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The United States Navy Memorial

Navy Memorial Honoring the Men & Women of the Sea Services

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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 ascending Service Branch
FC 3c Carl Riddle USN
MM 1c Raymond Richie USN
FC 3c John Richardson USN
MM 2c Harold Reynolds USN
F 1c William Reed USN
F 1c Samuel Rector USN
RT 1c Stanley Pope USN
WT 1c William Polito USN
CMM Arnold Pillard USN
EM 1c Melvin Peterson USN
CRM Richard Peterson USN
Lt(jg) Harrison Perkins USN
Sea 1c Joseph Pearce USN
Sea 1c Carl Parker USN
F 1c Louis Pallak USN
Sea 1c Bernard Palek USN
EM 3c LeRoy Ocker USN
Sea 1c Crit Nolen USN
GM 3c Leeland Nickerson USN
WT 2c John Murdock USN

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