PEERY " PERRY " LAMAR STINSON
USNA CLASS OF 1927
GRADUATE # 9034
LT. CMDR USCG
WORLD WAR TWO VETERAN
CAPT. USS HARVESON, 1943-44
CAPT. USS SERPENS, 1944-45
SURVIVED SERPENS CATASTROPIC EXPLOSION
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
TIMELINE :
1906 --- Born on 19 April in Chicot County, Arkansas to Richard Powell Stinson and Lillian May Hart.
1927 --- Graduate of the United States Naval Academy. Appointment as a Ensign to the United States Coast Guard.
1943 --- Took command of the new destroyer USS HARVESON ( DE 316 ) on 12 October 1943,
++++++++
USS HARVESON ( DE 316 )
USS HARVESON. ( DE 316 ) was an Edsall-class destroyer escort built for the U. S., Navy during World War Two. She served in the Atlantic Ocean, the Pacific Ocean and provided destroyer escort protection against submarine and air attack for Navy vessels and convoys.
She was named in honor of Lt. Harold Aloysius Harveson who was killed in the sinking of the USS Utah during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941. She was laid down by Consolidated Steel Corp, Orange, Texas, 9 March 1943 ; launched 22 May 1943 ; sponsored by Mrs. T. L. Herlong, mother ; and commissioned at Orange , 12 October 1943, LT. CMDR. P. L. STINSON, USCG in command.
WORLD WAR TWO NORTH ATLANTIC OPERATIONS
Manned entirely by a U. S. Coast Guard crew, " Harveson " completed shakedown out of Bermuda . Off Bermuda she was damaged when rammed by Canadian fishing vessel " O. K. Service " on 25 November 1943. On 15th December , " Harveson " was seriously damaged when she collided with " SS William T. Barry ", on a foggy night off the Virginia Capes. Repairs were completed at Portsmouth , Virginia , by February 1944, and the destroyer- escort joined Escort Division 22.
1944 --- Lt. Commander P. L. STINSON replaced as Captain of " USS HARVESON" by Cmdr. George William Nelson, USCG. on 2 February 1944.
+++++++++++
1944 --- Lt. Commander PEERY LAMAR STINSON appointed as Captain of the " USS SERPENS " ( AK-97 ), replacing LCDR Magnus J. Johnson on 22 July 1944.
USS SERPENS ( AK - 97 )
USS SERPENS ( AK - 97 ) was a Crater-class cargo ship commissioned by the United States Navy for service in World War Two. She was the first ship of the U. S. Navy to have this name : she is named after Serpens, a constellation in the northern hemisphere. Serpens was manned by United States Coast Guard personnel and was responsible for delivering troops, goods, and equipment to locations in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater.
CONSTRUCTION
"Serpens" was laid down on 10 March 1943, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MC hull 739, as the Liberty ship "SS Benjamin N. Cardozo", by California Shipbuilding Corporation , Terminal Island, Los Angeles, California ; launched on 5 April 1943 ; sponsored by Mr. H. P. Needham ; transferred to the Navy on 19 April 1943 : renamed "Serpens" and designated AK-97 ; and commissioned at San Diego on 28 May 1943, Lieutenant Commander Magnus J. Johnson, USCGR , in command.
SERVICE HISTORY -- LCDR STINSON TENURE
In July, 1944 , she was at Purvis Bay for the installation of SF-1 radar. she then resumed operations and through October , carried general cargo and rolling stock between ports and anchorages in the Solomons. In mid-November , she loaded repairable vehicles from the Russell's and from Guadalcanal and sailed for New Zealand where, after offloading , three of her holds were converted for ammunition stowage.
DESTRUCTION, 29 JANUARY 1945
Late in December, 1944, the Liberty ship commenced loading at Wellington, finished it at Auckland, and returned to the Solomans in mid-January, 1945. Late in the evening on 29 January, 1945 , " SERPENS " was anchored off Lunga Beach. The commanding officer, LT CMDR STINSON, and seven others , one officer and six enlisted men, were ashore taking care of administrative duties . The remaining crewmen were loading depth charges into her holds when '"SERPENS " exploded. After the explosion, only the bow of the ship was visible. The rest had disintegrated, and the bow sank soon afterward. One hundred ninety-six Coast Guard crewmen, fifty-seven Army stevedores, and a Public Health Service physician, Dr. Harry M. Levin, were killed in the explosion, and a soldier ashore was killed by shrapnel. Only two of those on board, seaman (SN) 1/c Kelsie K. Kemp and SN 1/c George S. Kennedy , who had been in the boatswains's locker survived.
An eyewitness to the disaster stated: " As we headed our personnel boat shoreward the sound and concussion of the explosion suddenly reached us, and, as we turned , we witnessed the awe-inspiring death drama unfold before us. As the report of screeching shells filled the air and the flash of tracers continued , the water splashed throughout the harbor as the shells hit. We headed our boat in the direction of the smoke and as we came into closer view of what had once been a ship, the water was filled only with floating debris, dead fish, torn life jackets, lumber and other unidentifiable objects. The smell of death , and fire , and gasoline, and oil was evident and nauseating. This was sudden death, and horror, unwanted and unasked for, but complete."
LIEUTENANT COMMANDER STINSON reported, " I felt and saw two flashes after which only the bow of the ship was visible. The rest has disintegrated and the bow sank soon afterwards." The two survivors, SN 1/c Kemp and SN 1/c Kennedy, according to STINSON, " ... showed a lot of savvy by grabbing a couple of water lights that we kept stowed in the locker. They used them to attract attention when they climbed out onto the floating portion of the bow." Both men were injured but were rescued by a base commander in the area.
At first report the incident was attributed to enemy action but a court of inquiry later determined that the cause of the explosion could not be established from the remaining evidence and by 1949, the Navy noted the loss was not due to enemy action but due to an " accident intrinsic to the loading process." The loss of "SERPENS" remains the largest single disaster ever suffered by the Coast Guard. The dead were initially buried at the Army , Navy, and Marine Corps Cemetery at Guadalcanal. Their remains were later exhumed and taken to Arlington National Cemetery where they were interred on 15 June 1949. Large monument in their honor was erected over the grave site and dedicated on 16 November 1950.
As of 2019, there is an active effort to reexamine the sinking to see if it was caused by a Japanese submarine.
"SERPENS earned one battle star for her World War Two service.
1945 --- USS SERPENS explodes, killing the majority of the crew and destroying the ship. LCDR STINSON'S tenure as Captain ends on 29 January 1945.
1945 --- USS SERPENS struck from the Naval Register on 10 March 1945
1945 --- World War Two ends in the Pacific on 2 September 1945.
1946 --- Lt. Comdr PERRY L. STINSON, designated Acting Greenland representative, Commander, North Atlantic Patrol, on detachment of Captain Charles W. Thomas, October 1946.
1957 --- LCDR PEERY LAMAR STINSON dies at the age of 52 years in Los Angeles, California, 22 September.
++++++++
Researched and transcribed by:
ED CATTERSON
[email protected]
2/1/2021
USNA CLASS OF 1927
GRADUATE # 9034
LT. CMDR USCG
WORLD WAR TWO VETERAN
CAPT. USS HARVESON, 1943-44
CAPT. USS SERPENS, 1944-45
SURVIVED SERPENS CATASTROPIC EXPLOSION
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
TIMELINE :
1906 --- Born on 19 April in Chicot County, Arkansas to Richard Powell Stinson and Lillian May Hart.
1927 --- Graduate of the United States Naval Academy. Appointment as a Ensign to the United States Coast Guard.
1943 --- Took command of the new destroyer USS HARVESON ( DE 316 ) on 12 October 1943,
++++++++
USS HARVESON ( DE 316 )
USS HARVESON. ( DE 316 ) was an Edsall-class destroyer escort built for the U. S., Navy during World War Two. She served in the Atlantic Ocean, the Pacific Ocean and provided destroyer escort protection against submarine and air attack for Navy vessels and convoys.
She was named in honor of Lt. Harold Aloysius Harveson who was killed in the sinking of the USS Utah during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941. She was laid down by Consolidated Steel Corp, Orange, Texas, 9 March 1943 ; launched 22 May 1943 ; sponsored by Mrs. T. L. Herlong, mother ; and commissioned at Orange , 12 October 1943, LT. CMDR. P. L. STINSON, USCG in command.
WORLD WAR TWO NORTH ATLANTIC OPERATIONS
Manned entirely by a U. S. Coast Guard crew, " Harveson " completed shakedown out of Bermuda . Off Bermuda she was damaged when rammed by Canadian fishing vessel " O. K. Service " on 25 November 1943. On 15th December , " Harveson " was seriously damaged when she collided with " SS William T. Barry ", on a foggy night off the Virginia Capes. Repairs were completed at Portsmouth , Virginia , by February 1944, and the destroyer- escort joined Escort Division 22.
1944 --- Lt. Commander P. L. STINSON replaced as Captain of " USS HARVESON" by Cmdr. George William Nelson, USCG. on 2 February 1944.
+++++++++++
1944 --- Lt. Commander PEERY LAMAR STINSON appointed as Captain of the " USS SERPENS " ( AK-97 ), replacing LCDR Magnus J. Johnson on 22 July 1944.
USS SERPENS ( AK - 97 )
USS SERPENS ( AK - 97 ) was a Crater-class cargo ship commissioned by the United States Navy for service in World War Two. She was the first ship of the U. S. Navy to have this name : she is named after Serpens, a constellation in the northern hemisphere. Serpens was manned by United States Coast Guard personnel and was responsible for delivering troops, goods, and equipment to locations in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater.
CONSTRUCTION
"Serpens" was laid down on 10 March 1943, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MC hull 739, as the Liberty ship "SS Benjamin N. Cardozo", by California Shipbuilding Corporation , Terminal Island, Los Angeles, California ; launched on 5 April 1943 ; sponsored by Mr. H. P. Needham ; transferred to the Navy on 19 April 1943 : renamed "Serpens" and designated AK-97 ; and commissioned at San Diego on 28 May 1943, Lieutenant Commander Magnus J. Johnson, USCGR , in command.
SERVICE HISTORY -- LCDR STINSON TENURE
In July, 1944 , she was at Purvis Bay for the installation of SF-1 radar. she then resumed operations and through October , carried general cargo and rolling stock between ports and anchorages in the Solomons. In mid-November , she loaded repairable vehicles from the Russell's and from Guadalcanal and sailed for New Zealand where, after offloading , three of her holds were converted for ammunition stowage.
DESTRUCTION, 29 JANUARY 1945
Late in December, 1944, the Liberty ship commenced loading at Wellington, finished it at Auckland, and returned to the Solomans in mid-January, 1945. Late in the evening on 29 January, 1945 , " SERPENS " was anchored off Lunga Beach. The commanding officer, LT CMDR STINSON, and seven others , one officer and six enlisted men, were ashore taking care of administrative duties . The remaining crewmen were loading depth charges into her holds when '"SERPENS " exploded. After the explosion, only the bow of the ship was visible. The rest had disintegrated, and the bow sank soon afterward. One hundred ninety-six Coast Guard crewmen, fifty-seven Army stevedores, and a Public Health Service physician, Dr. Harry M. Levin, were killed in the explosion, and a soldier ashore was killed by shrapnel. Only two of those on board, seaman (SN) 1/c Kelsie K. Kemp and SN 1/c George S. Kennedy , who had been in the boatswains's locker survived.
An eyewitness to the disaster stated: " As we headed our personnel boat shoreward the sound and concussion of the explosion suddenly reached us, and, as we turned , we witnessed the awe-inspiring death drama unfold before us. As the report of screeching shells filled the air and the flash of tracers continued , the water splashed throughout the harbor as the shells hit. We headed our boat in the direction of the smoke and as we came into closer view of what had once been a ship, the water was filled only with floating debris, dead fish, torn life jackets, lumber and other unidentifiable objects. The smell of death , and fire , and gasoline, and oil was evident and nauseating. This was sudden death, and horror, unwanted and unasked for, but complete."
LIEUTENANT COMMANDER STINSON reported, " I felt and saw two flashes after which only the bow of the ship was visible. The rest has disintegrated and the bow sank soon afterwards." The two survivors, SN 1/c Kemp and SN 1/c Kennedy, according to STINSON, " ... showed a lot of savvy by grabbing a couple of water lights that we kept stowed in the locker. They used them to attract attention when they climbed out onto the floating portion of the bow." Both men were injured but were rescued by a base commander in the area.
At first report the incident was attributed to enemy action but a court of inquiry later determined that the cause of the explosion could not be established from the remaining evidence and by 1949, the Navy noted the loss was not due to enemy action but due to an " accident intrinsic to the loading process." The loss of "SERPENS" remains the largest single disaster ever suffered by the Coast Guard. The dead were initially buried at the Army , Navy, and Marine Corps Cemetery at Guadalcanal. Their remains were later exhumed and taken to Arlington National Cemetery where they were interred on 15 June 1949. Large monument in their honor was erected over the grave site and dedicated on 16 November 1950.
As of 2019, there is an active effort to reexamine the sinking to see if it was caused by a Japanese submarine.
"SERPENS earned one battle star for her World War Two service.
1945 --- USS SERPENS explodes, killing the majority of the crew and destroying the ship. LCDR STINSON'S tenure as Captain ends on 29 January 1945.
1945 --- USS SERPENS struck from the Naval Register on 10 March 1945
1945 --- World War Two ends in the Pacific on 2 September 1945.
1946 --- Lt. Comdr PERRY L. STINSON, designated Acting Greenland representative, Commander, North Atlantic Patrol, on detachment of Captain Charles W. Thomas, October 1946.
1957 --- LCDR PEERY LAMAR STINSON dies at the age of 52 years in Los Angeles, California, 22 September.
++++++++
Researched and transcribed by:
ED CATTERSON
[email protected]
2/1/2021
PEERY " PERRY " LAMAR STINSON
USNA CLASS OF 1927
GRADUATE # 9034
LT. CMDR USCG
WORLD WAR TWO VETERAN
CAPT. USS HARVESON, 1943-44
CAPT. USS SERPENS, 1944-45
SURVIVED SERPENS CATASTROPIC EXPLOSION
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
TIMELINE :
1906 --- Born on 19 April in Chicot County, Arkansas to Richard Powell Stinson and Lillian May Hart.
1927 --- Graduate of the United States Naval Academy. Appointment as a Ensign to the United States Coast Guard.
1943 --- Took command of the new destroyer USS HARVESON ( DE 316 ) on 12 October 1943,
++++++++
USS HARVESON ( DE 316 )
USS HARVESON. ( DE 316 ) was an Edsall-class destroyer escort built for the U. S., Navy during World War Two. She served in the Atlantic Ocean, the Pacific Ocean and provided destroyer escort protection against submarine and air attack for Navy vessels and convoys.
She was named in honor of Lt. Harold Aloysius Harveson who was killed in the sinking of the USS Utah during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941. She was laid down by Consolidated Steel Corp, Orange, Texas, 9 March 1943 ; launched 22 May 1943 ; sponsored by Mrs. T. L. Herlong, mother ; and commissioned at Orange , 12 October 1943, LT. CMDR. P. L. STINSON, USCG in command.
WORLD WAR TWO NORTH ATLANTIC OPERATIONS
Manned entirely by a U. S. Coast Guard crew, " Harveson " completed shakedown out of Bermuda . Off Bermuda she was damaged when rammed by Canadian fishing vessel " O. K. Service " on 25 November 1943. On 15th December , " Harveson " was seriously damaged when she collided with " SS William T. Barry ", on a foggy night off the Virginia Capes. Repairs were completed at Portsmouth , Virginia , by February 1944, and the destroyer- escort joined Escort Division 22.
1944 --- Lt. Commander P. L. STINSON replaced as Captain of " USS HARVESON" by Cmdr. George William Nelson, USCG. on 2 February 1944.
+++++++++++
1944 --- Lt. Commander PEERY LAMAR STINSON appointed as Captain of the " USS SERPENS " ( AK-97 ), replacing LCDR Magnus J. Johnson on 22 July 1944.
USS SERPENS ( AK - 97 )
USS SERPENS ( AK - 97 ) was a Crater-class cargo ship commissioned by the United States Navy for service in World War Two. She was the first ship of the U. S. Navy to have this name : she is named after Serpens, a constellation in the northern hemisphere. Serpens was manned by United States Coast Guard personnel and was responsible for delivering troops, goods, and equipment to locations in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater.
CONSTRUCTION
"Serpens" was laid down on 10 March 1943, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MC hull 739, as the Liberty ship "SS Benjamin N. Cardozo", by California Shipbuilding Corporation , Terminal Island, Los Angeles, California ; launched on 5 April 1943 ; sponsored by Mr. H. P. Needham ; transferred to the Navy on 19 April 1943 : renamed "Serpens" and designated AK-97 ; and commissioned at San Diego on 28 May 1943, Lieutenant Commander Magnus J. Johnson, USCGR , in command.
SERVICE HISTORY -- LCDR STINSON TENURE
In July, 1944 , she was at Purvis Bay for the installation of SF-1 radar. she then resumed operations and through October , carried general cargo and rolling stock between ports and anchorages in the Solomons. In mid-November , she loaded repairable vehicles from the Russell's and from Guadalcanal and sailed for New Zealand where, after offloading , three of her holds were converted for ammunition stowage.
DESTRUCTION, 29 JANUARY 1945
Late in December, 1944, the Liberty ship commenced loading at Wellington, finished it at Auckland, and returned to the Solomans in mid-January, 1945. Late in the evening on 29 January, 1945 , " SERPENS " was anchored off Lunga Beach. The commanding officer, LT CMDR STINSON, and seven others , one officer and six enlisted men, were ashore taking care of administrative duties . The remaining crewmen were loading depth charges into her holds when '"SERPENS " exploded. After the explosion, only the bow of the ship was visible. The rest had disintegrated, and the bow sank soon afterward. One hundred ninety-six Coast Guard crewmen, fifty-seven Army stevedores, and a Public Health Service physician, Dr. Harry M. Levin, were killed in the explosion, and a soldier ashore was killed by shrapnel. Only two of those on board, seaman (SN) 1/c Kelsie K. Kemp and SN 1/c George S. Kennedy , who had been in the boatswains's locker survived.
An eyewitness to the disaster stated: " As we headed our personnel boat shoreward the sound and concussion of the explosion suddenly reached us, and, as we turned , we witnessed the awe-inspiring death drama unfold before us. As the report of screeching shells filled the air and the flash of tracers continued , the water splashed throughout the harbor as the shells hit. We headed our boat in the direction of the smoke and as we came into closer view of what had once been a ship, the water was filled only with floating debris, dead fish, torn life jackets, lumber and other unidentifiable objects. The smell of death , and fire , and gasoline, and oil was evident and nauseating. This was sudden death, and horror, unwanted and unasked for, but complete."
LIEUTENANT COMMANDER STINSON reported, " I felt and saw two flashes after which only the bow of the ship was visible. The rest has disintegrated and the bow sank soon afterwards." The two survivors, SN 1/c Kemp and SN 1/c Kennedy, according to STINSON, " ... showed a lot of savvy by grabbing a couple of water lights that we kept stowed in the locker. They used them to attract attention when they climbed out onto the floating portion of the bow." Both men were injured but were rescued by a base commander in the area.
At first report the incident was attributed to enemy action but a court of inquiry later determined that the cause of the explosion could not be established from the remaining evidence and by 1949, the Navy noted the loss was not due to enemy action but due to an " accident intrinsic to the loading process." The loss of "SERPENS" remains the largest single disaster ever suffered by the Coast Guard. The dead were initially buried at the Army , Navy, and Marine Corps Cemetery at Guadalcanal. Their remains were later exhumed and taken to Arlington National Cemetery where they were interred on 15 June 1949. Large monument in their honor was erected over the grave site and dedicated on 16 November 1950.
As of 2019, there is an active effort to reexamine the sinking to see if it was caused by a Japanese submarine.
"SERPENS earned one battle star for her World War Two service.
1945 --- USS SERPENS explodes, killing the majority of the crew and destroying the ship. LCDR STINSON'S tenure as Captain ends on 29 January 1945.
1945 --- USS SERPENS struck from the Naval Register on 10 March 1945
1945 --- World War Two ends in the Pacific on 2 September 1945.
1946 --- Lt. Comdr PERRY L. STINSON, designated Acting Greenland representative, Commander, North Atlantic Patrol, on detachment of Captain Charles W. Thomas, October 1946.
1957 --- LCDR PEERY LAMAR STINSON dies at the age of 52 years in Los Angeles, California, 22 September.
++++++++
Researched and transcribed by:
ED CATTERSON
[email protected]
2/1/2021
USNA CLASS OF 1927
GRADUATE # 9034
LT. CMDR USCG
WORLD WAR TWO VETERAN
CAPT. USS HARVESON, 1943-44
CAPT. USS SERPENS, 1944-45
SURVIVED SERPENS CATASTROPIC EXPLOSION
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
TIMELINE :
1906 --- Born on 19 April in Chicot County, Arkansas to Richard Powell Stinson and Lillian May Hart.
1927 --- Graduate of the United States Naval Academy. Appointment as a Ensign to the United States Coast Guard.
1943 --- Took command of the new destroyer USS HARVESON ( DE 316 ) on 12 October 1943,
++++++++
USS HARVESON ( DE 316 )
USS HARVESON. ( DE 316 ) was an Edsall-class destroyer escort built for the U. S., Navy during World War Two. She served in the Atlantic Ocean, the Pacific Ocean and provided destroyer escort protection against submarine and air attack for Navy vessels and convoys.
She was named in honor of Lt. Harold Aloysius Harveson who was killed in the sinking of the USS Utah during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941. She was laid down by Consolidated Steel Corp, Orange, Texas, 9 March 1943 ; launched 22 May 1943 ; sponsored by Mrs. T. L. Herlong, mother ; and commissioned at Orange , 12 October 1943, LT. CMDR. P. L. STINSON, USCG in command.
WORLD WAR TWO NORTH ATLANTIC OPERATIONS
Manned entirely by a U. S. Coast Guard crew, " Harveson " completed shakedown out of Bermuda . Off Bermuda she was damaged when rammed by Canadian fishing vessel " O. K. Service " on 25 November 1943. On 15th December , " Harveson " was seriously damaged when she collided with " SS William T. Barry ", on a foggy night off the Virginia Capes. Repairs were completed at Portsmouth , Virginia , by February 1944, and the destroyer- escort joined Escort Division 22.
1944 --- Lt. Commander P. L. STINSON replaced as Captain of " USS HARVESON" by Cmdr. George William Nelson, USCG. on 2 February 1944.
+++++++++++
1944 --- Lt. Commander PEERY LAMAR STINSON appointed as Captain of the " USS SERPENS " ( AK-97 ), replacing LCDR Magnus J. Johnson on 22 July 1944.
USS SERPENS ( AK - 97 )
USS SERPENS ( AK - 97 ) was a Crater-class cargo ship commissioned by the United States Navy for service in World War Two. She was the first ship of the U. S. Navy to have this name : she is named after Serpens, a constellation in the northern hemisphere. Serpens was manned by United States Coast Guard personnel and was responsible for delivering troops, goods, and equipment to locations in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater.
CONSTRUCTION
"Serpens" was laid down on 10 March 1943, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MC hull 739, as the Liberty ship "SS Benjamin N. Cardozo", by California Shipbuilding Corporation , Terminal Island, Los Angeles, California ; launched on 5 April 1943 ; sponsored by Mr. H. P. Needham ; transferred to the Navy on 19 April 1943 : renamed "Serpens" and designated AK-97 ; and commissioned at San Diego on 28 May 1943, Lieutenant Commander Magnus J. Johnson, USCGR , in command.
SERVICE HISTORY -- LCDR STINSON TENURE
In July, 1944 , she was at Purvis Bay for the installation of SF-1 radar. she then resumed operations and through October , carried general cargo and rolling stock between ports and anchorages in the Solomons. In mid-November , she loaded repairable vehicles from the Russell's and from Guadalcanal and sailed for New Zealand where, after offloading , three of her holds were converted for ammunition stowage.
DESTRUCTION, 29 JANUARY 1945
Late in December, 1944, the Liberty ship commenced loading at Wellington, finished it at Auckland, and returned to the Solomans in mid-January, 1945. Late in the evening on 29 January, 1945 , " SERPENS " was anchored off Lunga Beach. The commanding officer, LT CMDR STINSON, and seven others , one officer and six enlisted men, were ashore taking care of administrative duties . The remaining crewmen were loading depth charges into her holds when '"SERPENS " exploded. After the explosion, only the bow of the ship was visible. The rest had disintegrated, and the bow sank soon afterward. One hundred ninety-six Coast Guard crewmen, fifty-seven Army stevedores, and a Public Health Service physician, Dr. Harry M. Levin, were killed in the explosion, and a soldier ashore was killed by shrapnel. Only two of those on board, seaman (SN) 1/c Kelsie K. Kemp and SN 1/c George S. Kennedy , who had been in the boatswains's locker survived.
An eyewitness to the disaster stated: " As we headed our personnel boat shoreward the sound and concussion of the explosion suddenly reached us, and, as we turned , we witnessed the awe-inspiring death drama unfold before us. As the report of screeching shells filled the air and the flash of tracers continued , the water splashed throughout the harbor as the shells hit. We headed our boat in the direction of the smoke and as we came into closer view of what had once been a ship, the water was filled only with floating debris, dead fish, torn life jackets, lumber and other unidentifiable objects. The smell of death , and fire , and gasoline, and oil was evident and nauseating. This was sudden death, and horror, unwanted and unasked for, but complete."
LIEUTENANT COMMANDER STINSON reported, " I felt and saw two flashes after which only the bow of the ship was visible. The rest has disintegrated and the bow sank soon afterwards." The two survivors, SN 1/c Kemp and SN 1/c Kennedy, according to STINSON, " ... showed a lot of savvy by grabbing a couple of water lights that we kept stowed in the locker. They used them to attract attention when they climbed out onto the floating portion of the bow." Both men were injured but were rescued by a base commander in the area.
At first report the incident was attributed to enemy action but a court of inquiry later determined that the cause of the explosion could not be established from the remaining evidence and by 1949, the Navy noted the loss was not due to enemy action but due to an " accident intrinsic to the loading process." The loss of "SERPENS" remains the largest single disaster ever suffered by the Coast Guard. The dead were initially buried at the Army , Navy, and Marine Corps Cemetery at Guadalcanal. Their remains were later exhumed and taken to Arlington National Cemetery where they were interred on 15 June 1949. Large monument in their honor was erected over the grave site and dedicated on 16 November 1950.
As of 2019, there is an active effort to reexamine the sinking to see if it was caused by a Japanese submarine.
"SERPENS earned one battle star for her World War Two service.
1945 --- USS SERPENS explodes, killing the majority of the crew and destroying the ship. LCDR STINSON'S tenure as Captain ends on 29 January 1945.
1945 --- USS SERPENS struck from the Naval Register on 10 March 1945
1945 --- World War Two ends in the Pacific on 2 September 1945.
1946 --- Lt. Comdr PERRY L. STINSON, designated Acting Greenland representative, Commander, North Atlantic Patrol, on detachment of Captain Charles W. Thomas, October 1946.
1957 --- LCDR PEERY LAMAR STINSON dies at the age of 52 years in Los Angeles, California, 22 September.
++++++++
Researched and transcribed by:
ED CATTERSON
[email protected]
2/1/2021
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