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Casualty Info
Home Town Athens, AL
Last Address White Bluff, TN
Casualty Date Feb 27, 1942
Cause KIA-Body Not Recovered
Reason Other Explosive Device
Location Pacific
Conflict World War II
Location of Interment Manila American Cemetery and Memorial - Manila, Philippines
Wall/Plot Coordinates (cenotaph)
Official Badges
Unofficial Badges
Additional Information
Last Known Activity:
In the early hours of 27 February, 1942 USS Langley (CV-1) rendezvoused with her anti-submarine screen, the destroyers Whipple and Edsall. Early that morning, a Japanese reconnaissance aircraft located the formation. At 11:40, about 75 miles south of Tjilatjap, the seaplane tender, along with Edsall and Whipple came under attack by sixteen Mitsubishi G4M "Betty" bombers of the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service's Takao Kokūtai, led by Lieutenant Jiro Adachi, flying out of Den Pasar airfield on Bali, and escorted by fifteen A6M Reisen fighters. Rather than dropping all their bombs at once, the Japanese bombers attacked releasing partial salvos. Since they were level bombing from medium altitude, Langley was able to alter helm when the bombs were released and evade the first and second bombing passes, but the bombers altered their tactics on the third pass and bracketed the directions Langley could turn. As a result, Langley took five hits from a mix of 550 and 130 pound bombs as well as three near misses, with 16 crewmen killed. The topside burst into flames, steering was impaired, and the ship developed a 10 degree list to port. Unable to negotiate the narrow mouth of Tjilatjap harbor, Langley went dead in the water, as her engine room flooded. At 13:32, the order to abandon ship was passed. The escorting destroyers fired nine 4-inch shells and two torpedoes into Langley's hull, to ensure she didn't fall into enemy hands, and she sank. After being transferred to Pecos, many of her crew were lost when Pecos was sunk en route to Australia. Thirty-one of the thirty-three pilots assigned to the 13th Pursuit Squadron being transported by Langley were lost with Edsall when she was sunk on the same day while responding to the distress calls of Pecos.
No record can be located that states when CSK Adcock was lost - whether during the initial attack and sinking of the Langley or the later sinking of the Pecos. He was not among the crew members who returned. He was listed as missing in action and on October 15, 1945 officially listed as dead by the Navy.
Comments/Citation:
Curtis Adcock was born in 1905 in Alabama, son of William Van and Sallie Adcock. His family lived in Alabama, in Decatur, Morgan county in 1910 where his father worked as an assistant foreman at a stave mill. By 1920 they lived in Pettusville, Limestone county, where his father worked as a blacksmith. Curtis had 3 brothers. Two brothers died as young children.
He entered the Navy in 1930, re-enlisting on August 22, 1935 at Nashville, Tennessee. He served aboard USS Black Hawk (AD-9), USS Eliot (DD-398), USS Notro (AE-2) and USS California (BB-4). In 1939 while home on leave, he purchased a farm on the Huntsville Highway, planning on retiring there. He reported aboard USS Langley (CV-1 ) on January 3, 1940 as a Chief Storekeeper.
Service number: 2717259
The information contained in this profile was compiled from various internet sources.
On Dec 7th she was docked at Pearl Harbor: Battleship Row; forward of the Maryland and Oklahoma
Fate: The California was struck by two torpedoes and one bomb. The first torpedo hit at 8:05 a.m.; the second came moments later. With a gaping hole in the ship, it started capsizing. Despite efforts to bail water from the ship, it sank to the harbor bottom after three days of progressive flooding.
Crew: 2,200
Deceased: 105
The ship was raised via cofferdams, moved to the Pearl Harbor Navy Yard on April, 1942, with repairs to her cage mainmast and all six 14" forward guns were removed to facilitate her refloating. It took until January, 1944 for the ship's total reconstruction but it was a match for most of the newer US battleships in all but it's main guns (still 14").
An after view of the USS California.
January, 1945, the USS California was hit by a Japanese kamikaze where 44 of her crew died and 155 injured. Battle repairs were made to keep her battle-worthy and on station. She stayed on station until the end of the month and returned to Puget Sound for repairs. She was back on station for the landings at Okinawa and from there until the Japanese surrender in mid-August.
Of historical interest is that after the official end of WWII, the USS California was still on duty and after different assignments in Philippines and other areas in SE Asia, she returned to the US on Dec 7, 1945 - exactly 4 years to the day of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.