Harry L. Corl
Encyclopedia
Harry L. Corl was a United States Navy
officer killed in action
in World War II
who received the Navy Cross
for his actions in combat.
, Michigan
, on 26 March 1914. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy on 20 November 1934 and was discharged in 1938. He enlisted again in 1939, rising to ensign
by 15 June 1942.
During the Battle of Midway
, Corl was serving in Torpedo Squadron 3 operating from the aircraft carrier
USS Yorktown (CV-5)
. On 4 June 1942, Corl was the pilot
of one the squadron's
Douglas
TBD-1 Devastator
torpedo bomber
s when the squadron made a nearly suicidal torpedo
attack against the Imperial Japanese Navy
aircraft carrier force. All but two of the squadron's planes were shot down during their torpedo runs; the two surviving Devastators, one of them Corls, both ditched
in the sea on their way back to Yorktown, and Corl was one of only three men to survive the squadrons attack.
In August 1942, Corl, flying with Torpedo Squadron 3 off of the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CV-6)
, was the pilot of a Grumman TBF Avenger
torpedo bomber during the Battle of the Eastern Solomons
. On 24 August 1942, he was flying a search mission near the Solomon Islands
when he and another pilot spotted the Japanese heavy cruiser
Tone. As they began a bombing
run on her, two Japanese Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighters
attacked the American planes, and were quickly joined by a third Zero. Under attack by two of the Japanese fighters, Corls Avenger was shot down. His radioman
/turret gunner, Radioman Third Class Delmar D. Wiley, survived and, after 15 days in a life raft and months spent on island
s behind Japanese lines, was recovered on 11 April 1943, but Corl apparently died in the crash of his plane. Corl was declared presumed dead on 25 August 1942.
USS Harry L. Corl (DE-598) was named for Ensign Corl. During construction, she was converted into the high-speed transport USS Harry L. Corl (APD-108)
, and was in commission
as such from 1945 to 1946.
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
officer killed in action
Killed in action
Killed in action is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their own forces at the hands of hostile forces. The United States Department of Defense, for example, says that those declared KIA need not have fired their weapons but have been killed due to...
in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
who received the Navy Cross
Navy Cross
The Navy Cross is the highest decoration that may be bestowed by the Department of the Navy and the second highest decoration given for valor. It is normally only awarded to members of the United States Navy, United States Marine Corps and United States Coast Guard, but can be awarded to all...
for his actions in combat.
Biography
Harry Lee Corl was born in LambertvilleLambertville, Michigan
Lambertville is an unincorporated community in Monroe County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the name of the area served by the Lambertville Post Office. The Lambertville ZIP code, 48144, serves the southwest part of Bedford Township, as well as portions of adjacent Whiteford Township....
, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, on 26 March 1914. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy on 20 November 1934 and was discharged in 1938. He enlisted again in 1939, rising to ensign
Ensign (rank)
Ensign is a junior rank of a commissioned officer in the armed forces of some countries, normally in the infantry or navy. As the junior officer in an infantry regiment was traditionally the carrier of the ensign flag, the rank itself acquired the name....
by 15 June 1942.
During the Battle of Midway
Battle of Midway
The Battle of Midway is widely regarded as the most important naval battle of the Pacific Campaign of World War II. Between 4 and 7 June 1942, approximately one month after the Battle of the Coral Sea and six months after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States Navy decisively defeated...
, Corl was serving in Torpedo Squadron 3 operating from the aircraft carrier
Aircraft carrier
An aircraft carrier is a warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft, acting as a seagoing airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a naval force to project air power worldwide without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations...
USS Yorktown (CV-5)
USS Yorktown (CV-5)
was an aircraft carrier commissioned in the United States Navy from 1937 until she was sunk at the Battle of Midway in June 1942. She was named after the Battle of Yorktown in 1781 and the lead ship of the Yorktown class which was designed after lessons learned from operations with the large...
. On 4 June 1942, Corl was the pilot
Aviator
An aviator is a person who flies an aircraft. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887, as a variation of 'aviation', from the Latin avis , coined in 1863 by G. de la Landelle in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne...
of one the squadron's
Squadron (aviation)
A squadron in air force, army aviation or naval aviation is mainly a unit comprising a number of military aircraft, usually of the same type, typically with 12 to 24 aircraft, sometimes divided into three or four flights, depending on aircraft type and air force...
Douglas
Douglas Aircraft Company
The Douglas Aircraft Company was an American aerospace manufacturer, based in Long Beach, California. It was founded in 1921 by Donald Wills Douglas, Sr. and later merged with McDonnell Aircraft in 1967 to form McDonnell Douglas...
TBD-1 Devastator
TBD Devastator
The Douglas TBD Devastator was a torpedo bomber of the United States Navy, ordered in 1934, first flying in 1935 and entering service in 1937. At that point, it was the most advanced aircraft flying for the USN and possibly for any navy in the world...
torpedo bomber
Torpedo bomber
A torpedo bomber is a bomber aircraft designed primarily to attack ships with aerial torpedoes which could also carry out conventional bombings. Torpedo bombers existed almost exclusively prior to and during World War II when they were an important element in many famous battles, notably the...
s when the squadron made a nearly suicidal torpedo
Torpedo
The modern torpedo is a self-propelled missile weapon with an explosive warhead, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater towards a target, and designed to detonate either on contact with it or in proximity to it.The term torpedo was originally employed for...
attack against the Imperial Japanese Navy
Imperial Japanese Navy
The Imperial Japanese Navy was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1869 until 1947, when it was dissolved following Japan's constitutional renunciation of the use of force as a means of settling international disputes...
aircraft carrier force. All but two of the squadron's planes were shot down during their torpedo runs; the two surviving Devastators, one of them Corls, both ditched
Water landing
A water landing is, in the broadest sense, any landing on a body of water. All waterfowl, those seabirds capable of flight, and some human-built vehicles are capable of landing in water as a matter of course....
in the sea on their way back to Yorktown, and Corl was one of only three men to survive the squadrons attack.
In August 1942, Corl, flying with Torpedo Squadron 3 off of the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CV-6)
USS Enterprise (CV-6)
USS Enterprise , colloquially referred to as the "Big E," was the sixth aircraft carrier of the United States Navy and the seventh U.S. Navy ship to bear the name. Launched in 1936, she was a ship of the Yorktown class, and one of only three American carriers commissioned prior to World War II to...
, was the pilot of a Grumman TBF Avenger
TBF Avenger
The Grumman TBF Avenger was a torpedo bomber developed initially for the United States Navy and Marine Corps, and eventually used by several air or naval arms around the world....
torpedo bomber during the Battle of the Eastern Solomons
Battle of the Eastern Solomons
The naval Battle of the Eastern Solomons The naval Battle of the Eastern Solomons The naval Battle of the Eastern Solomons (also known as the Battle of the Stewart Islands and, in Japanese sources, as the , took place on 24–25 August 1942, and was the third carrier battle of the Pacific campaign...
. On 24 August 1942, he was flying a search mission near the Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands is a sovereign state in Oceania, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands. It covers a land mass of . The capital, Honiara, is located on the island of Guadalcanal...
when he and another pilot spotted the Japanese heavy cruiser
Heavy cruiser
The heavy cruiser was a type of cruiser, a naval warship designed for long range, high speed and an armament of naval guns roughly 203mm calibre . The heavy cruiser can be seen as a lineage of ship design from 1915 until 1945, although the term 'heavy cruiser' only came into formal use in 1930...
Tone. As they began a bombing
Aerial bomb
An aerial bomb is a type of explosive weapon intended to travel through the air with predictable trajectories, usually designed to be dropped from an aircraft...
run on her, two Japanese Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighters
Fighter aircraft
A fighter aircraft is a military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat with other aircraft, as opposed to a bomber, which is designed primarily to attack ground targets...
attacked the American planes, and were quickly joined by a third Zero. Under attack by two of the Japanese fighters, Corls Avenger was shot down. His radioman
Radioman
Radioman was a rating for United States Navy and United States Coast Guard enlisted personnel, specializing in communications technology.-History of the rating:...
/turret gunner, Radioman Third Class Delmar D. Wiley, survived and, after 15 days in a life raft and months spent on island
Island
An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...
s behind Japanese lines, was recovered on 11 April 1943, but Corl apparently died in the crash of his plane. Corl was declared presumed dead on 25 August 1942.
Namesake
The U.S. Navy destroyer escortDestroyer escort
A destroyer escort is the classification for a smaller, lightly armed warship designed to be used to escort convoys of merchant marine ships, primarily of the United States Merchant Marine in World War II. It is employed primarily for anti-submarine warfare, but also provides some protection...
USS Harry L. Corl (DE-598) was named for Ensign Corl. During construction, she was converted into the high-speed transport USS Harry L. Corl (APD-108)
USS Harry L. Corl (APD-108)
USS Harry L. Corl , ex-DE-598, was a United States Navy high-speed transport in commission from 1945 to 1946.-Construction and commissioning:Harry L. Corl was laid down as the Rudderow-class destroyer escort USS Harry L...
, and was in commission
Ship commissioning
Ship commissioning is the act or ceremony of placing a ship in active service, and may be regarded as a particular application of the general concepts and practices of project commissioning. The term is most commonly applied to the placing of a warship in active duty with its country's military...
as such from 1945 to 1946.