ARCHER-THEODORE

SURVIVED  USS HORNET  SINKING

Theodore Robert Archer was born on April 30, 1919.  He had a long Navy career and retired as a Chief Parachute Rigger.  One of the ships he served aboard during World War II was the USS HORNET (CV-8).  He reportedly joined the crew when the ship was commissioned in October 1941, was a crewmember during the historic “Doolittle Raid” on Japan in April 1942, during the Battle of Midway in June 1942, and the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands when the ship was sunk on October 26, 1942. 

The following are excerpts from historical files which contain a letter written by PRC Archer on November 30, 2005:

“Prior to taking over the HORNET parachute loft, I had been a flight deck plane director.  I was the plane captain of the J2F-5.  After we pulled into Pearl, returning from Doolittle’s departure, my Division Officer and I went out in the J2F-5.  He took off and told me to get our flight time in.  I flew the plane around the islands for four hours.  He landed the plane and it was turned over to the Naval Air Station, Ford Island. … During the Battle of Midway, my battle station was the parachute loft.  I was there on the catwalk when the F4F from the YORKTOWN came in and sprayed the rear end of the island and the 1.1-inch mount, killing a Marine sergeant and four others.  They brought the sergeant and one other man into the parachute loft and laid them on the packing table. … I retired as of March 27, 1957.  Retired again in 1981 after 23 years as a combustion engineer.”

PRC Archer’s son reported that his father continued to serve at sea following his service aboard HORNET but never spoke about being on the HORNET until about the early 1990s.  The son also said that following his father’s retirement, he suffered from spinal damage as a result of the torpedo hits on his ship.  PRC Theodore Robert Archer died on December 8, 2011, and was buried at the Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell, Florida, where his grave marker carries the inscription:  PRC – US NAVY – WORLD WAR II – KOREA.

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