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Navy Memorial Honoring the Men & Women of the Sea Services

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Vireo

Ship Designation: 
AM-52
Date Lost: 
Thursday, October 15, 1942
Air Attack on USS Meredith
While pulling a barge carrying barrels of gasoline and quarter-ton bombs from Espiritu Santo to Guadalcanal Vireo in company with Meredith was spotted by Japanese aircraft on 15 October. Cautiously proceeding, the pair drove off a two-plane Japanese attack before receiving word that Japanese surface ships were in the area. At noon, Meredith ordered old, slow, and vulnerable Vireo abandoned and took off her crew. Meredith then stood off to torpedo the tug at 1215 so that she would not fall into enemy hands intact. Suddenly, a whirlwind of destruction swept down from the sky and descended upon the destroyer. Like hawks, 27 planes from the Japanese carrier Zuikaku pounced on Meredith and deluged her with bombs, torpedoes, and bullets, sinking her in an instant. Vireo and the two gasoline barges, however, drifted to leeward, untouched. The majority of Vireo's old complement were lost in the ordeal with Meredith.

Lost At Sea Log

Number of sailors in this log: 50

Name Service Branchsort descending
RM 1c Aubrey Price USN
Y 1c William Kreth USN
F 2c Jack Slabaugh USN
CWT Jesse Pratt USN
F 1c John Koval USN
Sea 1c Charles Smith USN
F 1c Thomas Parnell USN
RM 3c John Jones USN
GM 3c Sidney Redman USN
SC 1c Willie Pierce USN
SK 2c Dolphus Hart USN
SM 3c Robert Redmond USN
F 2c Thomas Ohmer USN
SF 2c George Evans USN
SC 2c Lewis Reid USN
F 2c Amos Myers USN
F 2c Jack Frazier USN
Sea 1c Carley Robertson USN
Sea 1c Gordon Zimmer USN
CGM Albert Flynn USN

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