Lipple, John Anthony, SF1c

John Anthony Lipple was born 9 Oct 1916 in Ashville, PA and died on 7 Dec 1941 as a result of hostile action in WWII.  His parents were Anthony Lipple (1889-1950) and Carolyn O’Connor (1891-Unk).  Per the 1920 US Census, the father was a shop laborer and his mother was a housewife.  John had 2 younger brothers and 3 sisters (1 younger and 2 older).  Both of his brothers served in the Navy.  He graduated from Patton High School in 1935 and was not married.  George worked as an electrical welder prior to enlisting in the Navy. 
 
John enlisted in the Navy in 1940 as a shipfitter.  His service number was 2504144.  He attended some training in Dearborn, MI at a makeshift plant attached to a Ford Motor, CO factory.   He attained the rank of Shipfitter 2nd Class while in the Navy.  On 14 Aug 1940, he was listed as a passenger on the USS Nashville destined to be assigned to the USS Arizona.  On 30 Aug 1940, he was on the USS New Mexico, possibly assigned there on his way to the USS Arizona.  At some point in time after Aug 1940, he was assigned to the USS Arizona.  At the onset of the December 7, 1941 attack, the battleship USS Arizona (BB-39) was moored at berth Fox 7 on Battleship Row.  The repair ship Vestal (AR-4) was on the port side; and the starboard side faced the northeastern shore of Ford Island. Just before 8 am, the ship’s air raid alarm sounded and the crew was ordered to general quarters. During the attack the battleship was struck by as many as eight aerial bombs, including one 1,700 lb armor-piercing shell which penetrated the deck near the Number 2 turret and detonated in the smokeless powder magazine, causing a cataclysmic explosion which destroyed the ship forward and ignited a fire which burned for two days. Most of the Arizona crewmen who perished in the attack died instantly during the explosion. The ship quickly sank to the bottom of the harbor along with 1,177 of the 1,512 personnel on board, representing about half the total number of Americans killed that day.  Petty Officer 1st Class Lipple was listed as Missing in Action on 7 Dec 1941 and later declared dead while missing.  
 
Petty Officer 1st Class Lipple is buried on the USS Arizona and is memorialized at the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (Punchbowl) in Honolulu, HI.  He is also memorialized with a cenotaph at the St. Thomas Cemetery in Ashville, PA.  He was awarded the Purple Heart.  VFW Post 4315 in Ashville, PA was named after Petty Officer 1st Class Lipple.
 
References:
Wikipedia
https://pearlharbor.org/facts-uss-arizona-bb-39/
http://www.ibiblio.org/phha/arizona/history.html#pearlharbor
 
This information was researched and written on behalf of the USS Arizona Mall Memorial at the University of Arizona.