Maurice David Jester (May 13, 1889 – August 31, 1957) was a member of the United States Coast Guard. Jester enlisted in the Coast Guard as a

surfman Surfmen was the terminology used to describe members of the United States Lifesaving Service. It is also currently the highest qualification in the United States Coast Guard for small boat operations. Coast Guard Surfmen are rated to operate the ...

in 1917. By 1936, he had risen to the rank of chief boatswain. In December 1941, after the United States entered World War II, Jester was given a lieutenant's commission, and he was given command of the USCGC ''Icarus'' (WPC-110). In 1942, Jester led the ''Icarus'' during the sinking of the German U-boat ''

U-352 German submarine ''U-352'' was a Type VIIC U-boat of Nazi Germany's ''Kriegsmarine'' during World War II. The submarine was laid down on 11 March 1940, at the Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft yard at Flensburg, launched on 7 May 1941, and c ...

'', successfully rescuing surviving German crew. The ''U-352'' was larger and better armed than the ''Icarus''. Jester received a Navy Cross and promotion to lieutenant commander for his leadership. Historians noted that, after sinking the U-boat, Jester had great difficulty getting instruction from his superiors as to whether or not he should rescue the crew. At first Navy HQ in Norfolk instructed him to abandon them and let them drown. He sought further instruction from the commandant of the Sixth Naval District, who ordered him to go back and rescue the survivors. An issue of ''

Life magazine ''Life'' was an American magazine published weekly from 1883 to 1972, as an intermittent "special" until 1978, and as a monthly from 1978 until 2000. During its golden age from 1936 to 1972, ''Life'' was a wide-ranging weekly general-interest ma ...

'' featured an image of Jester on its cover. For security reasons, Jester was not allowed to tell reporters details of the battle until 1943. On May 1, 1943, after he was allowed to speak to the press, '' The New York Times'' published two stories about his exploits, one of which was on its front page. On August 24, 1944, ''The New York Times'' reported that the destroyer escort on which Jester's son Maurice, a lieutenant, was serving, had also been credited with sinking a U-boat.

Legacy

In 2010, Charles "Skip" W. Bowen, who was then the Coast Guard's most senior

non-commissioned officer A non-commissioned officer (NCO) is a military officer who has not pursued a commission. Non-commissioned officers usually earn their position of authority by promotion through the enlisted ranks. (Non-officers, which includes most or all enli ...

, proposed that all the cutters in the Sentinel class be named after

enlisted Enlisted may refer to: * Enlisted rank An enlisted rank (also known as an enlisted grade or enlisted rate) is, in some armed services, any rank below that of a commissioned officer. The term can be inclusive of non-commissioned officers or ...

sailors in the Coast Guard or one of its precursor services who were recognized for their heroism. In late 2017, it was announced that a new Sentinel-class cutter, USCGC ''Maurice Jester'' (WPC-1152), would bear his name.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jester, Maurice 1889 births 1957 deaths United States Coast Guard officers United States Coast Guard personnel of World War II Recipients of the Navy Cross (United States) Burials at Arlington National Cemetery