On Feb. 3, 1943, the U.S.A.T. Dorchester was torpedoed by a German submarine. As the ship began to sink in the icy waters of the North Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Greenland, survivors accounts say, four Army chaplains gave up their life jackets, linked arms, and offered prayers and messages of courage.

One of the four chaplains was Rabbi Alexander D. Goode, who left his pulpit at York’s Temple Beth Israel to enlist in the military. The other three chaplains were: Fr. Johnny P. Washington, a Roman Catholic priest; Rev. George L. Fox, a Methodist minister; and Rev. Clark V. Poling, a Dutch Reformed Minister.

Of the 902 men aboard the ship, only 230 would survive. When the news reached American shores, the nation was stunned by the tragedy and the heroic actions of the four chaplains.