Richard Rundlett Wells was born and grew to young manhood at Christmas Cove. Raised in the tradition of the sea, he quickly volunteered when his country entered the Great War. He earned a commission for meritorious service and gave his life in the heroic performance of his duty as an officer of the USS Ticonderoga when she was sunk in action with German submarine U-152 in the mid-Atlantic on September 30, 1918.