Today is the anniversary of the sinking of the USAT Dorchester in 1943. The ship was torpedoed by a U-Boat at 12:55 AM. 230 of the 904 men aboard the ship were rescued.

The Dorchester’s sinking is notable for the heroism of four First Lieutenants in the US Army Chaplain Corps. The four men, two Protestants, a Catholic and a Jew, were instrumental in keeping panic-stricken soldiers calm during the disaster. They handed out lifejackets from the equipment lockers until there were no more, and all four gave up their own lifejackets to try to save more soldiers. When the ship sank, all four men were last seen standing on the deck, arms linked and praying together.

The men were all posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross and the Purple Heart, and in 1961 Congress authorized the creation of The Four Chaplains’ Medal to be awarded to them.