Years of service 1935 – 1941 Rank Ensign | Awards Medal of Honor Name Herbert Jones | |
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Born January 21, 1918
Los Angeles, California ( 1918-01-21 ) Place of burial Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery, San Diego, California Allegiance United States of America Battles/wars World War II
Attack on Pearl Harbor † Died December 7, 1941, Pearl Harbor, Honolulu County, Hawaii, Hawaii, United States Battles and wars World War II, Attack on Pearl Harbor Similar People Thomas James Reeves, Francis C Flaherty, Roger Sonnabend, Arthur Murray Preston, Warren Christopher | ||
Service/branch United States Navy | ||
Herbert Charpiot Jones (January 21, 1918 – December 7, 1941) was an officer in the United States Navy who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions during the attack on Pearl Harbor.
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Biography
Herbert Jones was born on January 21, 1918 at Los Angeles, California and enlisted in the United States Naval Reserve May 14, 1935. He was commissioned Ensign November 14, 1940 and reported to the battleship USS California (BB-44), at Pearl Harbor 2 weeks later.
On December 7, 1941, the 23-year-old Ensign was about to relieve the officer-of-the-deck on California when Japanese planes swooped in to attack. In the first wave, a torpedo and a bomb hit the ship. Ens. Jones dove into a smoke-filled hatchway and crawled along oil-slick decks to rescue a stricken sailor before being temporarily overcome by fumes. Reviving, Ensign Jones saw an antiaircraft battery without a leader and, staggering to his feet, took command. As a second wave of Japanese planes came in, the young officer fired his guns until all their ammunition was expended. Since the torpedo had put California's ammunition hoist out of action, Ens. Jones quickly organized a party of volunteers to go below and pass the ammunition up by hand. The vitally needed shells had just begun to reach the battery when a bomb hit the ship and mortally wounded him.
Medal of Honor citation
For conspicuous devotion to duty, extraordinary courage, and complete disregard of his own life, above and beyond the call of duty, during the attack on the Fleet in Pearl Harbor, by Japanese forces on 7 December 1941. Ens. Jones organized and led a party, which was supplying ammunition to the antiaircraft battery of the U.S.S. California after the mechanical hoists were put out of action when he was fatally wounded by a bomb explosion. When 2 men attempted to take him from the area which was on fire, he refused to let them do so, saying in words to the effect, "Leave me alone! I am done for. Get out of here before the magazines go off."
Namesake
USS Herbert C. Jones (DE-137) was named in his honor. The ship was launched January 19, 1943 by the Consolidated Steel Corporation, Orange, Texas; sponsored by Mrs. Joanne Ruth Jones, widow; and commissioned July 21, 1943, Lt. Comdr. Alfred W. Gardes, Jr., in command.