James Albert Tull (1910 - 1945)

Born 27 Aug 1910 in Sussex, Delaware, United States

Ancestors

Died 30 Jul 1945 at age 34 in Philippine Sea

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Biography

Seaman 1st Class James Tull served in the United States Navy in World War II
Service started: 1944
Unit(s): USS Indianapolis (CA-35)
Service ended: 30 Jul 1945

Seaman 1st Class James Tull was Killed in Action during World War II.

James Tull was awarded the Purple Heart.

James was probably born on the family farm in 1910 in Delaware, ‘near Seaford’. The son of Edward Bird Tull 1883–1951 and Marian Louise Lank 1883–1920. ^[1]

He married Doris Waller on 1 Feb 1938 in Laurel, Delaware.^[2]

James entered the navy about Feb 1945, he was a Seaman 1st Class stationed on the USS Indianapolis. In July 1945 the USS Indianapolis was sent on a secret mission to deliver the components of the Little Boy atomic bomb to Tinian Island without an escort, on the return trip, still without escort, it was attacked by a Japanese submarine. The USS Indianapolis sank in 12 minutes on 30 Jul 1945 with some 300 of the 1,195 crewmen aboard going down with the ship. With few lifeboats and many without life jackets, only 316 of the nearly 900 men set adrift survived the 4 days in shark infested water before rescue. James was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart. The crew of the USS Indianapolis was later awarded the Congressional Gold Medal.^[3][4][5][6]

James is honored at three memorials locations: Beechwood Memorial Cemetery, Princess Anne, Somerset County, Maryland, USS Indianapolis National Memorial, Indianapolis, Marion, Indiana and Fort William Mckinley, Manila, Philippines.^[7][8][9]

Sources

1. ↑ "Delaware Vital Record Index Cards, 1680-1934", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:WG7M-5N3Z : 16 November 2020), Tull, 1910
2. ↑ "Delaware Vital Records, 1650-1974," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QPQJ-22QT : 16 April 2022), Albert J Tull, 1 Feb 1938; citing Marriage, Laurel, Sussex, Delaware
3. ↑ U.S., Navy Casualties Books https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/125313:2324?tid=&pid=&queryId=889bee9db238fc40a7d747bf60e58b3d&_phsrc=EzO9357&_phstart=successSource
4. ↑ U.S., World War II Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard Casualties https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/22946:1122?tid=&pid=&queryId=889bee9db238fc40a7d747bf60e58b3d&_phsrc=EzO9358&_phstart=successSource
5. ↑ James A Tull in the U.S., Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Unaccounted-for Remains, Group B (Unrecoverable) https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/38159:62207?tid=&pid=&queryId=889bee9db238fc40a7d747bf60e58b3d&_phsrc=EzO9359&_phstart=successSource
6. ↑ U.S., World War II and Korean Conflict Veterans Interred Overseas https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/146225:4283?tid=&pid=&queryId=889bee9db238fc40a7d747bf60e58b3d&_phsrc=EzO9360&_phstart=successSource
7. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/160433508/james-albert-tull: accessed 12 January 2023), memorial page for James Albert Tull (27 Aug 1910–30 Jul 1945), Find a Grave Memorial ID 160433508, citing Beechwood Memorial Cemetery, Princess Anne, Somerset County, Maryland, USA; Maintained by Russ Pickett (contributor 46575736).
8. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/194108206/james-albert-tull: accessed 12 January 2023), memorial page for James Albert Tull (27 Aug 1910–30 Jul 1945), Find a Grave Memorial ID 194108206, citing U.S.S. Indianapolis National Memorial, Indianapolis, Marion County, Indiana, USA; Maintained by Laura J. Stewart (contributor 47412616).
9. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/56777981/james-albert-tull: accessed 12 January 2023), memorial page for S1 James Albert Tull (27 Aug 1910–30 Jul 1945), Find a Grave Memorial ID 56777981, citing Manila American Cemetery and Memorial, Manila, Capital District, National Capital Region, Philippines; Maintained by Russ Pickett (contributor 46575736).

• "United States Social Security Death Index," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VMYV-KWP : 8 January 2021), James Tull, Jul 1945
• "United States Census, 1920", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MDW5-78H : 1 February 2021), Albert J Tull in entry for Edward B Tull, 1920