This Military Service Page was created/owned by
Tommy Burgdorf (Birddog), FC2
to remember
Carr, Clifford Hickman, F2c.
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Casualty Info
Home Town Hazel Park. MI
Last Address 23778 Cayuga Hazel Park, MI (Parents~Mr&Mrs James Carr)
Casualty Date Oct 29, 1944
Cause KIA-Killed in Action
Reason Other Explosive Device
Location Pacific Ocean
Conflict World War II
Location of Interment Manila American Cemetery - Taguig City, Philippines
Wall/Plot Coordinates Tablets of the Missing (Cenotaph)
After the Battle of Leyte Gulf, Eversole rescued downed pilots, screened two of the damaged escort carriers, and took wounded off one of the carriers. In the early morning of 28 October, Eversole made contact by sonar with a submarine, and half a minute later suffered the first of two torpedo hits. The ship was ordered abandoned. After the men were all in the water, the submarine surfaced and opened fire, then dived once more. Five minutes later there was a tremendous underwater explosion which killed or wounded some of Eversole's crew. Lights from the survivors' flashlights attracted two other escorts, one of which rescued the 139 wounded survivors, as the other began a series of attacks which sank I-45, presumably the Japanese submarine which had torpedoed Eversole.
Comments/Citation:
Following is a transcript of a letter from Commander Geo. E. Marix
January 2, 1945
My Dear Mr. and Mrs. Carr,
I received your letter this morning and will answer it at once. Your son, Clifford was a boy to be very proud of and I am proud to have had him under my command. He was a willing worker and never let his shipmates down, and that is the highest complement that one Navy man can pay another.
Clifford was in the compartment where the torpedo hit and mercifully never knew what had happened for it was all too sudden.
The Eversole was hit by two submarine torpedoes at two thirty on the morning of the twenty ninth of October and went down some twenty minutes later. Those of us that got off were straffed in the water by machine guns and then the Jap sub dropped a demolition charge that killed or wounded all of us in the water. We are living on borrowed time and very thankful to be here. I am only sorry that I could not have brought Clifford back with me. Please believe me Mrs. Carr that his death is not in vain and that he will always be remembered by his shipmates as a fine boy. I hope that you will feel free to call on me at any time for anything that I can do for you, and accept my deepest sympathy in your great loss.
