Stanton Frederick Kalk

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Stanton Frederick Kalk (14 October 1894–16 December 1917) was an officer in the United States Navy during World War I. He received the Navy's Distinguished Service Medal for his actions after his ship was torpedoed by a German submarine.

Born in Alabama, Kalk graduated from the Naval Academy in 1916.

After serving in the battleship Florida (BB-30), he was assigned to the destroyer Jacob Jones (DD-61) 10 September 1917. While steaming on patrol duty from Brest, France, to Queenstown, Ireland, Jacob Jones was attacked 16 December by German submarine U-53. Although Kalk, officer-of-the-deck during the attack, "took correct and especially prompt measures in maneuvering to avoid the torpedo," the destroyer could not turn in time to escape. She sank stern first in 8 minutes. Though stunned by the explosion and weakened by his action after the ship went down, Kalk swam from one raft to another in an attempt to equalize weight on them. Displaying "extraordinary heroism," he disregarded his own condition while endeavoring to save the lives of his men. Game to the last, Kalk overtaxed his own strength; he died from exposure and exhaustion.

For his "splendid self-sacrifice" Lt. (j.g.) Kalk was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Medal.

The destroyer USS Kalk (DD-170) was named for him.

This article includes text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.