ALEXANDER-ARTHUR

LOST AT SEA – USS TURNER – 1/3/1944

USS TURNER was commissioned on April 15, 1943, at the New York Navy Yard.  A photograph of the ship’s officers taken at the commissioning shows LT Arthur Frederick Alexander standing with his fellow officers.  After outfitting and shakedown the ship was assigned to transatlantic convoy escort duty to Europe.  During the late-night hours of January 2, 1944, TURNER concluded a successful convoy assignment and dropped anchor off Ambrose Light in New York Harbor.  Several hours later TURNER suffered a series of shattering internal explosions which caused severe fires and by 6:50am she took on a 16-degree starboard list.  Explosions, mostly in the forward ammunition stowage area, continued to stagger the stricken destroyer and at 7:50am a singular violent explosion caused her to capsize and sink, taking with her 15 officers and 138 men.  Unfortunately, LT Alexander was one of the casualties.  Although German submarines were reported operating in the area no evidence has ever been revealed that they caused the explosions and survivors reported that routine ammunition handling procedures were underway at the time of the initial explosion. 

Historical records reflect that LT Alexander graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy, Class of 1940, and entered the Navy from Massachusetts.  During salvage operations, numerous human remains were found but not identified.  The remains were placed in four separate graves at the Long Island National Cemetery in Farmingdale, New York.  The body of LT Alexander was not identified and is presumably in one of the four graves which are inscribed UNKNOWN U.S. SAILOR – JANUARY 3, 1944.

The name of LT Arthur Frederick Alexander is listed on the Tablets of the Missing at the East Coast Memorial in Battery Park, New York City.

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