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Casualty Info
Home Town Vilonia, AR
Last Address Searcy, AR
Casualty Date Feb 16, 1943
Cause KIA-Body Not Recovered
Reason Other Explosive Device
Location Pacific Ocean
Conflict World War II
Location of Interment Manila American Cemetery and Memorial - Manila, Philippines
Wall/Plot Coordinates (cenotaph)
Official Badges
Unofficial Badges
Additional Information
Last Known Activity:
MM3 Barr was a member of the crew aboard the USS Amberjack (SS-219) when she was sunk on February 16, 1943. His was listed as missing in action and later declared dead.
Luther Vaughter Barr was born May 5, 1921 in Newton, Faulkner county, Arkansas, son of Luther Washington and Icy G. (Roberts) Barr. His family lived in Vilonia, in Faulkner county, where his father was a farmer. An older sister, Edith, died at age 4 in October 1921. In 1926 his parents divorced and Luther lived with his mother in Conway, also in Faulkner county. He had a grammar school education, and worked with the CCC on road construction prior to entering the service.
On July 3, 1940 Luther entered the Navy at Little Rock, Arkansas. He was aboard USS Fulton (AS-11) for her commissioning on September 12, 1941 as a Fireman 3rd class. He later served aboard USS Guardfish (SS-217). While aboard Guardfish his rate changed to Fireman 1st class. He then served aboard USS Gato (SS-212).
Luther reported aboard USS Amberjack (SS-219) on January 22, 1943 as a Machinist’s Mate 3rd class.
Departing Brisbane on 26 January 1943, Amberjack started her third war patrol in the Solomons area. On 29 January she was directed to pass close to Tetipari Island and then proceed to the northwest and patrol the approaches to Shortland Basin. Orders were radioed on 1 February for her to move north and patrol the western approaches to Buka Passage. Having complied with these orders, Amberjack made her first radio report, on 3 February, telling of contact with an enemy submarine 14 miles southeast of Treasury Island on 1 February, and of sinking a two-masted schooner by gunfire twenty miles from Buka the afternoon of 3 February 1943. At this time she was ordered to move south along the Buka-Shortland traffic lane and patrol east of Vella Lavella Island.
The last radio transmission received from Amberjack was made on 14 February 1943. She related having been forced down the night before by two destroyers, and that she had recovered from the water and taken prisoner an enemy aviator on 13 February. She was ordered north of Latitude 6°-30'S, and told to keep hunting for Rabaul traffic.
All further messages to Amberjack remained unanswered, and when, by March 10, she had failed to make her routine report estimating the time of her arrival at base, she was ordered to do so. No reply was received, and she was reported as presumed lost on 22 March 1943.
MM3 Luther V. Barr was among the men listed as missing in action and later declared dead. He was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart.
Luther V. Barr’s name appears on the Tablets of the Missing, Manila American Cemetery and Memorial, Manila, Philippines.
This story is part of the Stories Behind the Stars project (see www.storiesbehindthestars.org). This is a national effort of volunteers to write the stories of all 400,000+ of the US WWII fallen saved on Together We Served and Fold3. Can you help write these stories? Related to this, there will be a smartphone app that will allow people to visit any war memorial or cemetery, scan the fallen's name and read his/her story.
Comments/Citation:
Service number: 3468202
Submarine war patrols:
Uss Guardfish (SS-217) - 1st through 3rd
USS Gato (SS-212) - 2nd and 3rd
USS Amberjack (SS-219) - 3rd
The information contained in this profile was compiled from various internet sources.
