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Susan Gould (SBTS Writer)-Historian
to remember
Hudson, Edgar Walker, CMoMM.
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Casualty Info
Home Town Dickson, TN
Last Address Nashville, TN
Casualty Date Aug 13, 1944
Cause KIA-Body Not Recovered
Reason Drowned, Suffocated
Location Pacific Ocean
Conflict World War II
Location of Interment Manila American Cemetery - Taguig City, Philippines
Wall/Plot Coordinates Cenotaph
Official Badges
Unofficial Badges
Additional Information
Last Known Activity:
Listed as Missing in Action August13, 1944 in the sinking of USS Flier. (SS-250) Later declared dead 19 January 1946.
Comments/Citation:
Edgar Walker Hudson was born August 13, 1944 in Dickson, Dickson county, Tennessee, son of Edgar Hershel and Alice Pearl (Tucker) Hudson. The family lived in Dickson, where his father worked as a lineman for the railroad. Edgar had one brother and one sister. His brother, Carlton, served with the Navy during WWII. His father died in 1940 and he later lived with his paternal grandfather in Dickson. Edgar graduated from Dickson County High School. He worked as a laborer for the railroad prior to entering the service. On November 6, 1941 he married Thelma Lewis. They had one daughter, Linda Kathryn. He had enlisted in the US Navy on September 30, 1939 at Nashville, Tennessee. He was initially attached to USS Bernadou DD-153, a destroyer, and in 1940 he received submarine training at the Submarine Base Training School, Groton, New London, Connecticut. In 1941 he was attached to USS R-18 (SS 95). In 1943 he was with the Supervisor of Shipbuilding Conversion and Repair (SUPSHIP) Groton, Connecticut. He was aboard USS Flier (SS-250) on October 18, 1943, the date of her commissioning, as a Motor Machinist’s Mate First Class. While aboard Flier, he became a Chief MoMM. Flier left Freemantle, Western Australia on August 2, 1944 to conduct her second war patrol. Her area was east of Saigon, French Indochina, and she was to pass through Lombok Strait, Makassar Strait, the Celebes Sea, Sibutu Passage and the Sulu Sea in proceeding to her station. By evening of August 13 she had come through the Sulu Sea and was transiting Balabac Strait, south of Palawan, P.I., when, at 2200, disaster struck. Suddenly a terrific explosion, estimated to have been forward on the starboard side, shook the ship. Several of the men on the bridge were injured, and the Commanding Officer was thrown to the after part of the bridge… Oil, water and debris deluged the bridge. There was a strong smell of fuel, a terrific venting of air through the conning tower hatch, and the sounds of flooding and of screaming men below…Within 20 or 30 seconds Flier sank while still making 15 knots through the water. The Commanding Officer’s opinion was that the explosion was caused by contact with a mine. All but a few officers and men were lost with the boat. Chief Hudson was one of the seven men who survived the Flier sinking but drowned as they struggled toward shore. He was listed as Missing in Action and later declared dead 19 January 1946. He was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart, and Submarine Combat Award with 3 gold stars. His name appears on the Tablets of the Missing, Manila American Cemetery and Memorial, Manila, the Philippines. On 1 February 2009, the U.S. Navy announced the discovery of Flier near the Philippines' Balabac Strait (Coordinates: 7°58′43.21″N 117°15′23.79″E). The discovery of a Gato-class submarine was made during an expedition by YAP Films, based in part on information provided by a survivor of the sinking of Flier. Further research by the Naval History and Heritage Command revealed that no other submarine, American or Japanese, had been reported lost in that general vicinity. In addition, footage of the wreck showed a gun mount and radar antenna, both of which were similar to the same equipment seen in contemporary photographs of Flier. The ship rests in 330 ft (100 m) of water. Reference: 1920; Census Place: Dickson, Dickson, Tennessee; Page: 15B; Enumeration District: 7 1930; Census Place: Dickson, Dickson, Tennessee; Page: 4A; Enumeration District: 0008 1940; Census Place: Dickson, Dickson, Tennessee; Page: 3A; Enumeration District: 22-6 https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/56783168/edgar-walker-hudson Nashville Banner, Nashville, TN: Feb. 8, 1946, p.26 Dickson County, Tennessee WWII Scrap Book, compiled by William E. (Cubby) and Lorene Donegan Brazzel, Dickson County Historical and Genealogical Society, Allegra Printing, Dickson, TN, 2011, p.6 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Flier_(SS-250) United States Submarine Veterans of World War II, A History of The Veterans of The United States Naval Submarine Fleet, Vol. II, Taylor Publishing Co., Dallas, TX, 1987, p.235
Service number: 2952490
Flier reached Pearl Harbor from New London, Connecticut on 20 December 1943 and prepared for her first war patrol, sailing on 12 January 1944. However, the submarine ran aground near Midway Island on 16 January. USS Macaw, a Chanticleer-class submarine rescue ship, attempted to pull Flier free but ran aground herself and sank. Flier was eventually saved by USS Florikan and towed to first Pearl Harbor and then to Mare Island Navy Yard for repairs. On 21 May, she sailed again for action, heading for a patrol area west of Luzon. She made her first contact on 4 June, attacking a well-escorted convoy of five merchantmen. Firing three torpedoes at each of two ships, she sent the transportHakusan Maru to the bottom and scored a hit on another ship before clearing the area to evade countermeasures.
On 13 June 1944, Flier attacked a convoy of 11 ships, cargo carriers and tankers, guarded by at least six escorts. The alert behavior of the escorts during the attack resulted in a severe counterattack on Flier before she could observe what damage she had done to the convoy. On 22 June, she began a long chase after another large convoy, scoring four hits for six torpedoes fired at two cargo ships that day, and three hits for four torpedoes launched against another cargo ship of the same convoy the next day.
On 1 February 2009, the U.S. Navy announced the discovery of
Flier near the Philippines' Balabac Strait(7°58′43.21″N117°15′23.79″E)Coordinates: 7°58′43.21″N117°15′23.79″E. The discovery of a Gato-class submarine was made during an expedition by YAP Films, based in part on information provided by a survivor of the sinking of Flier. Further research by the Naval History and Heritage Commandrevealed that no other submarine, American or Japanese, had been reported lost in that general vicinity. In addition, footage of the wreck showed a gun mount and radar antenna, both of which were similar to the same equipment seen in contemporary photographs of Flier. The ship rests in 330 ft (100 m) of water.
Flier Survivors
LT James W. Liddle, CDR John Daniel Crowley, ENS Alvin E. Jacobson
James Dello Russo, QM3; Wesley Bruce Miller, MoMM3; Earl R. Baumgart, MoMM3;
Arthur Gibson Howell, CRT(AA). Not pictured: Donald Paul Tremaine, FC2
Flier received one battle star for World War II service on her single complete war patrol, designated "Successful." She is credited with having sunk 10,380 tons of Japanese shipping.
Susan Gould (SBTS Writer)-Historian
to remember
Hudson, Edgar Walker, CMoMM.
