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SM3C Walter Mahlon Howser Jr.
Monument

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SM3C Walter Mahlon Howser Jr. Veteran

Birth
Hammond, Lake County, Indiana, USA
Death
25 Dec 1944 (aged 19–20)
At Sea
Monument
Coton, South Cambridgeshire District, Cambridgeshire, England GPS-Latitude: 52.2160667, Longitude: 0.05475
Plot
Tablets of the Missing
Memorial ID
View Source
US Navy WORLD WAR II
Signalman 3rd Class, Walter M. Howser Jr. MIA/KIA Official Date of Death: 25-Dec-44
Hometown: Indianapolis Indiana
Parents, Mr. and Mrs. Walter Mahlon Howser, Sr.,
Service # 2918634
Awards: Purple Heart, Navy Good Conduct Medal, European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal
Captain: (Cdr J.E. Kyes, lost)

Ship: USS Leary (DD 158) Loss Date: 24-Dec-43
Mission: Convoy escort
Location: 45° 15'N, 21° 40'W - Grid BE 7343 585 miles west-northwest of Cape Finisterre
Fate: Sunk by U-275 (Helmut Bork)
Complement: 176 officers and men (97 dead and 79 survivors).

Notes on event
On 24 Dec, 1943, the American hunter-killer Task Group 21.14, formed around USS Card (CVE 11) was spotted by a German reconnaissance aircraft and the wolfpack Borkum was ordered to attack. The carrier had a narrow escape when three FAT torpedoes fired by U-415 (Neide) missed her at 01.43 hours. The same U-boat also missed USS Decatur (DD 341) with a Gnat.

At 05.05 hours, U-275 fired a Gnat at USS Leary (DD 158) and hit her on the starboard side in the after engine room. A second Gnat fired by U-382 (Zorn) at 05.21 hours missed the already sinking destroyer. She sank after a huge internal explosion within one minute about 585 miles west-northwest of Cape Finisterre. The survivors were picked up by USS Schenck (DD 159), which found U-645 (Ferro) later the same day, evaded a torpedo and sank the U-boat with depth charges.

Signalman Howser appears Tablets of the Missing Cambridge American Cemetery and Memorial Cambridgeshire, England lost 24-Dec-43 officially declared killed 25-Dec-44. He also has a cenotaph memorial Arlington National Cemetery Arlington Virginia, his body was never recovered.

Visit the virtual cemetery of USS Leary (DD 158) " Click Here "
US Navy WORLD WAR II
Signalman 3rd Class, Walter M. Howser Jr. MIA/KIA Official Date of Death: 25-Dec-44
Hometown: Indianapolis Indiana
Parents, Mr. and Mrs. Walter Mahlon Howser, Sr.,
Service # 2918634
Awards: Purple Heart, Navy Good Conduct Medal, European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal
Captain: (Cdr J.E. Kyes, lost)

Ship: USS Leary (DD 158) Loss Date: 24-Dec-43
Mission: Convoy escort
Location: 45° 15'N, 21° 40'W - Grid BE 7343 585 miles west-northwest of Cape Finisterre
Fate: Sunk by U-275 (Helmut Bork)
Complement: 176 officers and men (97 dead and 79 survivors).

Notes on event
On 24 Dec, 1943, the American hunter-killer Task Group 21.14, formed around USS Card (CVE 11) was spotted by a German reconnaissance aircraft and the wolfpack Borkum was ordered to attack. The carrier had a narrow escape when three FAT torpedoes fired by U-415 (Neide) missed her at 01.43 hours. The same U-boat also missed USS Decatur (DD 341) with a Gnat.

At 05.05 hours, U-275 fired a Gnat at USS Leary (DD 158) and hit her on the starboard side in the after engine room. A second Gnat fired by U-382 (Zorn) at 05.21 hours missed the already sinking destroyer. She sank after a huge internal explosion within one minute about 585 miles west-northwest of Cape Finisterre. The survivors were picked up by USS Schenck (DD 159), which found U-645 (Ferro) later the same day, evaded a torpedo and sank the U-boat with depth charges.

Signalman Howser appears Tablets of the Missing Cambridge American Cemetery and Memorial Cambridgeshire, England lost 24-Dec-43 officially declared killed 25-Dec-44. He also has a cenotaph memorial Arlington National Cemetery Arlington Virginia, his body was never recovered.

Visit the virtual cemetery of USS Leary (DD 158) " Click Here "

Gravesite Details

Entered the service from Indiana.



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  • Maintained by: John Dowdy
  • Originally Created by: War Graves
  • Added: Aug 6, 2010
  • Find a Grave Memorial ID:
  • Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/56290853/walter_mahlon-howser: accessed ), memorial page for SM3C Walter Mahlon Howser Jr. (1924–25 Dec 1944), Find a Grave Memorial ID 56290853, citing Cambridge American Cemetery and Memorial, Coton, South Cambridgeshire District, Cambridgeshire, England; Maintained by John Dowdy (contributor 47791572).