Tribute to Four Chaplains for 75th Anniversary of USAT Dorchester Sinking

    WASHINGTON, DC, January 30, 2018 /24-7PressRelease/ -- The United States Navy Memorial will hold a special plaque dedication and wreath laying ceremony to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Four Chaplains, who sacrificed their lives for their fellow crew members when their US Army Transport, USAT Dorchester, was torpedoed by the German submarine U-223 and sank. Of the crew of 902 men, 672 were killed.

In one of the most remarkable stories of World War II, the Four Chaplains - Lt. George L. Fox, a Methodist minister; Lt. Alexander D. Goode, a Jewish Rabbi; Lt. John P. Washington, a Roman Catholic priest; and Lt. Clark V. Poling, a Dutch Reformed minister distributed life jackets to their fellow soldiers, and when the ship ran out, gave up their own. They locked arms with each other and sang hymns together as the ship went down. The Navy Memorial will honor the memory of these brave men who sacrificed their lives.

Friday, February 2nd at 12:00PM
U.S. Navy Memorial Burke Theater
701 Pennsylvania Ave, NW
Washington, DC 20004

This event is free and open to the public. Please register here prior to attending.

The Navy Memorial is also hosting a fundraising effort to memorialize the Four Chaplains on its Commemorative Plaque Wall. The Commemorative Plaque Wall is viewed by viewed by thousands of veterans, families, friends, tourists, and school groups who visit Washington, DC.

The Navy Memorial holds a dedication ceremony for each plaque that is sponsored on behalf of an individual, group, ship, squadron, command, battle, or event in the Sea Services. The Four Chaplains plaque will be an ongoing reminder of their selflessness aboard the US Army Transport, USAT DORCHESTER.

"We honor the lives of the Four Chaplains because their service and sacrifice exemplifies the stories of sea service we interpret here at the US Navy Memorial. The incredible story of Army chaplains selflessly giving their lives at sea, the Coast Guard defending the convoy and rescuing Dorchester survivors the night of that tragic event, and Navy Armed Guards manning the guns and handling communications aboard the USAT Dorchester, are classic examples of the profound sea service connections we convey to the American public through special programming and exhibits," stated Rear Admiral Frank Thorp, President & CEO of the US Navy Memorial.

Parking is available at the PMI Garage, located at 875 D Street, NW. Attendees may bring their parking ticket inside of the Ship's Store for a discounted rate. The Navy Memorial is conveniently located off of the green and yellow lines at the Archives/Navy Memorial metro stop.

This event is part of an ongoing effort by the Navy Memorial to promote public understanding and appreciation of the history and culture of the Sea Services.

The Navy Memorial, located at 701 Pennsylvania Ave, NW, consists of a large plaza with a granite map of the world, the iconic Lone Sailor statue, 3,500 square-foot museum area, a 240-person theater, the Ship's Store which sells Navy memorabilia and the Navy Log, the nation's largest publicly available data base of sea service veterans. Our mission is to Honor, Recognize and Celebrate the men and women of the Sea Services, past, present and future; and to inform the public about their service. We do that mission with the support of tens of thousands of members and Corporate Partners including USAA, Veritas, CACI, Lockheed Martin, DXC Technology, Huntington Ingalls Industry, NewDay USA, Ernst & Young, General Dynamics, Navy Mutual Aid, Pratt & Whitney, and Capital Bank

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