Donald Danforth Perry (1909 - 1943)

Ancestors

Biography

Donald died at sea during WWII aboard the SS James Sprunt steam merchant. ^[1] At 09.09 hours on 10 March 1943, U-185 attacked the convoy KG-123 for a second time southeast of Guantanamo Bay and torpedoed the James Sprunt (Master Elie Constantine Carr) on her maiden voyage in station #42. The ship had shifted out of position between the third and fourth columns.

James Sprunt

One torpedo struck the vessel and caused her cargo to explode, the ship completely disappeared in 30 seconds. The blast went straight up and sent debris over the entire convoy and was so large that a ship 40 miles away witnessed it. None of the eight officers, 36 crewmen and 25 armed guards (the ship was armed with one 5in and nine 20mm guns) survived.

Convoy:	KG-123
Route:	Charleston, South Carolina- Key West- Panama Canal- Karachi, India
Cargo:	4000 tons of explosives
Fate:	Sunk by U-185 (August Maus)
Casulties:	(69 dead – no survivors)

Residence

(1910) Amery, Polk, Wisconsin, United States^[2]

(1920) Amery, Polk, Wisconsin, United States^[3]

(1930) Madison, Dane, Wisconsin, United States^[4]

(1940) Ward 3, West St. Paul, West St. Paul City, Dakota, Minnesota, United States^[5]

Memorial

East Coast Memorial, Manhattan, New York, USA

Plot: Tablets of the Missing^[6]

Research Notes

I have found no evidence that Donald D. Perry was anything other than an Ensign in the Navy Reserve and have changed the sticker entry accordingly.VanCampen-226 15:38, 26 February 2024 (UTC)

Sources

1. ↑ National Archives and Records Administration/World War II and Korean Conflict Veterans Interred Overseas
2. ↑ "United States Census, 1910," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MPJY-QGG : accessed 6 January 2018), Donald Perry in household of Gutz Perry, Amery, Polk, Wisconsin, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 167, sheet 11A, family 3, NARA microfilm publication T624 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1982), roll 1733; FHL microfilm 1,375,746.
3. ↑ "United States Census, 1920," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MFJB-2FH : accessed 6 January 2018), Donald D Perry in household of Genty Perry, Amery, Polk, Wisconsin, United States; citing ED 143, sheet 15B, line 55, family 315, NARA microfilm publication T625 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1992), roll 2010; FHL microfilm 1,822,010.
4. ↑ "United States Census, 1930," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/X931-PBB : accessed 6 January 2018), Donald D Perry in household of Helen Perry, Madison, Dane, Wisconsin, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 27, sheet 1B, line 96, family 32, NARA microfilm publication T626 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2002), roll 2566; FHL microfilm 2,342,300.
5. ↑ "United States Census, 1940," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/KSK2-PLZ : accessed 6 January 2018), Donald D Perry in household of William Roloff, Ward 3, West St. Paul, West St. Paul City, Dakota, Minnesota, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 19-45, sheet 2B, line 56, family 37, Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940, NARA digital publication T627. Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790 - 2007, RG 29. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2012, roll 1918.
6. ↑ Find A Grave: Memorial #56119520

See also:

• "Family Tree," database, FamilySearch (http://familysearch.org : modified 06 January 2018, 02:35), entry for Ens Donald Danforth Perry(PID https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/4:1:9QDH-MXC); contributed by various users.