.gif)
USS Edsall (DD-219)
Encyclopedia
USS Edsall (DD-219), named for Seaman Norman Eckley Edsall (1873–1899), was a Clemson-class
destroyer
of the United States Navy
.
Edsall was laid down by the William Cramp and Sons
Ship and Engine Building Company on 15 September 1919, launched on 29 July 1920 by Mrs. Bessie Edsall Bracey, sister of Seaman Edsall and commissioned on 26 November 1920, Commander
A. H. Rice in command.
on shakedown. She arrived at San Diego 11 January 1921, and remained on the West Coast until December, engaging in battle practice and gunnery drills with fleet units. Returning to Charleston, South Carolina
, 28 December, Edsall was ordered to the Mediterranean and departed 26 May 1922.
Arriving at Constantinople
28 June, Edsall joined the U.S. Naval Detachment in Turkish Waters to protect American lives and interests. The Near East
was in turmoil with civil strife
in Russia
and Greece
at war with Turkey
.
She did much for international relations by helping nations to alleviate postwar famine in eastern Europe
, transporting American commercial operatives, evacuating refugees, furnishing a center of communications for the Near East, and standing by for emergencies. When the Turks expelled the Anatolian Greeks from Smyrna
(Izmir), Edsall was one of the American destroyers which evacuated thousands. On 14 September 1922, she took 607 refugees [DD-219's Log states 664 persons were evacuated] off in Smyrna and transported them to Salonika, returning to Smyrna 16 September to act as flagship
for the naval forces there. In October she carried refugees from Smyrna to Mytilene
on Lesbos Island
. She made repeated visits to ports in Turkey, Bulgaria
, Russia, Greece, Egypt
, Mandate Palestine
, Syria
, Tunisia
, Dalmatia
, and Italy
, and kept up gunnery and torpedo practice with her sisters until her return to Boston, Massachusetts for overhaul 26 July 1924.
Edsall sailed for the Asiatic Fleet 3 January 1925, joining in battle practice and maneuvers at Guantanamo Bay
, San Diego, and Pearl Harbor
before arriving Shanghai
, 22 June. She was to become a fixture of the Asiatic Fleet on the China coast, in the Philippines and Japan. Her primary duty was protection of American interests in the Far East
. She served during the civil war
in China, and the early part of the Sino-Japanese War. Battle practice, maneuvers and diplomacy took her most frequently to Shanghai, Chefoo, Hankow, Hong Kong
, Nanking, Kobe
, Bangkok
, and Manila
. In late OCT 1927, for example, DD-219 visited the Siamese capital at Bangkok, and had three of the Royal Princesses aboard for tea. In return 'Edsall's' skipper (CDR Jules James, USNA 1908) was given an engraved silver cigarette case by the Royal Family.
7 December 1941, Edsall was stationed with DesDiv 57 at the southeast Borneo
oil port of Balikpapan
. Enroute to Batavia (Djakarta) on 8 December [in the Far East] 1941 when word of the war was received, DesDiv 57 altered course to Singapore
to act as ASW screen for Force Z
. She embarked a British liaison officer and four men at Singapore from HMS Mauritius and was sent to search for survivors of HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse
, sunk off Malaya
on the 10th. She intercepted a Japanese fishing trawler, the Kofuku Maru (later renamed MV Krait
and used in Australian Special Ops) with four small boats in tow and escorted them into Singapore before turning them over to HMAS Goulburn
.
Following orders, at 0830 she reversed course, headed back to the NE for Java, and was never seen again by Allied forces.
Subsequent Japanese navy reports refer to this incident as "a fiasco".
Clemson class destroyer
The Clemson class was a series of 156 destroyers which served with the United States Navy from after World War I through World War II.The Clemson-class ships were commissioned by the United States Navy from 1919 to 1922, built by Newport News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company, New York Shipbuilding...
destroyer
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
of the United States Navy
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...
.
Edsall was laid down by the William Cramp and Sons
William Cramp and Sons
thumb | upright | 1899 advertisement for William Cramp & Sons William Cramp & Sons Shipbuilding Company of Philadelphia was founded in 1825 by William Cramp, and was the preeminent U.S. iron shipbuilder in the 19th century. The American Ship & Commerce Corporation bought the yard in 1919 but closed...
Ship and Engine Building Company on 15 September 1919, launched on 29 July 1920 by Mrs. Bessie Edsall Bracey, sister of Seaman Edsall and commissioned on 26 November 1920, Commander
Commander
Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...
A. H. Rice in command.
Service history
Edsall sailed from Philadelphia 6 December 1920 for San Diego, CaliforniaSan Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
on shakedown. She arrived at San Diego 11 January 1921, and remained on the West Coast until December, engaging in battle practice and gunnery drills with fleet units. Returning to Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
, 28 December, Edsall was ordered to the Mediterranean and departed 26 May 1922.
Arriving at Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
28 June, Edsall joined the U.S. Naval Detachment in Turkish Waters to protect American lives and interests. The Near East
Near East
The Near East is a geographical term that covers different countries for geographers, archeologists, and historians, on the one hand, and for political scientists, economists, and journalists, on the other...
was in turmoil with civil strife
Russian Civil War
The Russian Civil War was a multi-party war that occurred within the former Russian Empire after the Russian provisional government collapsed to the Soviets, under the domination of the Bolshevik party. Soviet forces first assumed power in Petrograd The Russian Civil War (1917–1923) was a...
in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
and Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
at war with Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
.
She did much for international relations by helping nations to alleviate postwar famine in eastern Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, transporting American commercial operatives, evacuating refugees, furnishing a center of communications for the Near East, and standing by for emergencies. When the Turks expelled the Anatolian Greeks from Smyrna
Smyrna
Smyrna was an ancient city located at a central and strategic point on the Aegean coast of Anatolia. Thanks to its advantageous port conditions, its ease of defence and its good inland connections, Smyrna rose to prominence. The ancient city is located at two sites within modern İzmir, Turkey...
(Izmir), Edsall was one of the American destroyers which evacuated thousands. On 14 September 1922, she took 607 refugees [DD-219's Log states 664 persons were evacuated] off in Smyrna and transported them to Salonika, returning to Smyrna 16 September to act as flagship
Flagship
A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, reflecting the custom of its commander, characteristically a flag officer, flying a distinguishing flag...
for the naval forces there. In October she carried refugees from Smyrna to Mytilene
Mytilene
Mytilene is a town and a former municipality on the island of Lesbos, North Aegean, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Lesbos, of which it is a municipal unit. It is the capital of the island of Lesbos. Mytilene, whose name is pre-Greek, is built on the...
on Lesbos Island
Lesbos Island
Lesbos is a Greek island located in the northeastern Aegean Sea. It has an area of with 320 kilometres of coastline, making it the third largest Greek island. It is separated from Turkey by the narrow Mytilini Strait....
. She made repeated visits to ports in Turkey, Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
, Russia, Greece, Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, Mandate Palestine
Mandate Palestine
Mandate Palestine existed while the British Mandate for Palestine, which formally began in September 1923 and terminated in May 1948, was in effect...
, Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
, Tunisia
Tunisia
Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
, Dalmatia
Dalmatia
Dalmatia is a historical region on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea. It stretches from the island of Rab in the northwest to the Bay of Kotor in the southeast. The hinterland, the Dalmatian Zagora, ranges from fifty kilometers in width in the north to just a few kilometers in the south....
, and Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, and kept up gunnery and torpedo practice with her sisters until her return to Boston, Massachusetts for overhaul 26 July 1924.
Edsall sailed for the Asiatic Fleet 3 January 1925, joining in battle practice and maneuvers at Guantanamo Bay
Guantanamo Bay Naval Base
Guantanamo Bay Naval Base is located on of land and water at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba which the United States leased for use as a coaling station following the Cuban-American Treaty of 1903. The base is located on the shore of Guantánamo Bay at the southeastern end of Cuba. It is the oldest overseas...
, San Diego, and Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...
before arriving Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
, 22 June. She was to become a fixture of the Asiatic Fleet on the China coast, in the Philippines and Japan. Her primary duty was protection of American interests in the Far East
Far East
The Far East is an English term mostly describing East Asia and Southeast Asia, with South Asia sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons.The term came into use in European geopolitical discourse in the 19th century,...
. She served during the civil war
Chinese Civil War
The Chinese Civil War was a civil war fought between the Kuomintang , the governing party of the Republic of China, and the Communist Party of China , for the control of China which eventually led to China's division into two Chinas, Republic of China and People's Republic of...
in China, and the early part of the Sino-Japanese War. Battle practice, maneuvers and diplomacy took her most frequently to Shanghai, Chefoo, Hankow, Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, Nanking, Kobe
Kobe
, pronounced , is the fifth-largest city in Japan and is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture on the southern side of the main island of Honshū, approximately west of Osaka...
, Bangkok
Bangkok
Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...
, and Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
. In late OCT 1927, for example, DD-219 visited the Siamese capital at Bangkok, and had three of the Royal Princesses aboard for tea. In return 'Edsall's' skipper (CDR Jules James, USNA 1908) was given an engraved silver cigarette case by the Royal Family.
World War II
When the Japanese attacked Pearl HarborAttack on Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of December 7, 1941...
7 December 1941, Edsall was stationed with DesDiv 57 at the southeast Borneo
Borneo
Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is located north of Java Island, Indonesia, at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia....
oil port of Balikpapan
Balikpapan
Balikpapan is a seaport city on the eastern coast of the island of Borneo, Indonesia, in the East Kalimantan province, a resource-rich region well known for its timber, mining, and petroleum export products. Two harbors, Semayang and Kariangau , and the Sepinggan International Airport are the main...
. Enroute to Batavia (Djakarta) on 8 December [in the Far East] 1941 when word of the war was received, DesDiv 57 altered course to Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
to act as ASW screen for Force Z
Force Z
Force Z was an Allied naval detachment consisting of the battleship , the battlecruiser , and four destroyers, , , , and . Initially an aircraft carrier HMS Indomitable was included, but she ran aground in the Caribbean, and was not replaced by HMS Hermes which was regarded as too slow.A renamed...
. She embarked a British liaison officer and four men at Singapore from HMS Mauritius and was sent to search for survivors of HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse
HMS Repulse (1916)
HMS Repulse was a Renown-class battlecruiser of the Royal Navy built during the First World War. She was originally laid down as an improved version of the s. Her construction was suspended on the outbreak of war on the grounds she would not be ready in a timely manner...
, sunk off Malaya
British Malaya
British Malaya loosely described a set of states on the Malay Peninsula and the Island of Singapore that were brought under British control between the 18th and the 20th centuries...
on the 10th. She intercepted a Japanese fishing trawler, the Kofuku Maru (later renamed MV Krait
MV Krait
The MV Krait is a wooden hulled vessel famous for its use during World War II by the Z Special Unit of Australia during the raid against Japanese ships anchored in Singapore Harbour. The raid was known as Operation Jaywick.-History:...
and used in Australian Special Ops) with four small boats in tow and escorted them into Singapore before turning them over to HMAS Goulburn
HMAS Goulburn
HMAS Goulburn , named for the city of Goulburn, New South Wales, was one of 60 Bathurst class corvettes constructed during World War II, and one of 36 initially manned and commissioned solely by the Royal Australian Navy ....
.
-
- She and her division mates then joined the heavy cruiser USS HoustonUSS Houston (CA-30)USS Houston , nicknamed the "Galloping Ghost of the Java Coast", was a Northampton-class heavy cruiser of the United States Navy...
and other US units at Surabaya on 15 December 1941. Many would escort shipping retiring to the relative safety of DarwinDarwin, Northern TerritoryDarwin is the capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia. Situated on the Timor Sea, Darwin has a population of 127,500, making it by far the largest and most populated city in the sparsely populated Northern Territory, but the least populous of all Australia's capital cities...
, AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. - During the first week of 1942 Edsall escorted the so-called Pensacola ConvoyPensacola ConvoyThe Pensacola Convoy is a colloquialism for a United States military shipping convoy that took place in late 1941 as the Pacific War began. The name was derived from that of its primary escort ship, the heavy cruiser . It was intended that the convoy, dispatched in peacetime, would reinforce the...
from Torres StraitTorres StraitThe Torres Strait is a body of water which lies between Australia and the Melanesian island of New Guinea. It is approximately wide at its narrowest extent. To the south is Cape York Peninsula, the northernmost continental extremity of the Australian state of Queensland...
back to Darwin. - Later, after fueling operations in the Lesser Sunda IslandsLesser Sunda IslandsThe Lesser Sunda Islands or Nusa Tenggara are a group of islands in the southern Maritime Southeast Asia, north of Australia. Together with the Greater Sunda Islands to the west they make up the Sunda Islands...
, while conducting the oiler USS TrinityUSS Trinity (AO-13)USS Trinity was laid down on 10 November 1919 at Newport News, Va., by the Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Co.; launched on 3 July 1920; and commissioned on 4 September 1920, Comdr. Harry M. Bostwick, USNRF, in command.-Initial Cruise:...
to Darwin, she became the first U.S. destroyer to participate in the sinking of a full-sized enemy submarine in World War II. With three Australian corvettes (HMAS DeloraineHMAS DeloraineHMAS Deloraine , named for the town of Deloraine, Tasmania, was one of 60 Bathurst class corvettes constructed during World War II, and one of 36 initially manned and commissioned solely by the Royal Australian Navy .-Construction:...
, HMAS Lithgow, and HMAS KatoombaHMAS KatoombaHMAS Katoomba , named for the tourist resort of Katoomba, New South Wales, was one of 60 Bathurst class corvettes constructed during World War II, and one of 36 initially manned and commissioned solely by the Royal Australian Navy ....
), Edsall helped sink the Japanese submarine I-124 on 20 January 1942, off Darwin. Contrary to rumor, this sunken submarine was never entered, nor were classified documents ever recovered from it. - Continuing to escort convoys in northern Australian waters, Edsall was damaged when one of her own depth charges exploded prematurely during an anti-submarine attack on 23 January 1942 in the shallow (8 fathom) Howard Channel.
- On 3 February Edsall and other American units of ABDA moved up to Tjilatjap, Java in order to be closer to the combat theater and also to fuel stocks. She continued in her service as a patrol vessel off southern Java.
- On Feb 23 she and the old gunboat USS AshevilleUSS Asheville (PG-21)USS Asheville was a gunboat that served in the United States Navy during the early days of America's participation in World War II...
operated off Tjilatjap as ASW patrols. - On 26 February she steamed from Tjilatjap with her sister ship USS WhippleUSS Whipple (DD-217)USS Whipple , a Clemson-class destroyer was the second ship of the United States Navy named in honor of Captain Abraham Whipple , who served in the Continental Navy....
to rendezvous with the converted seaplane tender USS Langley which was bringing in P-40E fighters and crews for the defense of Java. - On the 27th, the seaplane tender, along with Edsall and Whipple came under attack by sixteen (16) Mitsubishi G4MMitsubishi G4MThe Mitsubishi G4M 一式陸上攻撃機, 一式陸攻 Isshiki rikujō kōgeki ki, Isshikirikkō was the main twin-engine, land-based bomber used by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service in World War II. The Allies gave the G4M the reporting name Betty...
"Betty" bombers of the Imperial Japanese Navy Air ServiceImperial Japanese Navy Air ServiceThe Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service was the air arm of the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II, the organization was responsible for the operation of naval aircraft and the conduct of aerial warfare in the Pacific War.It was controlled by the Navy Staff of the Imperial Japanese Navy and...
's Takao Kokutai, led by LieutenantLieutenantA lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
Jiro Adachi, flying out of Den Pasar airfield on Bali, and escorted by fifteen (15) A6M reisen fighters. The attack damaged Langley so severely that she had to be abandoned. Edsall picked up 177 survivors; Whipple, 308. - On the 28th the two destroyers rendezvoused with the fuel ship USS PecosUSS Pecos (AO-6)thumb|right|300px|USS Pecos in portUSS Pecos was laid down as Fuel Ship No. 18 on June 2, 1920 by the Navy Yard, Boston, Mass.; reclassified AO–6 on July 17, 1920; launched April 23, 1921; sponsored by Miss Anna S. Hubbard; and commissioned August 25, 1921...
off Flying Fish CoveFlying Fish CoveFlying Fish Cove is the main settlement of Australia's Christmas Island. Many maps simply label it “The Settlement”. It was the first British settlement on the island, established in 1888. The cove is named after the survey vessel ....
, Christmas IslandChristmas IslandThe Territory of Christmas Island is a territory of Australia in the Indian Ocean. It is located northwest of the Western Australian city of Perth, south of the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, and ENE of the Cocos Islands....
some 250 miles southwest of Tjilatjap. More Japanese bombers forced Edsall and the other ships to head for open sea. They headed directly south into the Indian Ocean for the rest of the 28th in high winds and heavy seas; in the early pre-dawn hours of 1 March all Langley crew were transferred to Pecos. - This was completed between 0430 (USN/local time) and 0815 on 1 March. Whipple then set off for the Cocos I. as protection for the tanker BelitaBelitaMaria Belita Gladys Olive Lyne Jepson-Turner , known professionally as Belita, was a British Olympic figure skater, dancer and film actress....
sent to meet her there; Pecos, carrying about 700 survivors from Langley, StewartUSS Stewart (DD-224)USS Stewart was a Clemson-class destroyer in the United States Navy during World War II. She was the second ship named for Rear Admiral Charles Stewart. Scuttled in a port, she was later raised by the Japanese and commissioned as Patrol Boat No. 102...
and Houston, plus assorted stragglers, was ordered to Australia. Edsall had retained 32 USAAC personnel from Langley to be used to assemble and fly 27 P-40E fighters shipped to Tjilatjap aboard the transport Sea WitchSea witchSea witches have enhanced many stories of British folklore for centuries. Traditionally, sea witches were witches who often appeared among sailors along with many others involved in the seafaring trade. Often, sea witches focused on witchcraft relating to the moon, tides, and the weather, which in...
. Edsall was instructed to return these "fighter crews" to the port.
- She and her division mates then joined the heavy cruiser USS Houston
Following orders, at 0830 she reversed course, headed back to the NE for Java, and was never seen again by Allied forces.
Last engagement of Edsall
-
- Pecos was detected later that morning by air patrols from the carriers of VADM Nagumo Chuichi's Kido Butai (or KdB) and came under heavy air attack. For some time she sent out distress calls to any Allied ships in the area, as it was assumed the ship would probably be lost. Whipple, less than 100 miles distant, copied some of these calls, but was too far away to return quickly. USS Mount VernonUSS Mount Vernon (AP-22)USS Mount Vernon was a troop transport that served with the United States Navy during World War II. Prior to her military service, she was a luxury ocean liner named SS Washington....
, a troopship many hundreds of miles away in the Indian Ocean also read some of the signals. - At approximately 1548 hours Pecos sank after being attacked for several hours by four waves of IJN dive-bombers from Nagumo's KdB.
- At 1550 hours (USN/local time) a single "light cruiser" was spotted about 16 miles behind the Japanese task force: this mistakenly identified ship was in fact the Edsall. At this time the old destroyer was perhaps no more than 25–35 miles from the last reported position of Pecos and likely attempting to get to her stricken comrades.
- At about 1603 hours she was first spotted by the Japanese heavy cruiser Chikuma and within another five minutes the cruiser opened fire with her 8" guns. Fifteen minutes later the battleships of VADM Mikawa Gunichi's Sentai 3/1 opened fire with their main battery of 14" guns at extremely long range (27,000m/29,500 yds.) All shots missed as the old destroyer fled, conducting evasive maneuvers that ranged from flank speed – about 26 knots for the hobbled ship – to full stop, with radical turns and intermittent smoke-screens.
- Edsall also disrupts the Japanese with counter-attacks, firing her torpedoes – which narrowly miss Chikuma – and with 4" gunfire, even though outranged.
- Edsall manages to get off a signal saying she had been surprised by two enemy battleships; this is copied by the Dutch merchant ship Siantar over 100 miles away.
- The Japanese surface vessels (2 cruisers, 2 battleships) fired 1,335 shells at Edsall that afternoon with no more than one or two hits. These failed to stop the gritty old destroyer.
- "Seething with rage," VADM Nagumo ordered airstrikes: a total of 26 Type 99 divebombers (kanbuku) in three groups (chutai) took off from the carriers KagaJapanese aircraft carrier KagaKaga was an aircraft carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy , named after the former Kaga Province in present-day Ishikawa Prefecture...
(8), HiryuJapanese aircraft carrier Hiryuwas a modified Sōryū-class aircraft carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy. She was one of the carriers that began the Pacific War with the attack on Pearl Harbor...
(9), and SoryuJapanese aircraft carrier Soryuwas an aircraft carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy. During the Second World War, she took part in the attack on Pearl Harbor, Wake Island, Port Darwin and raids in the Indian Ocean before being sunk at the Battle of Midway.-Design:...
(9). These divebombers were led by LTs Ogawa, Kobayashi, and Koite respectively. Their 250 kg (551 lb) bombs at last bring Edsall to a halt.
- Pecos was detected later that morning by air patrols from the carriers of VADM Nagumo Chuichi's Kido Butai (or KdB) and came under heavy air attack. For some time she sent out distress calls to any Allied ships in the area, as it was assumed the ship would probably be lost. Whipple, less than 100 miles distant, copied some of these calls, but was too far away to return quickly. USS Mount Vernon
-
- At 1722 the Japanese ships resume firing on the now-immobile destroyer. A Japanese camera-man, probably on the cruiser Tone, films about 90 seconds of her destruction. (A single frame from this film is culled for use as a propaganda photo later, misidentified as "the British destroyer HMS Pope".)
- Finally, at 1731 hrs (1901 IJN/Tokyo time) Edsall rolls onto her side, "showing her red bottom" according to an officer aboard the Japanese battleship HieiJapanese battleship Hieiwas a warship of the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War I and World War II. Designed by British naval architect George Thurston, she was the second launched of four s, among the most heavily armed ships in any navy when built. Laid down in 1911 at the Yokosuka Naval Arsenal, Hiei was formally...
, and disappears into the abyss of the Indian Ocean in clouds of steam and smoke.
Subsequent Japanese navy reports refer to this incident as "a fiasco".
The Fate of DD-219's Survivors
-
- Japanese Imperial Navy officers aboard the cruiser Chikuma many years later report that a number of men have survived the sinking of Edsall -- They are found in the water on liferafts, cutters, clinging to debris, etc. However, due to a submarine alert, the nervous Japanese only stop long enough to rescue a handful (the Japanese word is jakkan) before they steam off, leaving the others to perish in the Indian Ocean.
- On board Chikuma the survivors are treated well, clothed & fed, and interrogated by their captors, giving the name of their ship as "the old destroyer E-do-soo-ru". After a few days the details of these interrogations are shared with the other ships of VADM Nagumo's Kido Butai during their return journey.
- There is some suggestion that the cruiser Tone may have picked up a survivor or two as well, but there is no confirming evidence of this.
- The Americans are held on Chikuma for the next ten days before returning to the Japanese force's advance base on 11 March 1942…
- On 21 Sept. 1946 several mass graves are opened in a remote locale in the East Indies, over 1,000 miles from the point of Edsalls disappearance. In two graves, containing 34 decapitated bodies, are the remains of six Edsall crewmen and what are thought to be five more USAAC personnel from Langley, along with numerous Javanese, Chinese, and Dutch merchant sailors from the Dutch merchant-ship Modjokerto, sunk the same day as Edsall in the same area south of Christmas Island.
- These American bodies are reinterred in U.S. cemeteries between Dec. 1949 and March 1950.
- War crimes trials conducted in 1946-1948 concerning other murders that occurred in or near Kendari by IJN personnel contain fragmentary information about the killings of Edsall survivors but are not recognized as such by Allied investigators, and are not pursued.
- For the next six decades no U.S. press reports or post-war historical texts ever cover the story of the final days and fate of these men.
External links
- Movement record of Tone from combinedfleet.com
- The Sinking of the Edsall
- A SHIP TO REMEMBER: USS EDSALL (DD 219)
- http://www.navsource.org/archives/05/219.htm