Remembering World War II

Name: Charles Joseph King Rank: Lieutenant Service Number: O-081342 Service: USS Ingraham, United States Navy Awards: Purple Heart Date of Birth: July 10, 1917 Place of Birth: Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts Date of Enlistment: 1934 Place of Enlistment: New Hampshire Age at Enlistment: Unknown Next of Kin: Vivian Tessa King (Wife), 112 Rutledge Ave., Charleston, South Carolina Date of Death: August 22, 1942 Age: 25 Memorial: East Coast Memorial, Manhattan, New York Grave: Tablets of the Missing Charles Joseph King was the son of Arthur James King (b. 1889) and Catherine Sarah (Shaw) King (1887-1918). His mother was born in Main-a-Dieu, Cape Breton County, Nova Scotia, and his father was born in Massachusetts. Catherine was the son of George Shaw and Margaret (Macdonald) Shaw. Charles’ father served in the military during the First World War. Charles married Vivian Tessa Styles (1916-2003), on November 30, 1940, in Colleton, South Carolina. Charles graduated from the Bigelow School in South Boston in 1930, and the Boston Latin School with the class of 1934. Charles headed for the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. He entered Class IV-B from Bigelow School, 1930; participated in the Drum corps, 1930-31-32-33-34; the Physics Club, 1933-34; and the Glee Club, 1933-34. Charles was nominated as first alternate to the US Naval Academy by Congressman John W. McCormack in March 1934. In 1920, Charles and his father lived with his paternal grandparents and uncles at 218 West 5th Street in Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts. His father was a crane contractor. In 1930, his father worked in a rubber factory. Partial record of Charles’ service shows his rank and service at the time: January 1939 Ensign, USS Portland, Portland-class cruiser (CL-33) October 1939 Ensign, USS Roe, a Sims-class destroyer (DD-418) June 1940 Ensign, USS Roe November 1940 Ensign, under instruction, Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida April 1941 Ensign, treatment, Naval Hospital Pensacola, Florida Lieutenant Charles Joseph King died when USS Ingraham (DD 444), a Gleaves-class destroyer, was lost on August 22, 1942. The USS Ingraham was guarding Scotland-bound convoy T-20 out of Halifax. After an erroneous report of enemy submarine, convoy escorts manoeuvred to locate the enemy in heavy fog. On the night of 22 August, as she was investigating a collision between the destroyer Buck and a merchant vessel, Ingraham collided with the oil tanker Chemung AO-30 in heavy fog off the coast of Nova Scotia and Ingraham sank almost immediately off the coast of Nova Scotia. Depth charges on her stern detonated as she went down with the loss of 214 known casualties which included two brothers, Seaman 2nd Class James K. Clark (USNR) and Lawrence R. Clark (USNR). Only eleven men survived. With no known grave but the sea, Charles Joseph King is remembered at the Tablets of the Missing at the East Coast Memorial in Manhattan, New York.

Charles Joseph King

Sources: American Battle Monuments Commission – Charles J. King Honorstates American Battle Monuments Commission – East Coast Memorial US Naval Academy Virtual Memorial Wall