Group proposes new location for Jones memorial Tribute to crew of U.S warship would be close to lookout tower

CAPE MAY — The Jacob Jones Memorial Committee revealed a newly proposed location and design for the memorial: directly across from The Grand Hotel and its World War II observation tower. 

This update was shared during a public Zoom Session on April 15 by committee chairman Myles Martel and Cape May resident and lead architect John Boecker.

The proposed monument, initially presented to City Council in April 2025 but generating pushback from neighbors, aims to honor U.S. Navy sailors who gave their lives amid the Battle of the Atlantic during World War II.

The Jacob Jones was the first U.S. destroyer deployed in the Atlantic Ocean to patrol for German U-boats. On Feb. 18, 1942, it was attacked off the coast of Cape May just days after it began its mission and less than three months after Germany’s declaration of war against America.