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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 descending Service Branch
F 1c Harold Sullivan USN
F 1c Alton Talley USN
F 1c Joseph Tarr USN
F 1c Edward Tavis USN
F 1c Frank Thiede USN
RM 3c Harold Thomas USN
MM 3c James Thompson USN
Sea 1c Walter Toczek USN
F 1c Harold Trapp USN
F 1c David Travis USN
WT 2c Norman Tremblay USN
MM 3c Paul Truax USN
FC 3c Louis Turon USN
MM 3c Raymond Vanwasson USN
SK 1c Claude Vaughn USN
RM 3c Robert Vilhauer USN
F 1c Jerry Vlasek USN
MM 3c Maynsrd Wagner USN
Sea 1c Lawrence Waldt USN
CMM Ralph Warkentien USN

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