Water Tender First Class (WT1c) Russell Bryan Cruikshank, United States Navy, Service Number: 2584327 KILED IN ACTION 12/13/1944.
SIGNIFICANT DUTY STATIONS
1942-1943, WT-0000, USS YUKON AF-9
1943-1943, WT-0000, USS KNAPP DD-653
1943-1944, WT-0000, USS HARADEN DD-583
SIGNIFICANT AWARDS
ASIATIC-PACIFIC CAMPAIGN MEDAL
WORLD WAR II VICTORY MEDAL
SERVICE MEMORIES
Early Life
Russell Bryan Cruikshank was born on 18 July 1922 in Snyder, Blair County, Pennsylvania. His father, Russell Andrew Cruikshank, born 23 June 1896 in Curwensville, Pennsylvania, died 23 October 1985 in Sarasota, Florida, was a Telephone Lineman. He served in the U.S. Army during World War I and is also buried at Arlington National Cemetery with his wife.
His mother, Edna Marie Bohnhoff, was born on 16 August 1898 in Pennsylvania and died on 20 December 1962 in Burrier, New South Wales, Australia. Russell’s parents were married. in about 1921. Russell was an only child. He attended Tyrone High School in Tyrone, Pennsylvania.
Military
Russell Bryan Cruikshank entered the U.S. Navy on 16 March 1942 in Baltimore, Maryland. From June 1942 to July 1943, he served aboard the Stores Ship, USS Yukon (AF-9) and from September to October 1943 he served aboard the Destroyer, USS Knapp (DD-653).
At the time of his death, he was assigned to the Destroyer, USS Haraden (DD-585) operating in the Pacific Theater. He reported aboard Haraden in September 1943.
USS Haraden (DD-585), a Fletcher-class destroyer, was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named for Jonathan Haraden (1744–1803), a privateer of the American Revolutionary War. The second Haraden was launched by Boston Navy Yard, Boston, Massachusetts, 19 March 1943, and commissioned at Boston on 16 September 1943.
USS Haraden and the escort carriers entered the Sulu Sea on 13 December 1944, and were attacked that day by four Japanese aircraft. Haraden assisted in downing three of the raiders, but the fourth banked left and dived for the destroyer. Trailing smoke from hits by Haraden's gunners, she crashed into the destroyer's side, putting her forward engine room out of commission and severely damaging her topside.
As Haraden lay dead in the water, the destroyer Twiggs came alongside to help and the Haraden was soon underway on her own power. She arrived at San Pedro Bay on 14 December 1944 and transferred her casualties—14 killed and 24 wounded. Steaming on toward the United States via Hawaii, she arrived at Puget Sound Navy Yard, Bremerton, Washington on 14 January 1945 for battle repairs.
Sources
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/49173067
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Haraden_(DD-585)
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/108830261/the-evening-sun/
https://www.naval-history.net/WW2UScasaaDB-USNbyNameC.htm
https://www.ancestry.com/1
https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/2156581:2590
This story is part of the Stories Behind the Stars project (see https://www.storiesbehindthestars.org/). This is a national effort of volunteers to write the stories of all 400,000+ of the US WWII fallen here on Fold3. Can you help write these stories? Related to this, there will be a smartphone app that will allow people to visit any war memorial or cemetery, scan the fallen's name and read his/her story.
If you have any details, photos or corrections for this story, please email me by clicking on my name. CDR Robert Mulvanny - Contributing Author, Stories Behind the Stars
