SLICKLEN-IRVING

LOST  AT  SEA

Source:  Website of World War One Centennial Commission:

“Irving Alexander Slicklen was born around 1903 and served in World War One with the United States Coast Guard.  Irving was said to be tall and looked older than his actual age, so being very patriotic he decided he'd try and enlist after school one day.  He obviously pulled the wool over the eyes of those in the recruiting office and found himself an instant member of the Coast Guard.  Puffed out with pride, he went home and told his mother.  Great-Grandma Slicklen was so appalled that a 15-year old could have been signed up for war that she grabbed her coat and dashed out of the house, forgetting she was wearing her bedroom slippers.  She ran all the way to the recruiting office where she breathlessly begged for Irving to be released from service.  Unfortunately, she was told that he had signed the official papers, which were already being processed, there was no way he could be released from active duty.  His father, an attorney, was then called home from his office and put his argumentative skills to work to no avail.  Since Irving felt so honored to be part of the Coast Guard, giving a better argument for his service than his father had against it, he was reluctantly granted his parent's blessings.  The date was March 1, 1918.  Irving attended the Coast Guard Academy and was eventually assigned to the USCGC TAMPA.  On September 26, 1918, the TAMPA was torpedoed.  All hands, plus civilian passengers, were lost.  In his honor, many of the nephews he never met joined the Navy during WWII.”

          /s/  Gayle Reynolds  (Great-Niece)

Historical records reflect Irving Alexander Slicklen was born on January 9, 1903, in New York.  He enlisted just two months past his fifteenth birthday and died three months prior to his sixteenth birthday after six months of service.  USCGC TAMPA had just completed escorting a convoy from Gibraltar to Wales on September 26, 1918, when the ship was struck in the Bristol Channel by a single torpedo fired by the German submarine UB-91.  TAMPA sank with the loss of all hands (116 crewmembers and passengers), reportedly the highest American combat casualty loss at sea during World War One.  Only three bodies were later recovered.  The loss of USCGC TAMPA is commemorated by the U.S. Coast Guard Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery and at the Brookwood American Cemetery and Memorial in Surrey, England.  The name of Irving Alexander Slicklen is inscribed on the cenotaphs at both locations.

Submitted by CDR Roy A. Mosteller, USNR (Ret)