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Casualty Info
Home Town Kingston, NY
Last Address Madison, CT
Casualty Date Jul 24, 1945
Cause KIA-Body Not Recovered
Reason Lost At Sea-Unrecovered
Location Pacific Ocean
Conflict World War II
Location of Interment Manila American Cemetery and Memorial - Manila, Philippines
Wall/Plot Coordinates (cenotaph)
Military Service Number 200 039
Official Badges
Unofficial Badges
24 July 1945: Philippine Sea, Luzon
Date
Jul 24, 1945
Last Updated: Aug 19, 2022
Comments
24 July 1945: Philippine Sea, Luzon. The I-53 sights a convoy of seven American ships - the troopship USS ADRIA and six Landing Ship Tanks (LST) carrying the 96th Infantry Division withdrawn from Okinawa - making 10 knots towards the Philippines. The convoy is covered by LtCdr Robert N. Newcomb's USS UNDERHILL (DE-682), PC's 1251, 803, 804, 807, SC's 1306, 1309, and the PCE 872.
About 1200, the UNDERHILL makes a sonar contact on the I-53 and guides the PC 804 that makes a depth charge attack. LtCdr Newcomb moves to ram, but the submarine dives. The UNDERHILL drops a 13-depth charge pattern.
About 1500, LtCdr Oba launches a kaiten piloted by Lt (j.g.) Katsuyama Jun. The kaiten surfaces on the side of the UNDERHILL. Newcomb goes to flank speed and rams the port side of the kaiten. An explosion disintegrates the kaiten and the UNDERHILL from her stack forward. LtCdr Newcomb and 111 crewmen are lost. The I-53 slips away. After the attack, the aft section of the UNDERHILL is sunk by gunfire from PC's 803, 804 and PCE 872. Oba reports sinking a transport.