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Casualty Info
Home Town Pittsburgh
Last Address Sangree Road, R.D. 4 Pittsburgh, PA (parents address)
Casualty Date Dec 10, 1941
Cause KIA-Died of Wounds
Reason Multiple Fragmentation Wounds
Location Philippines
Conflict World War II
Location of Interment Manila American Cemetery and Memorial - Manila, Philippines
Philippine Islands Campaign (1941-42)/Japanese air attacks on US vessels in Cavite
From Month/Year
December / 1941
To Month/Year
December / 1941
Description Japanese air attack on USS PEARY (DD-226), USS SEADRAGON (SS-194),USS SEALION (SS-195),USS BITTERN (AM-36)in Cavite, Philippines
My Participation in This Battle or Operation
From Month/Year
December / 1941
To Month/Year
December / 1941
Last Updated: Mar 16, 2020
Personal Memories
Memories Although there were frequent air raids in the Manila area during the first two days of the war, no enemy planes visited the Navy Yard Cavite until afternoon of the 3rd day, December 10th. That day the air raid alarm sounded about half an hour after noon, and shortly thereafter 54 planes, in two groups of 27 each, were sighted heading for the Navy Yard. Sealion was nested at Machina Wharf with Seadragon inboard and minesweeper Bittern outboard. With the exception of the Commanding Officer, the Executive Officer (Lieut. Albert L. Raborn) and three men, all personnel were below decks. The first stick of bombs landed from 100 to 200 yards astern of Sealion, and at that time, Voge, seeing that the planes were going to bomb from high altitude where machine gun fire could not reach them, ordered all hands below. It was a most fortunate decision. On the next bombing run, but a few minutes later, two bombs hit Sealion almost simultaneously. One struck the after end of the conning tower fairwater, completely demolishing the machine gun mount which had just been vacated, the main induction, the battery ventilation and the after conning tower bulkhead. It exploded outside the hull a few feet above the control room. Had it entered the hull before exploding, the majority of Sealion's crew would have been lost, as most of the personnel were in that room. A fragment from this bomb pierced the conning tower oif Seadragon, killing instantly Ensign Sam Hunter stationed there, the first submarine casualty of the war. Other fragments from this bomb pierced the pressure hull, inflicting minor wounds on three Sealion men in the control room