Russell M. Cox
Encyclopedia
Russell M. Cox was a United States Navy
officer killed in action
during World War II
for whom a U.S. Navy ship was named.
, Massachusetts
, on January 30, 1919. Appointed an ensign
in the United States Naval Reserve, to rank from August 29, 1940, he attended the Navy Supply Corps School, Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration. He was then assigned to the New York Navy Yard at Brooklyn, New York
, as a supply officer
, reporting there on March 10, 1942.
Ensign Cox reported to the light cruiser
USS Juneau (CL-52)
on May 29, 1942 to serve as an assistant disbursing and supply officer. He was reported missing in action
when a Japan
ese submarine
torpedo
ed and sank Juneau off Guadalcanal
during the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal
on November 13, 1942.
USS Russell M. Cox (DE-774)
was named for Ensign Cox. Her construction was cancelled in 1944.
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
officer killed in action
Killed in action
Killed in action is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their own forces at the hands of hostile forces. The United States Department of Defense, for example, says that those declared KIA need not have fired their weapons but have been killed due to...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
for whom a U.S. Navy ship was named.
Naval career
Russell Mills Cox was born in CambridgeCambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, on January 30, 1919. Appointed an ensign
Ensign (rank)
Ensign is a junior rank of a commissioned officer in the armed forces of some countries, normally in the infantry or navy. As the junior officer in an infantry regiment was traditionally the carrier of the ensign flag, the rank itself acquired the name....
in the United States Naval Reserve, to rank from August 29, 1940, he attended the Navy Supply Corps School, Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration. He was then assigned to the New York Navy Yard at Brooklyn, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, as a supply officer
Supply Officer
Supply Officer was a specialisation in the British Royal Navy which has recently been superseded by the Logistics Officer, recognising the need to align with the nomenclature and function of similar cadres in the British Army and Royal Air Force...
, reporting there on March 10, 1942.
Ensign Cox reported to the light cruiser
Light cruiser
A light cruiser is a type of small- or medium-sized warship. The term is a shortening of the phrase "light armored cruiser", describing a small ship that carried armor in the same way as an armored cruiser: a protective belt and deck...
USS Juneau (CL-52)
USS Juneau (CL-52)
The first USS Juneau was a United States Navy Atlanta-class light cruiser sunk at the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal in November 1942. In total 687 men, including the five Sullivan brothers, were killed in action as a result of its sinking....
on May 29, 1942 to serve as an assistant disbursing and supply officer. He was reported missing in action
Missing in action
Missing in action is a casualty Category assigned under the Status of Missing to armed services personnel who are reported missing during active service. They may have been killed, wounded, become a prisoner of war, or deserted. If deceased, neither their remains nor grave can be positively...
when a Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
torpedo
Torpedo
The modern torpedo is a self-propelled missile weapon with an explosive warhead, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater towards a target, and designed to detonate either on contact with it or in proximity to it.The term torpedo was originally employed for...
ed and sank Juneau off Guadalcanal
Guadalcanal
Guadalcanal is a tropical island in the South-Western Pacific. The largest island in the Solomons, it was discovered by the Spanish expedition of Alvaro de Mendaña in 1568...
during the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal
Naval Battle of Guadalcanal
The Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, sometimes referred to as the Third and Fourth Battles of Savo Island, the Battle of the Solomons, The Battle of Friday the 13th, or, in Japanese sources, as the , took place from 12–15 November 1942, and was the decisive engagement in a series of naval battles...
on November 13, 1942.
Namesakes
The U.S. Navy destroyer escortDestroyer escort
A destroyer escort is the classification for a smaller, lightly armed warship designed to be used to escort convoys of merchant marine ships, primarily of the United States Merchant Marine in World War II. It is employed primarily for anti-submarine warfare, but also provides some protection...
USS Russell M. Cox (DE-774)
USS Russell M. Cox (DE-774)
USS Russell M. Cox was a United States Navy proposed during World War II but never completed.Russell M. Cox was laid down by the Tampa Shipbuilding Company at Tampa, Florida, on 23 August 1943. The contract for her construction was canceled on 1 September 1944, and the incomplete ship was...
was named for Ensign Cox. Her construction was cancelled in 1944.