menu-header-menu

Follow Us

Follow us   

The United States Navy Memorial

Navy Memorial Honoring the Men & Women of the Sea Services

Donate

Cooper

Ship Designation: 
DD-695
Date Lost: 
Sunday, December 3, 1944
Torpedo Attack near Ormoc Bay
Operating in company with USS Allen M. Sumner (DD 692) and USS Moale (DD 693) through Surigao Straits COOPER encountered a Japanese force of transports and escorting destroyers landing troops at Ormoc Bay, Leyte Philippines. The three US destroyers during the melee damaged or sank one destroyer, five transport freighters and 10 aircraft. At 0013 a Japanese torpedo found COOPER; she suffered a high order explosion on her starboard side, breaking the ship in two and sinking within a minute of the torpedo hit. 191 of her crew went down with the ship ... The proximity of Japanese forces precluded the immediate rescue of survivors by friendly surface forces, however the valiant efforts of “Black Cat” seaplanes enabled 168 survivors to later be rescued from the waters of Ormoc Bay

Lost At Sea Log

Number of sailors in this log: 190

Namesort descending Service Branch
F 2c Louis Finkelstein USN
BM 1c Alton Flippin USN
TM 3c Daniel Foley USN
Sea 1c Fred Forehand USN
F 1c Leonard Gapinski USN
SC 3c Delmar Gardner USN
F 1c Clarence Garman USN
EM 2c Ernest Gelinas USN
Sea 2c Milton Gerber USN
QM 3c Albert Gooley USN
StM 1c Roy Govantes USN
RDM 3c Eunice Guilford USN
MM 3c James Hall USN
PhM 2c Marion Hall USN
RDM 3c Miron Hamm USN
F 1c Harold Hepburn USN
CPhM Donald Hertrich USN
LCdr William Hodnett USN
RM 3c Howard Hoffman USN
Ens George Hoffman USN

Pages

Prepared by CAPT R.O. Strange USN (Ret.)