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Casualty Info
Home Town Brockton, MA
Last Address 84 Maple St Suffern, NY
Casualty Date Oct 03, 1944
Cause KIA-Body Not Recovered
Reason Other Explosive Device
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:
The USS Seawolf (SS-197) began her last war patrol on 21 September 1944. On 29 September, she reached Manus Island in northern Papua New Guinea and sailed the same day carrying stores and Army personnel to the east coast of Samar. The last contact from her was on 3 October 1944. On 28 December 1944, the Seawolf was announced overdue from patrol and presumed lost. Lieutenant Doane was listed as missing in action and later declared dead on 7 October 1945.
Comments/Citation:
Service number: 165842
Navy Unit Commendation
For outstanding heroism in action against enemy Japanese shipping during her Seventh War Patrol in the Davac Gulf, Palau and Yap areas, from October 7 to December, 1942; her Tenth War Patrol in the East China Sea from August 14 to September 15, 1943 and her Twelfth War Patrol in the East China Sea December 22, 1943 to January 27, 1944. Persistent and daring, the USS Seawolf penetrated the mouths of enemy-held harbors in bold pursuit of hostile shipping. Striking fiercely in the face of severe depth charges, aerial bombs and gun fire, she launched a series of brilliant attacks which destroyed eleven cargo ships and extensively damaged two freighters. After exhausting all torpedoes, the Seawolf tenaciously pursued and demolished by gun fire one enemy ship and turned another back into the attack range of a friendly submarine. Her outstanding performance in combat attests the skill and superb teamwork of her courageous officers and men and reflect the highest credit upon herself and the United States Naval Service.
Mariana and Palau Islands Campaign (1944)/Battle of Philippine Sea
From Month/Year
June / 1944
To Month/Year
June / 1944
Description The Battle of the Philippine Sea (June 19–20, 1944) was a major naval battle of World War II that eliminated the Imperial Japanese Navy's ability to conduct large-scale carrier actions. It took place during the United States' amphibious invasion of the Mariana Islands during the Pacific War. The battle was the last of five major "carrier-versus-carrier" engagements between American and Japanese naval forces, and pitted elements of the United States Navy's Fifth Fleet against ships and aircraft of the Imperial Japanese Navy's Mobile Fleet and nearby island garrisons.
The aerial part of the battle was nicknamed the Great Marianas Turkey Shoot by American aviators for the severely disproportional loss ratio inflicted upon Japanese aircraft by American pilots and anti-aircraft gunners. During a debriefing after the first two air battles a pilot from USS Lexington remarked "Why, hell, it was just like an old-time turkey shoot down home!" The outcome is generally attributed to American improvements in pilot and crew training and tactics, technology (including the top-secret anti-aircraft proximity fuze), and ship and aircraft design. Although at the time the battle appeared to be a missed opportunity to destroy the Japanese fleet, the Imperial Japanese Navy had lost the bulk of its carrier air strength and would never recover. During the course of the battle, American submarines torpedoed and sank two of the largest Japanese fleet carriers taking part in the battle.
This was the largest carrier-to-carrier battle in history.