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Sonoma

Ship Designation: 
ATO-12
Date Lost: 
Tuesday, October 24, 1944
Attack in San Pedro Bay
On October 14, Sonoma sailed in company with echelon L1, as Task Unit 78.2.9, bound ultimately for the Leyte invasion. Sonoma entered San Pedro Bay, Leyte Gulf, on the 20th. On the morning of the 24th, she opened fire on several enemy planes with her starboard guns. As she cast off from merchant freighter Augustus Thomas, next to whom she had been moored, a flaming enemy bomber crashed Sonoma on the starboard side amidships. Two explosions followed immediately, and she began taking water at an alarming rate. LCI-72 and Chickasaw (ATF-83) came alongside the stricken tug, extinguished the fires on her starboard side, and removed casualties. Chickasaw then made an unsuccessful attempt to beach her on Dio Island. That afternoon, Sonoma sank in 18 feet of water off Dio Island.

Lost At Sea Log

Number of sailors in this log: 8

Name Service Branchsort descending
SC 2c Roy Becker USN
CM 2c Robert Shaw USN
Sea 1c Tullie Thornton USN
PhM 1c Thomas Griffin USN
MM 1c Frank Disciano USN
Sea 2c Melvin Meyer USN
Sea 2c Thomas Mellott USN
MM 2c Roy Mcmillan USN
Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships