Robert was a Water Tender in the U.S. Navy during WWII. As a 2nd class petty officer, he was responsible for firefighting and running and maintenance of the ship's boilers aboard the USS Reid DD-369.
On December 11, 1944, the Reid was on patrol around Leyte and the Philippines, supporting landings and escorting damaged ships toward Leyte Gulf. At about 1700 hours, twelve enemy planes approached the convoy. The USS Reid was the nearest ship to the oncoming planes. Planes 1 and 2 were shot down by the 5" battery, but plane 3 exploded about 500 yards off the starboard beam. Plane 4 hooked a wing on the starboard rigging, crashing at the waterline. Its bomb exploded, doing considerable damage forward. Plane 5 strafed the ship, hitting the starboard side with a barrage of bullets, and then it crashed on the port bow. Plane 6 strafed the bridge from the port side and crashed off the starboard bow. Plane 7 came in from aft stern strafing and crashed into the quarter deck on the port side of the ship. Its bomb exploded in the aft magazine locker blowing the ship apart. All of this action took place in less than a minute.
The ship was still doing 20 knots. As the stern opened up, she rolled violently, then laid over on her starboard side and dove to the bottom (600 fathoms down) of the Sea of Bohol. It was all over in less than two minutes.
103 sailors went down with her. About 150 survivors were rescued by other landing craft from the convoy.
On December 11, 1944, the Reid was on patrol around Leyte and the Philippines, supporting landings and escorting damaged ships toward Leyte Gulf. At about 1700 hours, twelve enemy planes approached the convoy. The USS Reid was the nearest ship to the oncoming planes. Planes 1 and 2 were shot down by the 5" battery, but plane 3 exploded about 500 yards off the starboard beam. Plane 4 hooked a wing on the starboard rigging, crashing at the waterline. Its bomb exploded, doing considerable damage forward. Plane 5 strafed the ship, hitting the starboard side with a barrage of bullets, and then it crashed on the port bow. Plane 6 strafed the bridge from the port side and crashed off the starboard bow. Plane 7 came in from aft stern strafing and crashed into the quarter deck on the port side of the ship. Its bomb exploded in the aft magazine locker blowing the ship apart. All of this action took place in less than a minute.
The ship was still doing 20 knots. As the stern opened up, she rolled violently, then laid over on her starboard side and dove to the bottom (600 fathoms down) of the Sea of Bohol. It was all over in less than two minutes.
103 sailors went down with her. About 150 survivors were rescued by other landing craft from the convoy.
Robert was a Water Tender in the U.S. Navy during WWII. As a 2nd class petty officer, he was responsible for firefighting and running and maintenance of the ship's boilers aboard the USS Reid DD-369.
On December 11, 1944, the Reid was on patrol around Leyte and the Philippines, supporting landings and escorting damaged ships toward Leyte Gulf. At about 1700 hours, twelve enemy planes approached the convoy. The USS Reid was the nearest ship to the oncoming planes. Planes 1 and 2 were shot down by the 5" battery, but plane 3 exploded about 500 yards off the starboard beam. Plane 4 hooked a wing on the starboard rigging, crashing at the waterline. Its bomb exploded, doing considerable damage forward. Plane 5 strafed the ship, hitting the starboard side with a barrage of bullets, and then it crashed on the port bow. Plane 6 strafed the bridge from the port side and crashed off the starboard bow. Plane 7 came in from aft stern strafing and crashed into the quarter deck on the port side of the ship. Its bomb exploded in the aft magazine locker blowing the ship apart. All of this action took place in less than a minute.
The ship was still doing 20 knots. As the stern opened up, she rolled violently, then laid over on her starboard side and dove to the bottom (600 fathoms down) of the Sea of Bohol. It was all over in less than two minutes.
103 sailors went down with her. About 150 survivors were rescued by other landing craft from the convoy.
On December 11, 1944, the Reid was on patrol around Leyte and the Philippines, supporting landings and escorting damaged ships toward Leyte Gulf. At about 1700 hours, twelve enemy planes approached the convoy. The USS Reid was the nearest ship to the oncoming planes. Planes 1 and 2 were shot down by the 5" battery, but plane 3 exploded about 500 yards off the starboard beam. Plane 4 hooked a wing on the starboard rigging, crashing at the waterline. Its bomb exploded, doing considerable damage forward. Plane 5 strafed the ship, hitting the starboard side with a barrage of bullets, and then it crashed on the port bow. Plane 6 strafed the bridge from the port side and crashed off the starboard bow. Plane 7 came in from aft stern strafing and crashed into the quarter deck on the port side of the ship. Its bomb exploded in the aft magazine locker blowing the ship apart. All of this action took place in less than a minute.
The ship was still doing 20 knots. As the stern opened up, she rolled violently, then laid over on her starboard side and dove to the bottom (600 fathoms down) of the Sea of Bohol. It was all over in less than two minutes.
103 sailors went down with her. About 150 survivors were rescued by other landing craft from the convoy.
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