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Casualty Info
Home Town Bagley, WI
Last Address with VA-923 deployed in the Pacific aboard USS Bon Homme Richard.
Lt Cook's remains are actually lost in North Korea.
Casualty Date Jul 18, 1951
Cause MIA-Finding of Death
Reason Air Loss, Crash - Land
Location Korea, North
Conflict Korean War
Location of Interment Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial - Honolulu, Hawaii
Wall/Plot Coordinates CENOTAPH
Official Badges
Unofficial Badges
Additional Information
Last Known Activity:
Lieutenant Cook was the pilot of an AD-3 Skyraider dive bomber with Attack Squadron 923 aboard the aircraft carrier USS BON HOMME RICHARD (CV-31). On July 18, 1951, after attacking a bridge target in North Korea, he failed to meet at the rendezvous point with the rest of the flight. He was listed as Missing in Action and was presumed dead on May 19, 1954.
Comments/Citation:
Name of Award
Navy Cross
Year Awarded
1944
Details behind Award: Awarded for actions during WWII
CITATION: The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Navy Cross to Lieutenant, Junior Grade [then Ensign] Orville Melvin Cook (NSN: 0-301489), United States Naval Reserve, for extraordinary heroism in operations against the enemy while serving as Pilot of a carrier-based Navy Dive Bomber in Bombing Squadron SIXTEEN (VB-16), attached to the U.S.S. LEXINGTON (CV-16), in action against enemy Japanese forces in the First Battle of the Philippine Sea on 20 June 1944. Participating in a long-range attack on major units of the Japanese Fleet, Lieutenant, Junior Grade, Cook skillfully maneuvered his plane to evade determined fighter opposition and intense enemy anti-aircraft fire in the ensuing action and assisted essentially in the sinking of a large enemy aircraft carrier, in the probable sinking of another large carrier and in shooting down two enemy fighter planes. Upon fulfillment of the critical mission, Lieutenant, Junior Grade, Cook succeeded in completing the long return flight to base and in effecting a safe night landing aboard the LEXINGTON. His cool courage, skilled airmanship and devotion to duty throughout this decisive action reflect the highest credit upon Lieutenant, Junior Grade, Cook, and the United States Naval Service.
Action Date: July 8, 1944 Service: Navy Rank: Lieutenant Junior Grade Squadron: Bombing Squadron 16 (VB-16) Ship: U.S.S. Oriskany (CVA-34)
Details behind Award: Awarded for actions during WWII
CITATION: The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting a Gold Star in lieu of a Second Award of the Navy Cross to Lieutenant, Junior Grade Orville Melvin Cook (NSN: 0-301489), United States Naval Reserve, for extraordinary heroism in operations against the enemy while serving as Pilot of a carrier-based Navy Dive Bomber of Bombing Squadron SIXTEEN (VB-16), attached to the U.S.S. RANDOLPH (CV-15), in action against major units of the Japanese Fleet in the Tokyo Bay Area, Japan, on 18 July 1945. Participating in a dive-bombing attack against an enemy battleship at the Yokosuka Naval Base, Lieutenant, Junior Grade, cook skillfully pressed home his attack in the face of intense hostile anti-aircraft fire and scored a direct hit on the target. By his aggressive airmanship and courage under fire, he contributed materially to the infliction of severe damage on the warship and upheld the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.
Description The plan of the Pacific subseries was determined by the geography, strategy, and the military organization of a theater largely oceanic. Two independent, coordinate commands, one in the Southwest Pacific under General of the Army Douglas MacArthur and the other in the Central, South, and North Pacific (Pacific Ocean Areas) under Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, were created early in the war. Except in the South and Southwest Pacific, each conducted its own operations with its own ground, air, and naval forces in widely separated areas. These operations required at first only a relatively small number of troops whose efforts often yielded strategic gains which cannot be measured by the size of the forces involved. Indeed, the nature of the objectivesùsmall islands, coral atolls, and jungle-bound harbors and airstrips, made the employment of large ground forces impossible and highlighted the importance of air and naval operations. Thus, until 1945, the war in the Pacific progressed by a double series of amphibious operations each of which fitted into a strategic pattern developed in Washington.
My Participation in This Battle or Operation
From Month/Year
January / 1943
To Month/Year
December / 1943
Last Updated: Mar 16, 2020
Personal Memories
Memories Lexington sailed to raid Kwajalein on 4 December. Her morning strike destroyed the SS Kembu Maru, damaged two cruisers, and accounted for 30 enemy aircraft. Her gunners splashed two of the enemy torpedo planes that attacked at midday, but were ordered not to open fire at night as the Admiral[who?] then in command believed it would give their position away (He was later replaced). At 1920 that night, a major air attack began while the task force was under way off Kwajalein. At 2322, parachute flares from Japanese planes silhouetted the carrier, and 10 minutes later she was hit by a torpedo on the starboard side, knocking out her steering gear. Nine people were killed, two on the fantail and seven in the Chief Petty Officers mess room, which was a repair party station during general quarters. Four members of the affected repair party survived because they were sitting on a couch that apparently absorbed the shock of the explosion. Settling 5 feet (2 m) by the stern, the carrier began circling to port amidst dense clouds of smoke pouring from ruptured tanks aft. To maintain water tight integrity, damage control crews were ordered to seal the damaged compartments and welded them shut applying heavy steel plates where needed. An emergency hand-operated steering unit was quickly devised, and Lexington made Pearl Harbor for emergency repairs, arriving on 9 December.
