The Four Chaplains, also referred to as the "Immortal
Chaplains" or the "Dorchester Chaplains", were four World War II religious ministers who died rescuing
civilian and military personnel as the troop ship SS Dorchester sank on February 3, 1943.
The Dorchester was a civilian liner converted for military service in
World War II as a War Shipping Administration troop
transport. She was able to carry slightly more than 900 military
passengers and crew.
The ship left New York on January 23, 1943, en route to
Greenland, carrying approximately 900 soldiers and sailors, as part of a convoy
of three ships escorted by Coast Guard Cutters Tampa, Escanaba,
and Comanche. During the early morning hours of February 3 the
vessel was torpedoed by the German
submarine U-223 off Newfoundland in the North
Atlantic. The chaplains helped the other soldiers board lifeboats and gave
up their own life jackets when the supply
ran out. The chaplains joined arms, said prayers, and sang hymns as they
went down with the ship.
The impact of the chaplains story was deep, with many memorials
and coverage in the media. Each of the four chaplains was posthumously awarded
the Distinguished Service Cross and
the Purple Hearts. The
chaplains were nominated for the Medal of
Honor, but were found ineligible as they had not engaged in combat
with the enemy. Instead, Congress created a medal for them, with the same
weight and importance as the Medal of Honor.
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