This Military Service Page was created/owned by
Nicole Summers, MMFN
to remember
Beisler, Joseph John, CPO.
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Casualty Info
Home Town Louisville
Last Address 317 Seneca St Louisville, KY (parents Mr & Mrs George Beisler)
Casualty Date May 06, 1942
Cause MIA-Died in Captivity
Reason Intentional Homicide
Location Philippines
Conflict World War II/Asiatic-Pacific Theater/Philippine Islands Campaign (1941-42)/Battle of Corrigedor
Location of Interment Golden Gate National Cemetery (VA) - San Bruno, California
Wall/Plot Coordinates SECTION J SITE 667
Official Badges
Unofficial Badges
Philippine Islands Campaign (1941-42)/Battle of Bataan
From Month/Year
January / 1942
To Month/Year
April / 1942
Description Battle of Bataan and Bataan Death March
My Participation in This Battle or Operation
From Month/Year
January / 1942
To Month/Year
April / 1942
Last Updated: Mar 16, 2020
Personal Memories
Memories On 1 January 1942 she received a decond direct bomb hit. This time a fragmentation bomb which exploded near the top of the towering smokestack resulting in substantial damage to the ship and injuries to 16 men of the gun crews.
Disguised as a bombed out, listing, abandoned hulk, smoke pots were placed around the ship and giving the appearance of an abandoned hulk by day, while the ship hummed with activity by night. Her crew worked at a fevered pace repairing the smaller ships also left behind and keeping the submarines in action.
Just before the New Year, the last of the submarines left Canopus, but she never quit as she cared for small craft and equipment of the Army and Navy, sent her men into battle in the improvised naval battalion which fought on Bataan, and converted her own launches into miniature gunboats dubbed Mickey Mouse Battleships which attacked the Japanese moving south near the shore. But the overwhelming Japanese strength could not be held off forever, and upon the surrender of Bataan on the night of 8/9 April, 1942 CANOPUS was ordered scuttled in Mariveles Bay, Bataan, to deny her use to the enemy. On 9 April, she was backed off into deep water under her own power and the veteran whom the Japanese could not sink ended a lifetime of service to the Navy when she was laid to rest by her own men.
