Pre-war engraved Navy Good Conduct Medal to POW/KIA sailor.

[69thInfDivCollector]

Wondering what this might be worth. Served aboard several minesweepers pre-war, final service was aboard the USS Quail for the start of the war. Taken POW and died in captivity in 1943.

[Bruce Linz]

Hello,

 

I would think it's worth $250 to $400.  Nice medal.

 

Semper Fi, Bruce Linz

[USMCR79]

The Quail made it to Australia - Your guy served on the USS Finch (AM-9) as of March 1942.

 

From Wiki:

 

Sunk by a Japanese bomb

On 9 April 1942, while moored at the eastern point of Corregidor, Finch was damaged by the near miss of a Japanese bomb, her seams opening and fragments of the bomb piercing her hull. The entire crew landed safely, and Finch was abandoned to sink the next day, 10 April 1942.

Many of the Finch's crew served during the siege of Corregidor, though her captain was evacuated to Australia via submarine. The survivors of Corregidor were the first prisoners to arrive at Cabanatuanprison camp where they endured harsh conditions as described by Finch survivor Vernon G. LaHeist in his memoir.[2] Many were later removed to camps in Japan, Taiwan, or China. Yeoman Pratt, held in three camps in Taiwan, was evacuated aboard the destroyer escort USS Finch, and was startled at seeing the name, thinking it had been named for his old vessel, but that ship was named in honor of Lt.(j.g.) Joseph W. Finch, who died aboard the USS Laffey during the battle of Guadalcanal.

 

 

Service with the Japanese Navy

According to Japanese records[3] the Finch was salvaged and designated Patrol Boat No. 103 in April 1943. The PB-103 served as a convoy escort in the Philippines and Indochina. On 12 January 1945, off Cape Padaran in the South China Sea (11°10'N, 108°55'E), Finch was attacked and sunk by aircraft from the USS Lexington (CV-16), USS Hancock (CV-19) and USS Hornet (CV-12) which were part of Vice Admiral John S. McCain, Sr.'s Task Force 38 that had entered the South China Sea to raid Japanese shipping.[4]

U.S., World War II Navy Muster Rolls, 1938-1949 - Ancestry.com.pdf

[69thInfDivCollector]

35 minutes ago, USMCR79 said:

The Quail made it to Australia - Your guy served on the USS Finch (AM-9) as of March 1942.

 

From Wiki:

 

Sunk by a Japanese bomb

On 9 April 1942, while moored at the eastern point of Corregidor, Finch was damaged by the near miss of a Japanese bomb, her seams opening and fragments of the bomb piercing her hull. The entire crew landed safely, and Finch was abandoned to sink the next day, 10 April 1942.

Many of the Finch's crew served during the siege of Corregidor, though her captain was evacuated to Australia via submarine. The survivors of Corregidor were the first prisoners to arrive at Cabanatuanprison camp where they endured harsh conditions as described by Finch survivor Vernon G. LaHeist in his memoir.[2] Many were later removed to camps in Japan, Taiwan, or China. Yeoman Pratt, held in three camps in Taiwan, was evacuated aboard the destroyer escort USS Finch, and was startled at seeing the name, thinking it had been named for his old vessel, but that ship was named in honor of Lt.(j.g.) Joseph W. Finch, who died aboard the USS Laffey during the battle of Guadalcanal.

 

 

Service with the Japanese Navy

According to Japanese records[3] the Finch was salvaged and designated Patrol Boat No. 103 in April 1943. The PB-103 served as a convoy escort in the Philippines and Indochina. On 12 January 1945, off Cape Padaran in the South China Sea (11°10'N, 108°55'E), Finch was attacked and sunk by aircraft from the USS Lexington (CV-16), USS Hancock (CV-19) and USS Hornet (CV-12) which were part of Vice Admiral John S. McCain, Sr.'s Task Force 38 that had entered the South China Sea to raid Japanese shipping.[4]

U.S., World War II Navy Muster Rolls, 1938-1949 - Ancestry.com.pdf 1.12 MB · 1 download

While some of the crew of the Quail made it back to Australia on a motor launch, the shop itself was very much beached and later recovered by the Japanese. However, the majority of the crew remained in the Philippines.

 

If my timeline is correct he would've been on the Quail when it was sunk and transfered over to the Finch for its final month of fighting. His name shows up attached to both ships so I have quite a bit of research to do. Unfortunately this early in the war and with the situation so unstable in the Philippines, some of the records are off. I had an issue with a Marine Wake Island marine piece I previously posted where his muster rolls showed him on another Island months later when in fact he was firmly in Japanese hands. Having reviewed the Submarine records of the Asiatic fleet I can also attest that they were a shinola show. 

[jumpship]

47 minutes ago, 69thInfDivCollector said:

While some of the crew of the Quail made it back to Australia on a motor launch, the shop itself was very much beached and later recovered by the Japanese. However, the majority of the crew remained in the Philippines.

 

If my timeline is correct he would've been on the Quail when it was sunk and transfered over to the Finch for its final month of fighting. His name shows up attached to both ships so I have quite a bit of research to do. Unfortunately this early in the war and with the situation so unstable in the Philippines, some of the records are off. I had an issue with a Marine Wake Island marine piece I previously posted where his muster rolls showed him on another Island months later when in fact he was firmly in Japanese hands. Having reviewed the Submarine records of the Asiatic fleet I can also attest that they were a shinola show. 

As you alluded to, it seems that the records are unclear:

 

From the NARA POW files:

 

His headstone card:

 

Also this:

 

I would suggest requesting his Individual Deceased Personnel File (IDPF), which I think are available for personnel from all services at NARA St Louis; however, I’ve only ever requested those of US Army personnel and, unfortunately, there is no guarantee the IDPF, if it exists, will be complete.

 

email for IDPF request: stl.archives@nara.gov

 

The IDPFs are typically provided as a PDF.

 

Dan

[69thInfDivCollector]

Just now, jumpship said:

As you alluded to, it seems that the records are unclear:

 

From the NARA POW files:

 

His headstone card:

 

Also this:

 

I would suggest requesting his Individual Deceased Personnel File (IDPF), which I think are available for personnel from all services at NARA St Louis; however, I’ve only ever requested those of US Army personnel and, unfortunately, there is no guarantee the IDPF, if it exists, will be complete.

 

email for IDPF request: stl.archives@nara.gov

 

The IDPFs are typically provided as a PDF.

 

Dan

Sweet, thank you so much! I did a whole term paper on U.S. Submarine actions between December 8th, 1942-early 1943 and when I was reading their reports it really just struck home of how confused and chaotic the situation was in the Philipinnes. Very much contradicts a lot of what I heard as a kid about the fighting retreat of MacArthur. Hopefully some requests can clear uo questions.

 

I will for sure reach out and request that file. I have to do a whole bunch of FOIA requests for like 15 Marines so my next few off days will be spent typing up paperwork 😂.

[USMCR79]

8 minutes ago, jumpship said:

As you alluded to, it seems that the records are unclear:

 

From the NARA POW files:

 

His headstone card:

 

Also this:

 

I would suggest requesting his Individual Deceased Personnel File (IDPF), which I think are available for personnel from all services at NARA St Louis; however, I’ve only ever requested those of US Army personnel and, unfortunately, there is no guarantee the IDPF, if it exists, will be complete.

 

email for IDPF request: stl.archives@nara.gov

 

The IDPFs are typically provided as a PDF.

 

Dan

Thank you for the correction with information also - I have a GCM to a Chief Electrician on the Quail, since there are now POW records for him and later he served on a Destroyer in the ETO as a Warrant Officer I suspect that he sailed with the Captain as one of the 17 on the motor launch to Australia.

 

Unlike a lot of folks i enjoy History and don't mind a factual correction when I am wrong....It makes me smarter at 68.

 

Bill

[KASTAUFFER]

I do have a GCM group to one of the USS Quail Sailors that made it to Australia.  Some of the crew used a large wooden boat and made a home run. 

 

In May 1942, after the Quail (AM-15) was scuttled during the fall of Corregidor in the Philippines, 18 of her crew—commanded by Lt. Cmdr. John H. Morrill—fled in a 36-foot Navy motor launch. They navigated over 2,000 miles of Japanese-controlled ocean, arriving safely in Darwin, Australia, 29 days later

 

Kurt

[Salvage Sailor]

NH 96692 Lieutenant Commander John H. Morrill II, USN

 

 

Title: Lieutenant Commander John H. Morrill II, USN.

Caption: Photographed upon arrival in Australia after escaping from Manila Bay in USS QUAIL's 36-foot moor launch, May-June 1942.

Description: Courtesy of Rear Admiral John H. Morrill II, USN (Ret.).

Catalog #: NH 96692

Copyright Owner: Naval History and Heritage Command

Original Creator:

After this Year: 1940

Before this Year: 1949

Original Medium: BW Photo

 

Incredible Escape: 2,100 Miles, 30 Days, in an Open Boat

 

 

[aerialbridge]

I like your medal for this additional factoid (apart from the others),  Lapwing-class minesweeper USS Finch (AM-9) was the only ship command of Adm.  Hyman Rickover,  "Father of the Nuclear Navy" and the longest serving US serviceman. from 1918-1982.   The ship was at Shanghai in the summer of 1937 and came under fire.    Some historians regard the Battle of Shanghai as the start of World War II, and the first ship casualty was the gunboat USS Panay when the Japanese claimed, despite the large American flag painted on its awning, that bombing and sinking it on 12/12/37 was a "mistake".  If your medal recipient was on Finch at the end when the crew abandoned it in 4/42 and the Japanese refloated, repaired and sailed it,   that only elevates the historical value.   Rickover was only on Finch from 7/17-  10/5/37, until his request for transfer from Line Officer to Engineering Officer was granted.   Notably, during WW2, Rickover was in charge of the salvage and rebuilding of battleship USS California's propulsion system after she was sunk at Pearl Harbor.

 

Given all the history,  I'd value your medal at a well-publicized auction at $5-600

 

[easterneagle87]

5 hours ago, KASTAUFFER said:

I do have a GCM group to one of the USS Quail Sailors that made it to Australia.  Some of the crew used a large wooden boat and made a home run. 

 

In May 1942, after the Quail (AM-15) was scuttled during the fall of Corregidor in the Philippines, 18 of her crew—commanded by Lt. Cmdr. John H. Morrill—fled in a 36-foot Navy motor launch. They navigated over 2,000 miles of Japanese-controlled ocean, arriving safely in Darwin, Australia, 29 days later

 

Kurt

 

That is amazing! 2000 miles of ocean, divided by 29 days = 68(+) miles a day. In am truly in awe.