In the church courtyard stands a large wooden cross commemorating the loss of 40 men in a U.S. Navy submarine accident just off its shoreline in 1927.

On December 17, 1927, just off a place known as Long Point, the Coast Guard destroyer Paulding collided with the Navy Submarine S-4. The sub went to the ocean bottom with 40 men onboard. With a gale building, a dramatic rescue effort was undertaken. Navy divers discovered that six men inside the sub were still alive. But after three days, the rescue attempt failed. In the last message tapped out by the trapped men came the plea, "Is there no hope?" and finally, "We understand." It would be three months before the sub would be raised.

In 1937 a large wooden cross constructed by Walter Cashman was erected in the church courtyard to honor the 40 crewmembers of the S-4 that had died. The original cross was built from the timbers of wrecked ships, but having deteriorated over the years it has been replaced with a new one. A broken sealing ring from the conning tower of the S-4 that was dredged up in a fisherman’s net was added to the base of the new cross. A bronze plaque attached to the cross lists the names of the 40 men who were lost in the accident. A memorial service is held at Saint Mary each December on the Sunday closest to the anniversary and a wreath is placed on the water.

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