force, Rear Admiral Richmond Kelly Tumer, "insisted the cripple (Jarvis) take an escort" (Shaw, p 123) while enroute for repairs. It is assumed that the Jarvis never received Admiral’s Turners orders due to the damage to her communications systems. This escort ship was to be the destroyer mine sweeper Hovey. When the Hovey went to look for the Jarvis at its last-known anchorage, the ship could not be found. Dense rain and gunfire also hindered and distracted the efforts of the Hovey to locate the Jarvis. Why the Disappearance of the Jarvis Remained A Mystery for Seven Years After leaving for repairs the Jarvis appeared to have disappeared. A search of the area by Navy planes did not reveal any trace of the Jarvis, and there had been no communication from the Jarvis indicating what route she had planned to take. What was known was that at about 3:25 am on August 9th, the Jarvis had refused aid from USS Blue (DD-378). After daybreak on August 9, Figure 9: Lieutenant Commander Graham the last 1942 a scout plane from the carrier Saratoga sighted the Commanding Officer of the Jarvis. Jarvis about 40 miles off Guadalcanal; she was trailing fuel oil and down by the bow. This was the last sighting After receiving this heavy damage on August 8, 1942, of the Jarvis by American naval personnel. From this Lieutenant Commander Graham decided to sail for point onward her final fate remained a naval mystery for Brisbane, Australia for repairs on August 9, 1942. seven years Commander Shaw stated in his article that Graham ordered his ship to "leave without permission and alone Dr. Morison and his crew had flown to Japan to research with no escort and unobserved" (Shaw, p 123). To make the naval war in the Pacific during World War II. One of matters worse, the Jarvis could proceed at a speed of only the questions that Morison wanted answered was what seven knots, her structural damage was undetermined happened to the Jarvis? Captured Japanese papers never and all of her radios had been knocked out. Commander mentioned anything regarding her and Captain Toshikazu Shaw further stated that the commander of the naval Ohmae, chief of staff to the Japanese commander at the Figure 10: USS Jarvis torpedoed and dead in the water off of GuadalcanaL This is the last know photo of the Jarvis and was taken from an Australian cruiser. Photo courtesy of the Naval Historical Society ofAustralia. Vol. 61, No. 5 (September-October 2010) 29 ! TRACK OF THE JARVIS I AUGUST 8-9, 194F’ (~) Torpedoed-Afternoon (~ Anchored-Evening 8th. (~) Ba~tle of Savo Isla.nd-Midw~tch 9th. (~) Sighted by destroyer-Predawn 9th. (~) Sighted by plane-Forenoon 9th. (~) Sunk by enemy planes-Afternoon ~th, Figure 11: Map showing the track of the U.S.S. Jarvis August 8 and 9, 1942. Courtesy of the United States Naval Institute Proceedings. Battl~ Of Savo Island, Admiral Gunichi Mikawa, who personnel who participated in the battle and no was finterviewed by Morison’s team was unable to information could be found to solve the mystery shed:~tny light on the mystery. Morison’s team also surrounding the Jarvis. interviewed Admiral Turner and other United States Navy Figure 12: The two hemicycles at the Manila Atnerican Cemetery, Taguig City, Philippines that contain the names of 36,285 Americans who gave their lives during World War H in the Pacific. 30 JOMSA After much more research by Morison and his fellow naval researchers, the fate of the Jarvis was discovered, as was the reason why her fate remained a mystery for seven years. The fate of the Jarvis was learned from a second review of Japanese records of the air battle during August of 1942 that had been overlooked during the first review. The research staff was able to put all the pieces of the mystery together and solve the mystery (Figure 11). Japanese scout planes had mistaken the Jarvis for the New Zealand light cruiser Achilles due to her single smoke stack. After receiving a dispatch from the scout planes that an New Zealand cruiser had been damaged, Figure 13: StewardAnthony Jones’ engraved name from the Admiral Mikawa wanted to to sink a damaged cruiser at west hemicycle at the Manila American Cemetery. all cost! Therefore, 31 Japanese dive- bombers of the 25th Air Flotilla from Rabaul, were dispatched with an order and 570 Philippine nationals who were .serving in the "to attack enemy cruiser" (Shaw, p. 126). This decision Southwest Pacific.The Manila-American Cemetery by Admiral Mikawa sealed the fate of the USS Jarvis. and Memorial are maintained by the American Battle According to these Japanese records the Jarvis was sunk Monuments Commission of Arlington, Virginia. at 1 pm on August 9, 1942 near Cape Esperance, after being split in two by the one of a Japanese aerial torpedo. The memory of Jones and Villarreal liveson in the lives There is no mention of any survivors in the records. of their families. The USS Jarvis, now rusting in its ocean grave, entombs the remains of the 246 brave sailors who The Memory of the USS Jarvis made the ultimate sacrifice for their country. The USS Jarvis was aBagley class destroyer rated at 1500 Acknowledgements tons and had a crew of 247. From her commissioning at Puget Sound Navy Yard on October 27, 1937 until her I would like to thank the following for their contributions sinking in 1942 she had only six commanding officers. to this article: Ms. Sylvia Sandoval of San Juan, Texas, Her best-known commanding officer was Commander who allowed me to take photos of the Purple Heart and William Thayer who was later promoted to Rear Admiral; documents that were awarded to her uncle, Seaman Thayer had a lucky case of appendicitis and was relieved Second Class Alonzo Villarreal; Mrs. Lori Berdak by Lieutenant Commander Graham. If Lieutenant Miller of Redbird Research who obtained copies of Commander Thayer has not become ill, a small portion Seaman Jones’ and Seaman Villarreal’s official naval of naval history might have been changed. Jarvis saw personnel files and the photo of Lieutenant Commander service in the eastern Pacific, the Wake Island relief Graham; Mr. John Smith, Patron Chief of Navy, The expedition and escort work throughout the south Pacific Naval Historical Society of Australia, who furnished the until her final engagement at the Guadalcanal landings. vintage photo of the Jarvis taken at Guadalcanal in 1942; On December 7, 1941 she was moored at Pearl Harbor my friend, Tim Frank, who obtained Jones’ Purple Heart and from 0803 until 0930 her crew fought gallantly using card; and my mentor Robert "Bob" Ziccardi who got me her ship’s guns against the Japanese attackers with only involved in writing this article in the first place. one casualty. The Jarvis received three battle stars for her World War II service. References: Guide to Manila American Cemetery and Memorial, Taguig City, Philippines. Arlington, Virginia: American Battle Monuments The USS Jan, is is not forgotten. At the Manila-American Commission. Cemetery and Memorial in Taguig City, Philippines, stand Hartley, Les, Lewis, Wilber, Riddle, Tom, Greddien, Lou, Dean two hemicycles that circle the Memorial Chapel (Figure Schumacher, former crew members of the U.S.S. Jarvis, 12). Engraved on the piers of the west hemicycle are unpublished research on the history and final fate of the U.S.S. Jarvis, Ms. Sandoval. the names of 36,285 Americans who gave their lives in Shaw, James C. "Jarvis, The Destroyer that Vanished." United States the service of their country and who "sleep in unknown Naval Institute Proceedings, February, 1950. graves" (Figure 13). The entire crew of the USS Jarvis on "The Purple Heart, Our Nations First Military Award, Home of her final voyage are recorded. In addition to the memorial Heroes." Military Times (available on the Intemet. and chapel, the cemetery contains 17,100 headstones Tin Can Sailors, Somerset, Massachusetts. and graves of 16,636 United States military personnel Vol. 61, No. 5 (September-October 2010) 31 .