A Memorial Stone is in place with his Mother and Father's grave, at Vivian Cemetery, Caddo Parish, Vivian, Louisiana.
He was lost aboard the submarine USS Swordfish SS-193 in WWII. He was a Radioman, Third Class in the U S Navy. He received the Purple Heart for his service to his country. He is, also, recognized at the Tablets of the Missing at Honolulu Memorial, Honolulu, Hawaii.
Marshall Edward Cox, Jr is the son of Marshall Edward Cox Sr.
and May Agnes Beaudreaux Cox. He is my uncle whom I never met as he was lost prior to my birth.
Thanks to those who have helped keep alive the importance of the service of these courageous men.
__________________________________________________________
The USS Swordfish (SS-193) was a Sargo-class World War II era submarine.
The namesake of the USS Swordfish is a large fish with a long, sword-like beak and a high dorsal fin.
The radio call sign of the USS Swordfish was NAN-UNCLE-DOG-GEORGE.
On December 22, 1944, the Swordfish, captained by Commander Keats E. Montross, departed Pearl Harbor for her thirteenth and final war patrol. She had received orders to patrol in an area off the Ryukyu Islands. She had also been outfitted with special equipment for a photo reconnaissance mission at Okinawa. After stopping at Midway Island to top off her fuel, she headed west for the big Japanese stronghold in the Nansei Shoto chain. On January 3, 1945, she acknowledged receipt of new orders to proceed to and to patrol near the approximate geographic position 30° 00' N, 132° 00' E until further notice. The reason for this move was to keep her out of harms way during a planned January carrier strike on the Ryukyus. Her acknowledgement of this order was the last communication ever received from the Swordfish. On January 9, 1945, she was ordered to proceed to the Nansei Shoto Archipelago to perform her special mission. Upon completion of the photographic and observation mission, she was told to proceed to the submarine base at Saipan, unless she was unable to communicate by radio, in which case she was supposed to return to Midway. When the Swordfish failed to appear at Saipan or Midway, and silence was the only response to radio messages sent to her, it became obvious she was lost. 1
On February 15, 1945, she was reported as presumed lost due to unknown causes. The public announcement was made on May 4, 1945.
Navy Department Communiqué No. 595, May 4, 1945
1. The submarine USS Swordfish is overdue from patrol and presumed lost. Next of kin of officers and crew have been informed.
Loss Possibilities
1. The Swordfish was probably sunk by depth charges, on January 5, 1945, at the approximate geographic position 29° 25' N, 141° 07' E, which is southeast of Tori-shima island, an uninhabited volcanic island at the south end of the Izu Islands. On that date, near that location, at about 1705 hours, the 572-ton Japanese Army cargo vessel Shoto Maru was hit in the bow by a torpedo and sank at about 1906 hours. John D. Alden attributes this attack and the sinking to the Swordfish. The Japanese coastal defense vessel CD-4 conducted a counterattack with depth charges and reported that oil continued to rise to the surface for the next thirty hours. 2
2. The Swordfish possibly sank sometime after January 9, 1945, as a result of hitting a mine. During the first half of 1944, the Japanese had laid four minefields in the Okinawa area. On January 9, 1945, the Swordfish had been ordered to proceed to this area to complete a photographic reconnaissance assignment. This mission may have taken her into one of the minefields laid in 1944 or into freshly laid inshore minefields planted to defend Okinawan beach approaches. 3
3. On January 12, 1945, the USS Kete (SS-369), while on station in the Okinawa area, reported a possible contact with a nearby submersible. The Kete was unable to positively identify the contact, but the Swordfish was expected to be in the vicinity at that time. About four hours later, the Kete heard the sound of a heavy barrage of depth charges. Japanese records reviewed after the war did not record the event heard by the Kete. But such a heavy barrage could have been aimed at the Swordfish. 4
The bottom line is no one knows for certain what happened to the Swordfish. This long serving submarine and her valiant crew went down together leaving a significant record of accomplishments in their wake.
A list of the men lost with the Swordfish is maintained at On Eternal Patrol.
The Swordfish was scored by JANAC with sinking 47,928 tons of enemy shipping in twelve vessels. Her Alden-McDonald score is sixteen vessels sunk for 55,641 tons and four vessels damaged for 26,150 tons. Her SORG score is seventeen vessels sunk for 101,400 tons and nine vessels damaged for 61,900 tons. The Swordfish earned eight battle stars for her World War II service in her distinguished thirteen-patrol career. She sank the Atsutasan Maru, the first Japanese ship sunk by a U. S. submarine in the Pacific war. 5
Patrol Data & Tonnage Scores
USS Swordfish (SS-193) Second Patrol
Footnotes:
1. United States Submarine Losses World War II, p. 132.
2. Miller, Vernon J., "U. S. Submarine Losses," issue 44, p. 57; Hackett, Bob, and Sander Kingsepp and Peter Cundall, "IJN Escort CD-4: Tabular Record of Movement," published online at Combined Fleet; Alden, John D., and Craig R. McDonald, United States and Allied Submarine Successes in the Pacific and Far East During World War II, Fourth Edition, Attack No. 3359.
3. Miller, Vernon J., op cit.; Holmes, Wilfred J., Undersea Victory: The Influence of Submarine Operations on the War in the Pacific, p. 436-437.
4. Ibid.
5. Alden, John D., and Craig R. McDonald, United States and Allied Submarine Successes in the Pacific and Far East During World War II, Fourth Edition, see USS Swordfish (SS-193), Attack Nos. 1, 14, 15, 16, 17, 47, 48, 63, 67, 177, 186, 187, 198, 199, 434, 443, 557, 1044, 1045, 1084, 1496, 1496.5, 1506, 1558, 1806, 1807, 2073, 2099, 2100, 2143, 2145, 2179, 2220, and 3359; Submarine war patrol reports on CD, USS Swordfish (SS-193), data collected by the Submarine Operations Research Group (SORG) in the report "Results of U. S. Submarine War Patrols Listed Alphabetically by Name of Submarine"; Japanese Naval And Merchant Shipping Losses During World War II By All Causes, Joint Army-Navy Assessment Committee, USS Swordfish (SS-193).
________________
CSC Arthur Abrahamson
MoMM2 Roy G Arold
PhM3 Donald Baeckler
MoMM1 Gilbert S Baker
RM1 Joseph J Basta
F1 Mack Bates
LCDR Daniel S Baughman Jr
S1 Claude J BenBennick
MoMM2 Michael Billy
RM3 Joseph R.L Blanchard
MoMM2 LeRoy J Bleasdell
MoMM2 Wesley C Bogdan
MoMM3 Andrew E Braley
SC1 Robert J Brown
RTC Fred M Cauley Jr.
EM2 Allen D Clark
TM3 Timothy J Connors
RM3 Marshall E Cox Jr.
LT Robert F Daly
EM2 Herman W Davis
LT J.V Delladonna
TM2 Warren Dillon
S1 Gordon K Draga
EM2 Loris H Duncan
MoMm1 Emory W Dunton Sr.
BK3 Leonard O Echols
TM2 George V Edwards
EM3 Robert L Emmingham
GM3 Eugene R Fausset
S1 Kenneth F Feiss
TM1 Eugene J Forsythe
S1 John G Fowler
EM1 Nick Funk
SM2 Emery A. Galley Jr.
QM2 Dee E Gambrell Jr.
MoMM3 Eleazar Garza
S1 Bernard J Geraghty Jr.
MoMM2 Howard M Gilfillan
MoMM1 John V Graf
RM3 George P Graham
SM1 William P Grandy
EM1 Ralph L Hafter
EMC Charles E Hall
MoMM1 Ralph W Haserodt
EM3 Winslow C Haskins
TM3 Jack E Haynes
MoMM2 Ray Holland
LT R.D Hoopes Jr.
MoMM3 Fred A Hrynko
LTjg Robert L Janes
MoMM3 Robert E Johnson
PhM3 Stephen J Johnson
F1 John R Kelly
SM3 Vernon Kirk
MoMM3 William E Kohler
MM2 Richard B Kremer
TM3 Roy E Kroll
F1 Hollie O Lauderdale
MoMM3 Douglas C Lindsay
YNC Gerald A Looney
S1 Russell LoPresti
TM3 John H Madden Jr.
ENS Paul Marvin
EM2 James M Mayfield
RT3 Morriss F McCaffrey
FC2 William T Meacham Jr.
CDR(CO) Keats E Montross
GM2 Kenneth E Pence
BM2 Fremont Petty
PhM1 Gordon R Plourd
ENS Claude L Pollard
S1 Earl W Preston Jr.
LCDR(XO) John B Pye
MoMM3 Harry N Robinson Jr.
QMC William E Russell
LT K.D Schwendener
COX William Siskaninetz
QM3 James A Skeldon
MoMMC Clifford F Slater
MoMM2 Mike Soffes
EM3 Frank H Spencer Jr.
MoMM1 Wally G Statton
TM2 Harold A Stone
EM3 Fred A Tarbox
S1 James F Taylor
TM3 Elwood K VanHorn
TM2 Arnold J Wagner
TM1 Thurman A Williams
EM3 Joseph E Wren
THIS LISTING IS A MEMORIAL CENOTAPH. ACTUAL BURIAL IS ELSEWHERE.
_________
**** NOTE: There are descrepencies in the date of death.
_________
Marshall Edward Cox, Jr.
Rank/Rate Radioman, Third Class
Service Number 645 24 63
Birth Date February 11, 1924
From Rodessa, Louisiana
Decorations Purple Heart
Submarine USS Swordfish (SS-193)
Loss Date January 12, 1945
Location Near Yaku Island off Kyushu, Japan
Circumstances Lost at sea, cause unknown
Remarks Marshall was born in Harmon,
Louisiana.
Photo and information courtesy of Janice Williams Langley, niece.
Swordfish (SS-193)
Compiled by Paul W. Wittmer and Charles R. Hinman, originally from:
U.S. Submarine Losses World War II, NAVPERS 15,784, 1949 ISSUE
SWORDFISH, under Cdr. K. E. Montross, left Pearl Harbor on 22 December 1944, to carry on her thirteenth patrol in the vicinity of Nansei Shoto. She topped off with fuel at Midway on 26 December and left that day for her area. In addition to her regular patrol, SWORDFISH was to conduct photographic reconnaissance of Okinawa, for preparation of the Okinawa Campaign.
On 2 January, SWORDFISH was ordered to delay carrying out her assigned tasks in order to keep her clear of the Nansei Shoto area until completion of carrier based air strikes, which were scheduled. She was directed to patrol the general vicinity of 30° 00'N, 132° 00'E until further orders were received. In the last communication received from SWORDFISH, she acknowledged receipt of these orders on 3 January.
On 9 January 1945, SWORDFISH was directed to proceed to the vicinity of Okinawa to carry out her special mission. It was estimated that the task would not take more than seven days after arrival on station, which she should have reached on 11 January. Upon completion of her mission, SWORDFISH was to proceed to Saipan, or to Midway if she was unable to transmit by radio. Since neither place had seen her by 15 February, and repeated attempts to raise her by radio had failed, she was reported as presumed lost on that date.
In the report of her loss, mention was made that KETE, which at the time was patrolling the vicinity of Okinawa, reported that on the morning of 12 January she contacted a submarine by radar. It was believed that contact was with SWORDFISH since it was in 27° 00'N, 128° 40'E. Four hours later KETE heard heavy depth charging from this area and it was believed that this attack might have been the cause of SWORDFISH's loss.
Japanese information on anti-submarine attacks does not mention the attack heard by KETE on 12 January, and records no attacks in which SWORDFISH is likely to have been the victim. However, it is now known that there were many mines planted around Okinawa, since the Japanese were expecting an Allied invasion of that Island. The majority of the mines were planted close in. It is considered about equally likely that SWORDFISH was sunk by depth charge attack before she reached Okinawa for her special mission or that she was lost to a mine at that place.
SWORDFISH, in the twelve patrols before her fatal thirteenth, sank twenty-one ships, amounting to 113,100 tons, and damaged an additional eight, totaling 45,800 tons. Her first patrol began the day after the attack on Pearl Harbor, and was conducted west of the Philippines. SWORDFISH sank four freighters, varying from 3,900 tons to 9,400 tons, and damaged a fifth. At the time, this was the most successful patrol in the war. She conducted her second patrol in the lesser Philippine group and among the small Islands between Celebes and New Guinea. Here she sank three medium freighters and a tanker. She also evacuated President Quezon, his family, Vice President Osmena, Chief Justice Santos, and three officers in the Philippine Army from Corregidor and took them to Panay, where they boarded a motor tender. SWORDFISH returned to Manila Bay and evacuated eleven more Philippine officials. SWORDFISH's primary mission on her third patrol was to deliver 40 tons of supplies to the beleaguered Corregidor. However, on 10 April 1942 ComSubsAP told SWORDFISH to neglect her special mission and patrol offensively. SWORDFISH made no attacks on this patrol, but did perform reconnaissance of several islands.
The South China Sea area was the scene of this ship's fourth patrol, and she sank a freighter and a tanker, while she damaged two freighters. She returned to the South China Sea for her fifth patrol, but did no damage to the enemy. SWORDFISH went to the area west of Bougainville for her sixth patrol, and sank a medium freighter and damaged a second freighter. She went again to the Solomons for her seventh patrol and sank a freighter. On her eighth patrol, SWORDFISH covered the Palau-Truk-Rabaul areas during August and September 1943. Here she sank a freighter and a transport, while damaging a freighter-transport. Her ninth patrol was made south of Japan, but she made no attacks, and the patrol was cut short by material defects in SWORDFISH. On her tenth patrol, in the same area as her ninth, SWORDFISH sank a freighter-transport, and two medium freighters.
USS Swordfish Crew
This ship covered the Marianas on her eleventh patrol; she damaged two freighters. On her twelfth patrol, conducted in the Bonins, SWORDFISH sank a freighter and two small trawlers, while she damaged a third trawler. In addition, during this patrol, on 9 June 1944, SWORDFISH sank the Japanese destroyer MATSUKAZE in a night submerged attack as the enemy ship was hearing down for an attack. SWORDFISH was awarded the Navy Unit Commendation for the period of her first, second and fourth patrols.
He was lost aboard the submarine USS Swordfish SS-193 in WWII. He was a Radioman, Third Class in the U S Navy. He received the Purple Heart for his service to his country. He is, also, recognized at the Tablets of the Missing at Honolulu Memorial, Honolulu, Hawaii.
Marshall Edward Cox, Jr is the son of Marshall Edward Cox Sr.
and May Agnes Beaudreaux Cox. He is my uncle whom I never met as he was lost prior to my birth.
Thanks to those who have helped keep alive the importance of the service of these courageous men.
__________________________________________________________
The USS Swordfish (SS-193) was a Sargo-class World War II era submarine.
The namesake of the USS Swordfish is a large fish with a long, sword-like beak and a high dorsal fin.
The radio call sign of the USS Swordfish was NAN-UNCLE-DOG-GEORGE.
On December 22, 1944, the Swordfish, captained by Commander Keats E. Montross, departed Pearl Harbor for her thirteenth and final war patrol. She had received orders to patrol in an area off the Ryukyu Islands. She had also been outfitted with special equipment for a photo reconnaissance mission at Okinawa. After stopping at Midway Island to top off her fuel, she headed west for the big Japanese stronghold in the Nansei Shoto chain. On January 3, 1945, she acknowledged receipt of new orders to proceed to and to patrol near the approximate geographic position 30° 00' N, 132° 00' E until further notice. The reason for this move was to keep her out of harms way during a planned January carrier strike on the Ryukyus. Her acknowledgement of this order was the last communication ever received from the Swordfish. On January 9, 1945, she was ordered to proceed to the Nansei Shoto Archipelago to perform her special mission. Upon completion of the photographic and observation mission, she was told to proceed to the submarine base at Saipan, unless she was unable to communicate by radio, in which case she was supposed to return to Midway. When the Swordfish failed to appear at Saipan or Midway, and silence was the only response to radio messages sent to her, it became obvious she was lost. 1
On February 15, 1945, she was reported as presumed lost due to unknown causes. The public announcement was made on May 4, 1945.
Navy Department Communiqué No. 595, May 4, 1945
1. The submarine USS Swordfish is overdue from patrol and presumed lost. Next of kin of officers and crew have been informed.
Loss Possibilities
1. The Swordfish was probably sunk by depth charges, on January 5, 1945, at the approximate geographic position 29° 25' N, 141° 07' E, which is southeast of Tori-shima island, an uninhabited volcanic island at the south end of the Izu Islands. On that date, near that location, at about 1705 hours, the 572-ton Japanese Army cargo vessel Shoto Maru was hit in the bow by a torpedo and sank at about 1906 hours. John D. Alden attributes this attack and the sinking to the Swordfish. The Japanese coastal defense vessel CD-4 conducted a counterattack with depth charges and reported that oil continued to rise to the surface for the next thirty hours. 2
2. The Swordfish possibly sank sometime after January 9, 1945, as a result of hitting a mine. During the first half of 1944, the Japanese had laid four minefields in the Okinawa area. On January 9, 1945, the Swordfish had been ordered to proceed to this area to complete a photographic reconnaissance assignment. This mission may have taken her into one of the minefields laid in 1944 or into freshly laid inshore minefields planted to defend Okinawan beach approaches. 3
3. On January 12, 1945, the USS Kete (SS-369), while on station in the Okinawa area, reported a possible contact with a nearby submersible. The Kete was unable to positively identify the contact, but the Swordfish was expected to be in the vicinity at that time. About four hours later, the Kete heard the sound of a heavy barrage of depth charges. Japanese records reviewed after the war did not record the event heard by the Kete. But such a heavy barrage could have been aimed at the Swordfish. 4
The bottom line is no one knows for certain what happened to the Swordfish. This long serving submarine and her valiant crew went down together leaving a significant record of accomplishments in their wake.
A list of the men lost with the Swordfish is maintained at On Eternal Patrol.
The Swordfish was scored by JANAC with sinking 47,928 tons of enemy shipping in twelve vessels. Her Alden-McDonald score is sixteen vessels sunk for 55,641 tons and four vessels damaged for 26,150 tons. Her SORG score is seventeen vessels sunk for 101,400 tons and nine vessels damaged for 61,900 tons. The Swordfish earned eight battle stars for her World War II service in her distinguished thirteen-patrol career. She sank the Atsutasan Maru, the first Japanese ship sunk by a U. S. submarine in the Pacific war. 5
Patrol Data & Tonnage Scores
USS Swordfish (SS-193) Second Patrol
Footnotes:
1. United States Submarine Losses World War II, p. 132.
2. Miller, Vernon J., "U. S. Submarine Losses," issue 44, p. 57; Hackett, Bob, and Sander Kingsepp and Peter Cundall, "IJN Escort CD-4: Tabular Record of Movement," published online at Combined Fleet; Alden, John D., and Craig R. McDonald, United States and Allied Submarine Successes in the Pacific and Far East During World War II, Fourth Edition, Attack No. 3359.
3. Miller, Vernon J., op cit.; Holmes, Wilfred J., Undersea Victory: The Influence of Submarine Operations on the War in the Pacific, p. 436-437.
4. Ibid.
5. Alden, John D., and Craig R. McDonald, United States and Allied Submarine Successes in the Pacific and Far East During World War II, Fourth Edition, see USS Swordfish (SS-193), Attack Nos. 1, 14, 15, 16, 17, 47, 48, 63, 67, 177, 186, 187, 198, 199, 434, 443, 557, 1044, 1045, 1084, 1496, 1496.5, 1506, 1558, 1806, 1807, 2073, 2099, 2100, 2143, 2145, 2179, 2220, and 3359; Submarine war patrol reports on CD, USS Swordfish (SS-193), data collected by the Submarine Operations Research Group (SORG) in the report "Results of U. S. Submarine War Patrols Listed Alphabetically by Name of Submarine"; Japanese Naval And Merchant Shipping Losses During World War II By All Causes, Joint Army-Navy Assessment Committee, USS Swordfish (SS-193).
________________
CSC Arthur Abrahamson
MoMM2 Roy G Arold
PhM3 Donald Baeckler
MoMM1 Gilbert S Baker
RM1 Joseph J Basta
F1 Mack Bates
LCDR Daniel S Baughman Jr
S1 Claude J BenBennick
MoMM2 Michael Billy
RM3 Joseph R.L Blanchard
MoMM2 LeRoy J Bleasdell
MoMM2 Wesley C Bogdan
MoMM3 Andrew E Braley
SC1 Robert J Brown
RTC Fred M Cauley Jr.
EM2 Allen D Clark
TM3 Timothy J Connors
RM3 Marshall E Cox Jr.
LT Robert F Daly
EM2 Herman W Davis
LT J.V Delladonna
TM2 Warren Dillon
S1 Gordon K Draga
EM2 Loris H Duncan
MoMm1 Emory W Dunton Sr.
BK3 Leonard O Echols
TM2 George V Edwards
EM3 Robert L Emmingham
GM3 Eugene R Fausset
S1 Kenneth F Feiss
TM1 Eugene J Forsythe
S1 John G Fowler
EM1 Nick Funk
SM2 Emery A. Galley Jr.
QM2 Dee E Gambrell Jr.
MoMM3 Eleazar Garza
S1 Bernard J Geraghty Jr.
MoMM2 Howard M Gilfillan
MoMM1 John V Graf
RM3 George P Graham
SM1 William P Grandy
EM1 Ralph L Hafter
EMC Charles E Hall
MoMM1 Ralph W Haserodt
EM3 Winslow C Haskins
TM3 Jack E Haynes
MoMM2 Ray Holland
LT R.D Hoopes Jr.
MoMM3 Fred A Hrynko
LTjg Robert L Janes
MoMM3 Robert E Johnson
PhM3 Stephen J Johnson
F1 John R Kelly
SM3 Vernon Kirk
MoMM3 William E Kohler
MM2 Richard B Kremer
TM3 Roy E Kroll
F1 Hollie O Lauderdale
MoMM3 Douglas C Lindsay
YNC Gerald A Looney
S1 Russell LoPresti
TM3 John H Madden Jr.
ENS Paul Marvin
EM2 James M Mayfield
RT3 Morriss F McCaffrey
FC2 William T Meacham Jr.
CDR(CO) Keats E Montross
GM2 Kenneth E Pence
BM2 Fremont Petty
PhM1 Gordon R Plourd
ENS Claude L Pollard
S1 Earl W Preston Jr.
LCDR(XO) John B Pye
MoMM3 Harry N Robinson Jr.
QMC William E Russell
LT K.D Schwendener
COX William Siskaninetz
QM3 James A Skeldon
MoMMC Clifford F Slater
MoMM2 Mike Soffes
EM3 Frank H Spencer Jr.
MoMM1 Wally G Statton
TM2 Harold A Stone
EM3 Fred A Tarbox
S1 James F Taylor
TM3 Elwood K VanHorn
TM2 Arnold J Wagner
TM1 Thurman A Williams
EM3 Joseph E Wren
THIS LISTING IS A MEMORIAL CENOTAPH. ACTUAL BURIAL IS ELSEWHERE.
_________
**** NOTE: There are descrepencies in the date of death.
_________
Marshall Edward Cox, Jr.
Rank/Rate Radioman, Third Class
Service Number 645 24 63
Birth Date February 11, 1924
From Rodessa, Louisiana
Decorations Purple Heart
Submarine USS Swordfish (SS-193)
Loss Date January 12, 1945
Location Near Yaku Island off Kyushu, Japan
Circumstances Lost at sea, cause unknown
Remarks Marshall was born in Harmon,
Louisiana.
Photo and information courtesy of Janice Williams Langley, niece.
Swordfish (SS-193)
Compiled by Paul W. Wittmer and Charles R. Hinman, originally from:
U.S. Submarine Losses World War II, NAVPERS 15,784, 1949 ISSUE
SWORDFISH, under Cdr. K. E. Montross, left Pearl Harbor on 22 December 1944, to carry on her thirteenth patrol in the vicinity of Nansei Shoto. She topped off with fuel at Midway on 26 December and left that day for her area. In addition to her regular patrol, SWORDFISH was to conduct photographic reconnaissance of Okinawa, for preparation of the Okinawa Campaign.
On 2 January, SWORDFISH was ordered to delay carrying out her assigned tasks in order to keep her clear of the Nansei Shoto area until completion of carrier based air strikes, which were scheduled. She was directed to patrol the general vicinity of 30° 00'N, 132° 00'E until further orders were received. In the last communication received from SWORDFISH, she acknowledged receipt of these orders on 3 January.
On 9 January 1945, SWORDFISH was directed to proceed to the vicinity of Okinawa to carry out her special mission. It was estimated that the task would not take more than seven days after arrival on station, which she should have reached on 11 January. Upon completion of her mission, SWORDFISH was to proceed to Saipan, or to Midway if she was unable to transmit by radio. Since neither place had seen her by 15 February, and repeated attempts to raise her by radio had failed, she was reported as presumed lost on that date.
In the report of her loss, mention was made that KETE, which at the time was patrolling the vicinity of Okinawa, reported that on the morning of 12 January she contacted a submarine by radar. It was believed that contact was with SWORDFISH since it was in 27° 00'N, 128° 40'E. Four hours later KETE heard heavy depth charging from this area and it was believed that this attack might have been the cause of SWORDFISH's loss.
Japanese information on anti-submarine attacks does not mention the attack heard by KETE on 12 January, and records no attacks in which SWORDFISH is likely to have been the victim. However, it is now known that there were many mines planted around Okinawa, since the Japanese were expecting an Allied invasion of that Island. The majority of the mines were planted close in. It is considered about equally likely that SWORDFISH was sunk by depth charge attack before she reached Okinawa for her special mission or that she was lost to a mine at that place.
SWORDFISH, in the twelve patrols before her fatal thirteenth, sank twenty-one ships, amounting to 113,100 tons, and damaged an additional eight, totaling 45,800 tons. Her first patrol began the day after the attack on Pearl Harbor, and was conducted west of the Philippines. SWORDFISH sank four freighters, varying from 3,900 tons to 9,400 tons, and damaged a fifth. At the time, this was the most successful patrol in the war. She conducted her second patrol in the lesser Philippine group and among the small Islands between Celebes and New Guinea. Here she sank three medium freighters and a tanker. She also evacuated President Quezon, his family, Vice President Osmena, Chief Justice Santos, and three officers in the Philippine Army from Corregidor and took them to Panay, where they boarded a motor tender. SWORDFISH returned to Manila Bay and evacuated eleven more Philippine officials. SWORDFISH's primary mission on her third patrol was to deliver 40 tons of supplies to the beleaguered Corregidor. However, on 10 April 1942 ComSubsAP told SWORDFISH to neglect her special mission and patrol offensively. SWORDFISH made no attacks on this patrol, but did perform reconnaissance of several islands.
The South China Sea area was the scene of this ship's fourth patrol, and she sank a freighter and a tanker, while she damaged two freighters. She returned to the South China Sea for her fifth patrol, but did no damage to the enemy. SWORDFISH went to the area west of Bougainville for her sixth patrol, and sank a medium freighter and damaged a second freighter. She went again to the Solomons for her seventh patrol and sank a freighter. On her eighth patrol, SWORDFISH covered the Palau-Truk-Rabaul areas during August and September 1943. Here she sank a freighter and a transport, while damaging a freighter-transport. Her ninth patrol was made south of Japan, but she made no attacks, and the patrol was cut short by material defects in SWORDFISH. On her tenth patrol, in the same area as her ninth, SWORDFISH sank a freighter-transport, and two medium freighters.
USS Swordfish Crew
This ship covered the Marianas on her eleventh patrol; she damaged two freighters. On her twelfth patrol, conducted in the Bonins, SWORDFISH sank a freighter and two small trawlers, while she damaged a third trawler. In addition, during this patrol, on 9 June 1944, SWORDFISH sank the Japanese destroyer MATSUKAZE in a night submerged attack as the enemy ship was hearing down for an attack. SWORDFISH was awarded the Navy Unit Commendation for the period of her first, second and fourth patrols.
A Memorial Stone is in place with his Mother and Father's grave, at Vivian Cemetery, Caddo Parish, Vivian, Louisiana.
He was lost aboard the submarine USS Swordfish SS-193 in WWII. He was a Radioman, Third Class in the U S Navy. He received the Purple Heart for his service to his country. He is, also, recognized at the Tablets of the Missing at Honolulu Memorial, Honolulu, Hawaii.
Marshall Edward Cox, Jr is the son of Marshall Edward Cox Sr.
and May Agnes Beaudreaux Cox. He is my uncle whom I never met as he was lost prior to my birth.
Thanks to those who have helped keep alive the importance of the service of these courageous men.
__________________________________________________________
The USS Swordfish (SS-193) was a Sargo-class World War II era submarine.
The namesake of the USS Swordfish is a large fish with a long, sword-like beak and a high dorsal fin.
The radio call sign of the USS Swordfish was NAN-UNCLE-DOG-GEORGE.
On December 22, 1944, the Swordfish, captained by Commander Keats E. Montross, departed Pearl Harbor for her thirteenth and final war patrol. She had received orders to patrol in an area off the Ryukyu Islands. She had also been outfitted with special equipment for a photo reconnaissance mission at Okinawa. After stopping at Midway Island to top off her fuel, she headed west for the big Japanese stronghold in the Nansei Shoto chain. On January 3, 1945, she acknowledged receipt of new orders to proceed to and to patrol near the approximate geographic position 30° 00' N, 132° 00' E until further notice. The reason for this move was to keep her out of harms way during a planned January carrier strike on the Ryukyus. Her acknowledgement of this order was the last communication ever received from the Swordfish. On January 9, 1945, she was ordered to proceed to the Nansei Shoto Archipelago to perform her special mission. Upon completion of the photographic and observation mission, she was told to proceed to the submarine base at Saipan, unless she was unable to communicate by radio, in which case she was supposed to return to Midway. When the Swordfish failed to appear at Saipan or Midway, and silence was the only response to radio messages sent to her, it became obvious she was lost. 1
On February 15, 1945, she was reported as presumed lost due to unknown causes. The public announcement was made on May 4, 1945.
Navy Department Communiqué No. 595, May 4, 1945
1. The submarine USS Swordfish is overdue from patrol and presumed lost. Next of kin of officers and crew have been informed.
Loss Possibilities
1. The Swordfish was probably sunk by depth charges, on January 5, 1945, at the approximate geographic position 29° 25' N, 141° 07' E, which is southeast of Tori-shima island, an uninhabited volcanic island at the south end of the Izu Islands. On that date, near that location, at about 1705 hours, the 572-ton Japanese Army cargo vessel Shoto Maru was hit in the bow by a torpedo and sank at about 1906 hours. John D. Alden attributes this attack and the sinking to the Swordfish. The Japanese coastal defense vessel CD-4 conducted a counterattack with depth charges and reported that oil continued to rise to the surface for the next thirty hours. 2
2. The Swordfish possibly sank sometime after January 9, 1945, as a result of hitting a mine. During the first half of 1944, the Japanese had laid four minefields in the Okinawa area. On January 9, 1945, the Swordfish had been ordered to proceed to this area to complete a photographic reconnaissance assignment. This mission may have taken her into one of the minefields laid in 1944 or into freshly laid inshore minefields planted to defend Okinawan beach approaches. 3
3. On January 12, 1945, the USS Kete (SS-369), while on station in the Okinawa area, reported a possible contact with a nearby submersible. The Kete was unable to positively identify the contact, but the Swordfish was expected to be in the vicinity at that time. About four hours later, the Kete heard the sound of a heavy barrage of depth charges. Japanese records reviewed after the war did not record the event heard by the Kete. But such a heavy barrage could have been aimed at the Swordfish. 4
The bottom line is no one knows for certain what happened to the Swordfish. This long serving submarine and her valiant crew went down together leaving a significant record of accomplishments in their wake.
A list of the men lost with the Swordfish is maintained at On Eternal Patrol.
The Swordfish was scored by JANAC with sinking 47,928 tons of enemy shipping in twelve vessels. Her Alden-McDonald score is sixteen vessels sunk for 55,641 tons and four vessels damaged for 26,150 tons. Her SORG score is seventeen vessels sunk for 101,400 tons and nine vessels damaged for 61,900 tons. The Swordfish earned eight battle stars for her World War II service in her distinguished thirteen-patrol career. She sank the Atsutasan Maru, the first Japanese ship sunk by a U. S. submarine in the Pacific war. 5
Patrol Data & Tonnage Scores
USS Swordfish (SS-193) Second Patrol
Footnotes:
1. United States Submarine Losses World War II, p. 132.
2. Miller, Vernon J., "U. S. Submarine Losses," issue 44, p. 57; Hackett, Bob, and Sander Kingsepp and Peter Cundall, "IJN Escort CD-4: Tabular Record of Movement," published online at Combined Fleet; Alden, John D., and Craig R. McDonald, United States and Allied Submarine Successes in the Pacific and Far East During World War II, Fourth Edition, Attack No. 3359.
3. Miller, Vernon J., op cit.; Holmes, Wilfred J., Undersea Victory: The Influence of Submarine Operations on the War in the Pacific, p. 436-437.
4. Ibid.
5. Alden, John D., and Craig R. McDonald, United States and Allied Submarine Successes in the Pacific and Far East During World War II, Fourth Edition, see USS Swordfish (SS-193), Attack Nos. 1, 14, 15, 16, 17, 47, 48, 63, 67, 177, 186, 187, 198, 199, 434, 443, 557, 1044, 1045, 1084, 1496, 1496.5, 1506, 1558, 1806, 1807, 2073, 2099, 2100, 2143, 2145, 2179, 2220, and 3359; Submarine war patrol reports on CD, USS Swordfish (SS-193), data collected by the Submarine Operations Research Group (SORG) in the report "Results of U. S. Submarine War Patrols Listed Alphabetically by Name of Submarine"; Japanese Naval And Merchant Shipping Losses During World War II By All Causes, Joint Army-Navy Assessment Committee, USS Swordfish (SS-193).
________________
CSC Arthur Abrahamson
MoMM2 Roy G Arold
PhM3 Donald Baeckler
MoMM1 Gilbert S Baker
RM1 Joseph J Basta
F1 Mack Bates
LCDR Daniel S Baughman Jr
S1 Claude J BenBennick
MoMM2 Michael Billy
RM3 Joseph R.L Blanchard
MoMM2 LeRoy J Bleasdell
MoMM2 Wesley C Bogdan
MoMM3 Andrew E Braley
SC1 Robert J Brown
RTC Fred M Cauley Jr.
EM2 Allen D Clark
TM3 Timothy J Connors
RM3 Marshall E Cox Jr.
LT Robert F Daly
EM2 Herman W Davis
LT J.V Delladonna
TM2 Warren Dillon
S1 Gordon K Draga
EM2 Loris H Duncan
MoMm1 Emory W Dunton Sr.
BK3 Leonard O Echols
TM2 George V Edwards
EM3 Robert L Emmingham
GM3 Eugene R Fausset
S1 Kenneth F Feiss
TM1 Eugene J Forsythe
S1 John G Fowler
EM1 Nick Funk
SM2 Emery A. Galley Jr.
QM2 Dee E Gambrell Jr.
MoMM3 Eleazar Garza
S1 Bernard J Geraghty Jr.
MoMM2 Howard M Gilfillan
MoMM1 John V Graf
RM3 George P Graham
SM1 William P Grandy
EM1 Ralph L Hafter
EMC Charles E Hall
MoMM1 Ralph W Haserodt
EM3 Winslow C Haskins
TM3 Jack E Haynes
MoMM2 Ray Holland
LT R.D Hoopes Jr.
MoMM3 Fred A Hrynko
LTjg Robert L Janes
MoMM3 Robert E Johnson
PhM3 Stephen J Johnson
F1 John R Kelly
SM3 Vernon Kirk
MoMM3 William E Kohler
MM2 Richard B Kremer
TM3 Roy E Kroll
F1 Hollie O Lauderdale
MoMM3 Douglas C Lindsay
YNC Gerald A Looney
S1 Russell LoPresti
TM3 John H Madden Jr.
ENS Paul Marvin
EM2 James M Mayfield
RT3 Morriss F McCaffrey
FC2 William T Meacham Jr.
CDR(CO) Keats E Montross
GM2 Kenneth E Pence
BM2 Fremont Petty
PhM1 Gordon R Plourd
ENS Claude L Pollard
S1 Earl W Preston Jr.
LCDR(XO) John B Pye
MoMM3 Harry N Robinson Jr.
QMC William E Russell
LT K.D Schwendener
COX William Siskaninetz
QM3 James A Skeldon
MoMMC Clifford F Slater
MoMM2 Mike Soffes
EM3 Frank H Spencer Jr.
MoMM1 Wally G Statton
TM2 Harold A Stone
EM3 Fred A Tarbox
S1 James F Taylor
TM3 Elwood K VanHorn
TM2 Arnold J Wagner
TM1 Thurman A Williams
EM3 Joseph E Wren
THIS LISTING IS A MEMORIAL CENOTAPH. ACTUAL BURIAL IS ELSEWHERE.
_________
**** NOTE: There are descrepencies in the date of death.
_________
Marshall Edward Cox, Jr.
Rank/Rate Radioman, Third Class
Service Number 645 24 63
Birth Date February 11, 1924
From Rodessa, Louisiana
Decorations Purple Heart
Submarine USS Swordfish (SS-193)
Loss Date January 12, 1945
Location Near Yaku Island off Kyushu, Japan
Circumstances Lost at sea, cause unknown
Remarks Marshall was born in Harmon,
Louisiana.
Photo and information courtesy of Janice Williams Langley, niece.
Swordfish (SS-193)
Compiled by Paul W. Wittmer and Charles R. Hinman, originally from:
U.S. Submarine Losses World War II, NAVPERS 15,784, 1949 ISSUE
SWORDFISH, under Cdr. K. E. Montross, left Pearl Harbor on 22 December 1944, to carry on her thirteenth patrol in the vicinity of Nansei Shoto. She topped off with fuel at Midway on 26 December and left that day for her area. In addition to her regular patrol, SWORDFISH was to conduct photographic reconnaissance of Okinawa, for preparation of the Okinawa Campaign.
On 2 January, SWORDFISH was ordered to delay carrying out her assigned tasks in order to keep her clear of the Nansei Shoto area until completion of carrier based air strikes, which were scheduled. She was directed to patrol the general vicinity of 30° 00'N, 132° 00'E until further orders were received. In the last communication received from SWORDFISH, she acknowledged receipt of these orders on 3 January.
On 9 January 1945, SWORDFISH was directed to proceed to the vicinity of Okinawa to carry out her special mission. It was estimated that the task would not take more than seven days after arrival on station, which she should have reached on 11 January. Upon completion of her mission, SWORDFISH was to proceed to Saipan, or to Midway if she was unable to transmit by radio. Since neither place had seen her by 15 February, and repeated attempts to raise her by radio had failed, she was reported as presumed lost on that date.
In the report of her loss, mention was made that KETE, which at the time was patrolling the vicinity of Okinawa, reported that on the morning of 12 January she contacted a submarine by radar. It was believed that contact was with SWORDFISH since it was in 27° 00'N, 128° 40'E. Four hours later KETE heard heavy depth charging from this area and it was believed that this attack might have been the cause of SWORDFISH's loss.
Japanese information on anti-submarine attacks does not mention the attack heard by KETE on 12 January, and records no attacks in which SWORDFISH is likely to have been the victim. However, it is now known that there were many mines planted around Okinawa, since the Japanese were expecting an Allied invasion of that Island. The majority of the mines were planted close in. It is considered about equally likely that SWORDFISH was sunk by depth charge attack before she reached Okinawa for her special mission or that she was lost to a mine at that place.
SWORDFISH, in the twelve patrols before her fatal thirteenth, sank twenty-one ships, amounting to 113,100 tons, and damaged an additional eight, totaling 45,800 tons. Her first patrol began the day after the attack on Pearl Harbor, and was conducted west of the Philippines. SWORDFISH sank four freighters, varying from 3,900 tons to 9,400 tons, and damaged a fifth. At the time, this was the most successful patrol in the war. She conducted her second patrol in the lesser Philippine group and among the small Islands between Celebes and New Guinea. Here she sank three medium freighters and a tanker. She also evacuated President Quezon, his family, Vice President Osmena, Chief Justice Santos, and three officers in the Philippine Army from Corregidor and took them to Panay, where they boarded a motor tender. SWORDFISH returned to Manila Bay and evacuated eleven more Philippine officials. SWORDFISH's primary mission on her third patrol was to deliver 40 tons of supplies to the beleaguered Corregidor. However, on 10 April 1942 ComSubsAP told SWORDFISH to neglect her special mission and patrol offensively. SWORDFISH made no attacks on this patrol, but did perform reconnaissance of several islands.
The South China Sea area was the scene of this ship's fourth patrol, and she sank a freighter and a tanker, while she damaged two freighters. She returned to the South China Sea for her fifth patrol, but did no damage to the enemy. SWORDFISH went to the area west of Bougainville for her sixth patrol, and sank a medium freighter and damaged a second freighter. She went again to the Solomons for her seventh patrol and sank a freighter. On her eighth patrol, SWORDFISH covered the Palau-Truk-Rabaul areas during August and September 1943. Here she sank a freighter and a transport, while damaging a freighter-transport. Her ninth patrol was made south of Japan, but she made no attacks, and the patrol was cut short by material defects in SWORDFISH. On her tenth patrol, in the same area as her ninth, SWORDFISH sank a freighter-transport, and two medium freighters.
USS Swordfish Crew
This ship covered the Marianas on her eleventh patrol; she damaged two freighters. On her twelfth patrol, conducted in the Bonins, SWORDFISH sank a freighter and two small trawlers, while she damaged a third trawler. In addition, during this patrol, on 9 June 1944, SWORDFISH sank the Japanese destroyer MATSUKAZE in a night submerged attack as the enemy ship was hearing down for an attack. SWORDFISH was awarded the Navy Unit Commendation for the period of her first, second and fourth patrols.
He was lost aboard the submarine USS Swordfish SS-193 in WWII. He was a Radioman, Third Class in the U S Navy. He received the Purple Heart for his service to his country. He is, also, recognized at the Tablets of the Missing at Honolulu Memorial, Honolulu, Hawaii.
Marshall Edward Cox, Jr is the son of Marshall Edward Cox Sr.
and May Agnes Beaudreaux Cox. He is my uncle whom I never met as he was lost prior to my birth.
Thanks to those who have helped keep alive the importance of the service of these courageous men.
__________________________________________________________
The USS Swordfish (SS-193) was a Sargo-class World War II era submarine.
The namesake of the USS Swordfish is a large fish with a long, sword-like beak and a high dorsal fin.
The radio call sign of the USS Swordfish was NAN-UNCLE-DOG-GEORGE.
On December 22, 1944, the Swordfish, captained by Commander Keats E. Montross, departed Pearl Harbor for her thirteenth and final war patrol. She had received orders to patrol in an area off the Ryukyu Islands. She had also been outfitted with special equipment for a photo reconnaissance mission at Okinawa. After stopping at Midway Island to top off her fuel, she headed west for the big Japanese stronghold in the Nansei Shoto chain. On January 3, 1945, she acknowledged receipt of new orders to proceed to and to patrol near the approximate geographic position 30° 00' N, 132° 00' E until further notice. The reason for this move was to keep her out of harms way during a planned January carrier strike on the Ryukyus. Her acknowledgement of this order was the last communication ever received from the Swordfish. On January 9, 1945, she was ordered to proceed to the Nansei Shoto Archipelago to perform her special mission. Upon completion of the photographic and observation mission, she was told to proceed to the submarine base at Saipan, unless she was unable to communicate by radio, in which case she was supposed to return to Midway. When the Swordfish failed to appear at Saipan or Midway, and silence was the only response to radio messages sent to her, it became obvious she was lost. 1
On February 15, 1945, she was reported as presumed lost due to unknown causes. The public announcement was made on May 4, 1945.
Navy Department Communiqué No. 595, May 4, 1945
1. The submarine USS Swordfish is overdue from patrol and presumed lost. Next of kin of officers and crew have been informed.
Loss Possibilities
1. The Swordfish was probably sunk by depth charges, on January 5, 1945, at the approximate geographic position 29° 25' N, 141° 07' E, which is southeast of Tori-shima island, an uninhabited volcanic island at the south end of the Izu Islands. On that date, near that location, at about 1705 hours, the 572-ton Japanese Army cargo vessel Shoto Maru was hit in the bow by a torpedo and sank at about 1906 hours. John D. Alden attributes this attack and the sinking to the Swordfish. The Japanese coastal defense vessel CD-4 conducted a counterattack with depth charges and reported that oil continued to rise to the surface for the next thirty hours. 2
2. The Swordfish possibly sank sometime after January 9, 1945, as a result of hitting a mine. During the first half of 1944, the Japanese had laid four minefields in the Okinawa area. On January 9, 1945, the Swordfish had been ordered to proceed to this area to complete a photographic reconnaissance assignment. This mission may have taken her into one of the minefields laid in 1944 or into freshly laid inshore minefields planted to defend Okinawan beach approaches. 3
3. On January 12, 1945, the USS Kete (SS-369), while on station in the Okinawa area, reported a possible contact with a nearby submersible. The Kete was unable to positively identify the contact, but the Swordfish was expected to be in the vicinity at that time. About four hours later, the Kete heard the sound of a heavy barrage of depth charges. Japanese records reviewed after the war did not record the event heard by the Kete. But such a heavy barrage could have been aimed at the Swordfish. 4
The bottom line is no one knows for certain what happened to the Swordfish. This long serving submarine and her valiant crew went down together leaving a significant record of accomplishments in their wake.
A list of the men lost with the Swordfish is maintained at On Eternal Patrol.
The Swordfish was scored by JANAC with sinking 47,928 tons of enemy shipping in twelve vessels. Her Alden-McDonald score is sixteen vessels sunk for 55,641 tons and four vessels damaged for 26,150 tons. Her SORG score is seventeen vessels sunk for 101,400 tons and nine vessels damaged for 61,900 tons. The Swordfish earned eight battle stars for her World War II service in her distinguished thirteen-patrol career. She sank the Atsutasan Maru, the first Japanese ship sunk by a U. S. submarine in the Pacific war. 5
Patrol Data & Tonnage Scores
USS Swordfish (SS-193) Second Patrol
Footnotes:
1. United States Submarine Losses World War II, p. 132.
2. Miller, Vernon J., "U. S. Submarine Losses," issue 44, p. 57; Hackett, Bob, and Sander Kingsepp and Peter Cundall, "IJN Escort CD-4: Tabular Record of Movement," published online at Combined Fleet; Alden, John D., and Craig R. McDonald, United States and Allied Submarine Successes in the Pacific and Far East During World War II, Fourth Edition, Attack No. 3359.
3. Miller, Vernon J., op cit.; Holmes, Wilfred J., Undersea Victory: The Influence of Submarine Operations on the War in the Pacific, p. 436-437.
4. Ibid.
5. Alden, John D., and Craig R. McDonald, United States and Allied Submarine Successes in the Pacific and Far East During World War II, Fourth Edition, see USS Swordfish (SS-193), Attack Nos. 1, 14, 15, 16, 17, 47, 48, 63, 67, 177, 186, 187, 198, 199, 434, 443, 557, 1044, 1045, 1084, 1496, 1496.5, 1506, 1558, 1806, 1807, 2073, 2099, 2100, 2143, 2145, 2179, 2220, and 3359; Submarine war patrol reports on CD, USS Swordfish (SS-193), data collected by the Submarine Operations Research Group (SORG) in the report "Results of U. S. Submarine War Patrols Listed Alphabetically by Name of Submarine"; Japanese Naval And Merchant Shipping Losses During World War II By All Causes, Joint Army-Navy Assessment Committee, USS Swordfish (SS-193).
________________
CSC Arthur Abrahamson
MoMM2 Roy G Arold
PhM3 Donald Baeckler
MoMM1 Gilbert S Baker
RM1 Joseph J Basta
F1 Mack Bates
LCDR Daniel S Baughman Jr
S1 Claude J BenBennick
MoMM2 Michael Billy
RM3 Joseph R.L Blanchard
MoMM2 LeRoy J Bleasdell
MoMM2 Wesley C Bogdan
MoMM3 Andrew E Braley
SC1 Robert J Brown
RTC Fred M Cauley Jr.
EM2 Allen D Clark
TM3 Timothy J Connors
RM3 Marshall E Cox Jr.
LT Robert F Daly
EM2 Herman W Davis
LT J.V Delladonna
TM2 Warren Dillon
S1 Gordon K Draga
EM2 Loris H Duncan
MoMm1 Emory W Dunton Sr.
BK3 Leonard O Echols
TM2 George V Edwards
EM3 Robert L Emmingham
GM3 Eugene R Fausset
S1 Kenneth F Feiss
TM1 Eugene J Forsythe
S1 John G Fowler
EM1 Nick Funk
SM2 Emery A. Galley Jr.
QM2 Dee E Gambrell Jr.
MoMM3 Eleazar Garza
S1 Bernard J Geraghty Jr.
MoMM2 Howard M Gilfillan
MoMM1 John V Graf
RM3 George P Graham
SM1 William P Grandy
EM1 Ralph L Hafter
EMC Charles E Hall
MoMM1 Ralph W Haserodt
EM3 Winslow C Haskins
TM3 Jack E Haynes
MoMM2 Ray Holland
LT R.D Hoopes Jr.
MoMM3 Fred A Hrynko
LTjg Robert L Janes
MoMM3 Robert E Johnson
PhM3 Stephen J Johnson
F1 John R Kelly
SM3 Vernon Kirk
MoMM3 William E Kohler
MM2 Richard B Kremer
TM3 Roy E Kroll
F1 Hollie O Lauderdale
MoMM3 Douglas C Lindsay
YNC Gerald A Looney
S1 Russell LoPresti
TM3 John H Madden Jr.
ENS Paul Marvin
EM2 James M Mayfield
RT3 Morriss F McCaffrey
FC2 William T Meacham Jr.
CDR(CO) Keats E Montross
GM2 Kenneth E Pence
BM2 Fremont Petty
PhM1 Gordon R Plourd
ENS Claude L Pollard
S1 Earl W Preston Jr.
LCDR(XO) John B Pye
MoMM3 Harry N Robinson Jr.
QMC William E Russell
LT K.D Schwendener
COX William Siskaninetz
QM3 James A Skeldon
MoMMC Clifford F Slater
MoMM2 Mike Soffes
EM3 Frank H Spencer Jr.
MoMM1 Wally G Statton
TM2 Harold A Stone
EM3 Fred A Tarbox
S1 James F Taylor
TM3 Elwood K VanHorn
TM2 Arnold J Wagner
TM1 Thurman A Williams
EM3 Joseph E Wren
THIS LISTING IS A MEMORIAL CENOTAPH. ACTUAL BURIAL IS ELSEWHERE.
_________
**** NOTE: There are descrepencies in the date of death.
_________
Marshall Edward Cox, Jr.
Rank/Rate Radioman, Third Class
Service Number 645 24 63
Birth Date February 11, 1924
From Rodessa, Louisiana
Decorations Purple Heart
Submarine USS Swordfish (SS-193)
Loss Date January 12, 1945
Location Near Yaku Island off Kyushu, Japan
Circumstances Lost at sea, cause unknown
Remarks Marshall was born in Harmon,
Louisiana.
Photo and information courtesy of Janice Williams Langley, niece.
Swordfish (SS-193)
Compiled by Paul W. Wittmer and Charles R. Hinman, originally from:
U.S. Submarine Losses World War II, NAVPERS 15,784, 1949 ISSUE
SWORDFISH, under Cdr. K. E. Montross, left Pearl Harbor on 22 December 1944, to carry on her thirteenth patrol in the vicinity of Nansei Shoto. She topped off with fuel at Midway on 26 December and left that day for her area. In addition to her regular patrol, SWORDFISH was to conduct photographic reconnaissance of Okinawa, for preparation of the Okinawa Campaign.
On 2 January, SWORDFISH was ordered to delay carrying out her assigned tasks in order to keep her clear of the Nansei Shoto area until completion of carrier based air strikes, which were scheduled. She was directed to patrol the general vicinity of 30° 00'N, 132° 00'E until further orders were received. In the last communication received from SWORDFISH, she acknowledged receipt of these orders on 3 January.
On 9 January 1945, SWORDFISH was directed to proceed to the vicinity of Okinawa to carry out her special mission. It was estimated that the task would not take more than seven days after arrival on station, which she should have reached on 11 January. Upon completion of her mission, SWORDFISH was to proceed to Saipan, or to Midway if she was unable to transmit by radio. Since neither place had seen her by 15 February, and repeated attempts to raise her by radio had failed, she was reported as presumed lost on that date.
In the report of her loss, mention was made that KETE, which at the time was patrolling the vicinity of Okinawa, reported that on the morning of 12 January she contacted a submarine by radar. It was believed that contact was with SWORDFISH since it was in 27° 00'N, 128° 40'E. Four hours later KETE heard heavy depth charging from this area and it was believed that this attack might have been the cause of SWORDFISH's loss.
Japanese information on anti-submarine attacks does not mention the attack heard by KETE on 12 January, and records no attacks in which SWORDFISH is likely to have been the victim. However, it is now known that there were many mines planted around Okinawa, since the Japanese were expecting an Allied invasion of that Island. The majority of the mines were planted close in. It is considered about equally likely that SWORDFISH was sunk by depth charge attack before she reached Okinawa for her special mission or that she was lost to a mine at that place.
SWORDFISH, in the twelve patrols before her fatal thirteenth, sank twenty-one ships, amounting to 113,100 tons, and damaged an additional eight, totaling 45,800 tons. Her first patrol began the day after the attack on Pearl Harbor, and was conducted west of the Philippines. SWORDFISH sank four freighters, varying from 3,900 tons to 9,400 tons, and damaged a fifth. At the time, this was the most successful patrol in the war. She conducted her second patrol in the lesser Philippine group and among the small Islands between Celebes and New Guinea. Here she sank three medium freighters and a tanker. She also evacuated President Quezon, his family, Vice President Osmena, Chief Justice Santos, and three officers in the Philippine Army from Corregidor and took them to Panay, where they boarded a motor tender. SWORDFISH returned to Manila Bay and evacuated eleven more Philippine officials. SWORDFISH's primary mission on her third patrol was to deliver 40 tons of supplies to the beleaguered Corregidor. However, on 10 April 1942 ComSubsAP told SWORDFISH to neglect her special mission and patrol offensively. SWORDFISH made no attacks on this patrol, but did perform reconnaissance of several islands.
The South China Sea area was the scene of this ship's fourth patrol, and she sank a freighter and a tanker, while she damaged two freighters. She returned to the South China Sea for her fifth patrol, but did no damage to the enemy. SWORDFISH went to the area west of Bougainville for her sixth patrol, and sank a medium freighter and damaged a second freighter. She went again to the Solomons for her seventh patrol and sank a freighter. On her eighth patrol, SWORDFISH covered the Palau-Truk-Rabaul areas during August and September 1943. Here she sank a freighter and a transport, while damaging a freighter-transport. Her ninth patrol was made south of Japan, but she made no attacks, and the patrol was cut short by material defects in SWORDFISH. On her tenth patrol, in the same area as her ninth, SWORDFISH sank a freighter-transport, and two medium freighters.
USS Swordfish Crew
This ship covered the Marianas on her eleventh patrol; she damaged two freighters. On her twelfth patrol, conducted in the Bonins, SWORDFISH sank a freighter and two small trawlers, while she damaged a third trawler. In addition, during this patrol, on 9 June 1944, SWORDFISH sank the Japanese destroyer MATSUKAZE in a night submerged attack as the enemy ship was hearing down for an attack. SWORDFISH was awarded the Navy Unit Commendation for the period of her first, second and fourth patrols.
Inscription
MARSHALL EDWARD COX, JR
RM3 US NAVY
WORLD WAR II
FEB 11, 1925 - FEB 1, 1946
PURPLE HEART
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