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The United States Navy Memorial

Navy Memorial Honoring the Men & Women of the Sea Services

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Houston

Ship Designation: 
CA-30
Date Lost: 
Sunday, March 1, 1942
Battle at Sunda Strait
Houston in company with HMAS Perth and HMS Exeter depart Priok and at 2300 in the vicinity of Sunda Strait encounter a Japanese landing force taking them under fire and causing wide spread damage to 4 loaded Japanese transports. Japanese battle force comprised of two heavy cruisers, one light cruiser and 10 destroyers close in on the Houston force. ... One of 8 torpedoes launched from the Japanese forces strikes Houston. At 0015 Japanese heavy cruiser Mikuma finds Houston with its 8” guns ripping into the after engine room killing the entire engine room crew. ... Turret 2 hit by enemy gunfire which starts fire in magazine; fire progresses to small arms magazine and to Turret magazine. At 0033 with the ship sinking, the order to abandon ship is given. While abandoning ship Japanese continue to shell and send torpedoes into her hull. At 0045 Houston sinks. ... Of the crew less than half make it into the water in Sunda Strait. Many of Houston’s survivors were captured and interred in Japanese prisons until the conclusion of WWII

Lost At Sea Log

Number of sailors in this log: 632

Name Service Branchsort descending
Sea 1c Joseph Black USN
GM 3c Richard Brill USN
MM 3c Filmore Burton USN
MM 2c Leonard Casey USN
Matt 1c Shou Chih USN
F 2c Joseph Cook USN
Mus 1c Jose Luna USN
Sea 1c Ben Linnstaedter USN
MM 1c Jack Mcnealy USN
MM 2c Alvin Metzger USN
Sea 1c Thomas Kamler USN
Sea 1c Edwin Hoofer USN
RM 3c George Koski USN
PhM 3c Floyd Kelley USN
Matt 1c Chuan Ho USN
Sea 1c Charles Guernsey USN
MM 2c William Garrett USN
CFC Clarence Elliott USN
Ptr 2c James Dickie USN
Sea 2c Thomas Dittoe USN

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