Territory Stories
Delmar Eugene Baker
Details:
Title
Delmar Eugene Baker,
Name
Delmar Eugene Baker,
Also known as
Baker, Delmar Eugene,
Collection
WWII Roll of Honour,
HistoryNT,
Second World War, 1939-1945,
Date
2021,
Place of birth
Conrad, Pondera County, Montana (USA),
Date of birth
1920-03-05,
Place of enlistment
Des Moins, Iowa (USA),
Date of enlistment
1939-10-11,
Nation of service
United States of America,
Service
United States Navy,
Unit
USS Peary (DD-226),
Rank
Fireman 1st Class,
Service number
321-35-78,
Next of kin
Frank Balaam Baker - Father,
Vina (nee Bell) Baker - Mother,
Date of death
1942-02-19,
Place of death
USS Peary (DD-226),
Place of burial
Arlington Cemetery,
Memorial
Manila American Cemetery and Memorial,
Cultural heritage
American,
Honours and awards
Purple Heart,
Biographical notes
Delmar Eugene Baker was born on 5 March 1920, in Conrad, Pondera, Montana. He was the youngest child of Frank Balaam Baker and Vina (nee Bell) of Louisiana.,
History
Enlisted on 11 October 1939 at Des Moins, Iowa, and served briefly on the battleship USS Idaho, before transferring to the Peary in April 1940. He was with the Peary in Cavite Bay when she was bombed, and then endured three aerial bombardments on his way to Australia. He was unmarried when he died, two weeks short of his 22nd birthday.
The Peary had endured a dramatic voyage to Australia in December 1941, after sustaining damage in a bombing attack on the Cavite Navy Yard in the Philippines. The crew camouflaged the ship with green paint borrowed from the Army, and took refuge during daylight by anchoring close to the islands and covering the ship with palm fronds. Many of the Peary's crew contracted malaria on this journey and eight men eventually died from the disease. They were attacked on 26 and 27 December, but avoided damage by violent manoeuvring. The Peary arrived in Darwin on 3 January.
In January the Peary was operating on anti-submarine patrol, convoy and escort missions; while escorting troops from Darwin to Timor, the ship was again attacked. They returned to Darwin, refuelled and set off again with the cruiser USS Houston. A fruitless submarine chase exhausted the Peary's fuel, and she returned to Darwin in the early hours of 19 February.
The Peary was hit early in the bombing of Darwin, and appears to have sunk within 40 minutes. The fifth bomb to hit the Peary caused the fatal damage that sent her to the bottom and it was said to be the last bomb dropped that day on the harbour. The Peary's machine guns continued to fire at the Japanese planes even as she sank. Eighty-eight officers and men, including Captain Bermingham, were killed; twenty of the fifty-seven survivors were wounded.
In December 1942 the Peary was awarded one battle star for service in World War II.,
Notes
Metadata: Attribution International 4.0 (CC-BY 4.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 ,
Language
English,
Subject
Second World War, 1939-1945,
Bombing of Darwin,
Roll of Honour,
Northern Territory history,
USS Peary,
File type
image/tiff,
Use
No known copyright,
Copyright owner
Library & Archives NT,
Library & Archives NT,
License
https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/pubic-domain/pdm ,
Related links
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/154513466/delmar-eugene-baker [Find a Grave] ,
https://www.abmc.gov/decedent-search/baker%3Ddelmar [American Battle Monuments Commission] ,
https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=334209&S=9&R=0 [Darwin Raids - Casualty Lists and Enquiries] ,
https://hdl.handle.net/10070/34384 [PictureNT : PH0296/0028, Burning ships, Alan White Collection] ,
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/154513466/delmar-eugene-baker [Find a Grave] ,
https://www.abmc.gov/decedent-search/baker%3Ddelmar [American Battle Monuments Commission] ,
https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=334209&S=9&R=0 [Darwin Raids - Casualty Lists and Enquiries] ,
https://hdl.handle.net/10070/34384 [PictureNT : PH0296/0028, Burning ships, Alan White Collection] ,
https://hdl.handle.net/10070/842877 [WWII Military Units : USS Peary (DD-226)] ,
Parent handle
https://hdl.handle.net/10070/839202 ,
Citation address
https://hdl.handle.net/10070/840396
Territory Stories
Delmar Eugene Baker
Details:
Title
Delmar Eugene Baker,
Name
Delmar Eugene Baker,
Also known as
Baker, Delmar Eugene,
Collection
WWII Roll of Honour,
HistoryNT,
Second World War, 1939-1945,
Date
2021,
Place of birth
Conrad, Pondera County, Montana (USA),
Date of birth
1920-03-05,
Place of enlistment
Des Moins, Iowa (USA),
Date of enlistment
1939-10-11,
Nation of service
United States of America,
Service
United States Navy,
Unit
USS Peary (DD-226),
Rank
Fireman 1st Class,
Service number
321-35-78,
Next of kin
Frank Balaam Baker - Father,
Vina (nee Bell) Baker - Mother,
Date of death
1942-02-19,
Place of death
USS Peary (DD-226),
Place of burial
Arlington Cemetery,
Memorial
Manila American Cemetery and Memorial,
Cultural heritage
American,
Honours and awards
Purple Heart,
Biographical notes
Delmar Eugene Baker was born on 5 March 1920, in Conrad, Pondera, Montana. He was the youngest child of Frank Balaam Baker and Vina (nee Bell) of Louisiana.,
History
Enlisted on 11 October 1939 at Des Moins, Iowa, and served briefly on the battleship USS Idaho, before transferring to the Peary in April 1940. He was with the Peary in Cavite Bay when she was bombed, and then endured three aerial bombardments on his way to Australia. He was unmarried when he died, two weeks short of his 22nd birthday.
The Peary had endured a dramatic voyage to Australia in December 1941, after sustaining damage in a bombing attack on the Cavite Navy Yard in the Philippines. The crew camouflaged the ship with green paint borrowed from the Army, and took refuge during daylight by anchoring close to the islands and covering the ship with palm fronds. Many of the Peary's crew contracted malaria on this journey and eight men eventually died from the disease. They were attacked on 26 and 27 December, but avoided damage by violent manoeuvring. The Peary arrived in Darwin on 3 January.
In January the Peary was operating on anti-submarine patrol, convoy and escort missions; while escorting troops from Darwin to Timor, the ship was again attacked. They returned to Darwin, refuelled and set off again with the cruiser USS Houston. A fruitless submarine chase exhausted the Peary's fuel, and she returned to Darwin in the early hours of 19 February.
The Peary was hit early in the bombing of Darwin, and appears to have sunk within 40 minutes. The fifth bomb to hit the Peary caused the fatal damage that sent her to the bottom and it was said to be the last bomb dropped that day on the harbour. The Peary's machine guns continued to fire at the Japanese planes even as she sank. Eighty-eight officers and men, including Captain Bermingham, were killed; twenty of the fifty-seven survivors were wounded.
In December 1942 the Peary was awarded one battle star for service in World War II.,
Notes
Metadata: Attribution International 4.0 (CC-BY 4.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 ,
Language
English,
Subject
Second World War, 1939-1945,
Bombing of Darwin,
Roll of Honour,
Northern Territory history,
USS Peary,
File type
image/tiff,
Use
No known copyright,
Copyright owner
Library & Archives NT,
Library & Archives NT,
License
https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/pubic-domain/pdm ,
Related links
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/154513466/delmar-eugene-baker [Find a Grave] ,
https://www.abmc.gov/decedent-search/baker%3Ddelmar [American Battle Monuments Commission] ,
https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=334209&S=9&R=0 [Darwin Raids - Casualty Lists and Enquiries] ,
https://hdl.handle.net/10070/34384 [PictureNT : PH0296/0028, Burning ships, Alan White Collection] ,
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/154513466/delmar-eugene-baker [Find a Grave] ,
https://www.abmc.gov/decedent-search/baker%3Ddelmar [American Battle Monuments Commission] ,
https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=334209&S=9&R=0 [Darwin Raids - Casualty Lists and Enquiries] ,
https://hdl.handle.net/10070/34384 [PictureNT : PH0296/0028, Burning ships, Alan White Collection] ,
https://hdl.handle.net/10070/842877 [WWII Military Units : USS Peary (DD-226)] ,
Parent handle
https://hdl.handle.net/10070/839202 ,
Citation address
https://hdl.handle.net/10070/840396