the four men offer prayers for the dying and encouragement for those who would live,” says Wyatt R. Fox, son of Reverend Fox, according to FourChaplains.org.

One witness, Private William B. Bednar, found himself floating in oil-smeared water surrounded by dead bodies. “I could hear men crying, pleading, praying,” Bednar recalled, as FourChaplains.org reported. “I could also hear the chaplains preaching courage. Their voices were the only thing that kept me going.”

Petty Officer John J. Mahoney tried to enter his cabin during the chaos, but Rabbi Goode stopped him. Mahoney, concerned about the cold air, explained he’d forgotten his gloves.

“Never mind,” Goode responded. “I have two pairs.” The rabbi then gave the petty officer his own gloves. In retrospect, Mahoney realized Rabbi Goode was not carrying two pairs of gloves and that the rabbi had decided not to leave the Dorchester.

Related: The Unsung Heroism of Chaplains

With most of the men topside, the chaplains opened a storage locker and began handing out life jackets. It was then that engineer Grady Clark witnessed something amazing.

When the last life jacket had been handed out, the chaplains, without a word, removed their own and gave them to the next four frightened young men in line.

“It was the finest thing I have seen or hope to see this side of heaven,” said John Ladd, a survivor and witness.

“When giving their life jackets, Goode did not call out for a Jew; Washington did not call out for a Catholic; Reverends Fox and Poling didn’t just call out for a Protestant. They gave their life jackets to the next man in line,” said Beady.

Stunned survivors in rafts could see the four chaplains — arms linked and braced against the slanting deck, praying as the ship went down. Of the 902 men aboard the U.S.A.T. Dorchester, 672 died, leaving 230 survivors. When the news reached American shores, the nation was stunned by both the magnitude of the tragedy — and the heroic conduct of the four chaplains.

The Distinguished Service Cross and Purple Heart were awarded posthumously Dec. 19, 1944, to the next of kin, and a one-time-only posthumous Special Medal for Heroism was authorized by Congress and awarded by President Eisenhower on Jan. 18, 1961.

dorchester-in-stjohn-narrows
USAT Dorchester leaving St. John’s Harbor for Greenland in 1942

“Sacrifice, commitment to country and to fellow man is the story of the four chaplains,” emphasized Beady. “All accounts are the same — this was a silent agreement between men of faith to sacrifice, and pray. Not a word was spoken — survivors report they had a look on their faces saying, ‘This is what the Lord would want us to do.'”

The story has yet another element of sacrifice, Beady said. “The cutter Comanche had an African-American steward on board, and he repeatedly told the captain to turn around — he had seen lights on the dark water — and he knew you had to be alive to turn on the flashlight around your neck.

“That cutter turned around, and the steward jumped into the water and pulled several members into lifeboats — sadly, he contracted pneumonia a month later, and died,” said Beady. “The irony was that a black man in WWII couldn’t be active-enlisted. He could only serve as a steward. He chose to jump in and save those white service members.”

Related: United in Christian Faith

The Four Chaplains Memorial Foundation started in the Baptist temple at Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, after the U.S. Postal Service issued a three-cent stamp in 1948 commemorating the four chaplains.

“The organization actually began in 1951 — dedicated by President Truman in the basement of [the] Baptist temple, and was housed there for almost 30 years,” said Beady.

The organization moved to the Navy Yard in Philadelphia in 2001, and houses the five bronze plaques that list the names of those who perished — the souls for whom the four chaplains prayed.

The foundation needs donations to keep this important story alive and welcomes donations from average Americans. “We haven’t had much luck getting corporations interested in donations,” Beady commented. “I’m not sure why — we are inter-denominational, and welcome everyone, as the chaplains did.”

“Come visit, and learn about these heroes of faith,” she said. “These plaques housed here are their only headstones — and this building, their cemetery.”