Stanton Frederick Kalk (14 October 1894 – 6 December 1917) was an officer in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. He received the Navy's Distinguished Service Medal for his actions after his ship was torpedoed by a German submarine.

Biography

Stanton Kalk was born in

Mobile County, Alabama Mobile County ( ) is located in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Alabama. It is the second most-populous county in the state after Jefferson County. As of the 2020 census, its population was 414,809. Its county seat is Mobile, whi ...

, the son of Frank Kalk and Flora ''Stanton'' Kalk. He was appointed to the

Naval Academy A naval academy provides education for prospective naval officers. See also * Military academy A military academy or service academy is an educational institution which prepares candidates for service in the officer corps. It normally pro ...

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwe ...

Senator

Norris Brown Norris Brown (May 2, 1863January 5, 1960) was a Senator from Nebraska. Brown was born in Maquoketa, Iowa. The son of William Henry Harrison and Eliza Ann Phelps Brown, he attended Jefferson Iowa Academy and graduated with a law degree from the Un ...

, and graduated in 1916, fifty-first in a class of 178. After serving on the battleship , he was assigned to the destroyer on 10 September 1917. While steaming on patrol duty from

Brest, France Brest (; ) is a port city in the Finistère department, Brittany. Located in a sheltered bay not far from the western tip of the peninsula, and the western extremity of metropolitan France, Brest is an important harbour and the second French mi ...

, to

Queenstown, Ireland Cobh ( ,), known from 1849 until 1920 as Queenstown, is a seaport town on the south coast of County Cork, Ireland. With a population of around 13,000 inhabitants, Cobh is on the south side of Great Island in Cork Harbour and home to Ireland's ...

, ''Jacob Jones'' was attacked on 6 December by

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

submarine A submarine (or sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability. The term is also sometimes used historically or colloquially to refer to remotely op ...

''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 In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, manoeuvrable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against powerful short range attackers. They were originally developed in ...

could not turn in time to escape. She sank stern first in eight 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 Distinguished Service Medal (DSM) is a high award of a nation. Examples include: *Distinguished Service Medal (Australia) (established 1991), awarded to personnel of the Australian Defence Force for distinguished leadership in action * Distinguishe ...

Namesakes

Two destroyers, and , were named for him.

References

: {{DEFAULTSORT:Kalk, Stanton Frederick 1894 births 1917 deaths People from Mobile County, Alabama United States Naval Academy alumni United States Navy officers United States Navy personnel of World War I Recipients of the Navy Distinguished Service Medal American military personnel killed in World War I