Parke Davis Patton in Navy uniform   Save
Parke Davis Patton Papers
Description: Parke Davis Patton was born February 15, 1923 in Columbus, Ohio to Charles and Jesse Davis Patton. He served as a pharmacist’s mate, second class, in the United States Navy during World War II. During the war, an Evansville, Indiana shipyard produced Landing Ship Tanks (LSTs), which supported the war effort by transporting men and material around the world. The Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron Company completed the LST 577 on May 3, 1944. It was launched on June 16, 1944, and was commissioned July 10, 1944. During the morning of February 11, 1945, the LST 577 was part of a convoy formation of ships east of Mindinano, Philippine Islands. The convoy was on a resupply run to Lingayen Gulf, Leyte and was approaching the point of rendezvous with other ships. As a result of the foggy, drizzling weather that morning, the crew had been allowed to sleep in. At approximately 9:05 a.m., two torpedoes from the Japanese submarine R050 passed through the convoy from port to starboard and struck the LST 577, at convoy position Number 21, on the port quarter. The explosion occurred just aft of the auxiliary engine room and broke the ship in two. The entire forward section of the ship aft frame sank immediately, because the main engines and superstructure were located in and on the back half of the ship. The forward section remained afloat. Over 166 Navy and Army personnel, including Patton, lost their lives. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: MSS1258AV
Subjects: United States Navy; World War II; Military Ohio; Soldiers--Ohio;
Places: Columbus (Ohio); Franklin County (Ohio)