HUTCHINSON-CHARLES

Charles Roy Hutchinson was born April 18, 1917, in Sheldon, Illinois.  He reportedly joined the Navy in September 1940 and died on July 30, 1942, in the sinking of the submarine USS Grunion.  Historical records report Grunion was on her first war patrol when lost in the Bering Sea near Kiska Island, Alaska, but details concerning the loss of the submarine are conflicting.  During late July 1942, Grunion reported she had sunk two sub-chasers and damaged a third.  On July 30, 1942, she encountered the armed Japanese merchant ship Kano Maru.  Available Japanese historical records report that Kano Maru engaged a submarine with its deck gun and successfully struck the submarine conning tower with gunfire after which the submarine disappeared from view.  U.S. Navy historical records report evidence strongly suggesting that Grunion was lost as a result of a torpedo missing its target and circling back to strike the periscope supports without exploding.  The damage the torpedo inflicted, combined with a jammed rear dive plane, reportedly triggered a sequence of events that caused the loss of depth control and Grunion is suspected of thus imploded after plunging below her operational depth.  Her entire crew of 70 was lost.  In August 2007 a wreck believed to be Grunion was discovered in the Bering Sea and the U.S. Navy verified in October 2008 that the wreck is the Grunion.  The contradictory cause of Grunion’s sinking may never be known.

Bernard Hutchinson, the older brother of Charles, joined the Navy after Charles’ death and died on June 7, 1944, during the invasion at Normandy when his minesweeper sank after hitting a mine.

The remains of TM3 Charles Roy Hutchinson was not recovered and his name is listed on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Submitted by CDR Roy A. Mosteller, USNR (Ret)