A Four Chaplains service, to mark the 75th anniversary of the heroic actions of the four chaplains aboard the troop ship SS Dorchester when it sunk in the waters of the North Atlantic, will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 3 at Bellamy United Methodist Church, 4870 Chestnut Fork Road, Gloucester.
The Four Chaplains, also referred to as the “Immortal Chaplains” or the “Dorchester Chaplains” were the four United States Army chaplains who gave their lives to save other civilian and military personnel as the Dorchester sank on Feb. 3, 1943 during World War II after being hit by a German U-boat.
They helped other soldiers board lifeboats and gave up their own life jackets when the supply ran out. The chaplains joined arms, said prayers, and sang hymns as they went down with the ship. Of the 902 men aboard, 672 died. The four chaplains—a Methodist, a Jew, a Roman Catholic and a Dutch Reformed—sacrificed their lives so that others could live.
The service w...