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The ship is namesake of Gunners Mate Third Class
Paul Henry Carr, USNR (1924-1944) came from Checotah, Oklahoma. He served as
the gun mount captain of the after 5 inch gun on the destroyer escort USS
SAMUEL B. ROBERTS (DE 413). During the battle of Leyte Gulf on 25 October
1944, SAMUEL B. ROBERTS and a small number of destroyers found themselves as
the sole line of defense against a large surface force of Japanese battleships,
cruisers, and destroyers. The target of the Japanese force was a group of six
American carriers providing aircraft support for the U.S. Army forces on the
beaches of Leyte Gulf. The carriers operated aircraft suitable only for
support of ground troops, and were helpless against the onrushing force of
enemy ships.Fully aware of the situation they faced, SAMUEL B. ROBERTS and
the handful of other "small boys" charged headlong into the larger
Japanese battle force. The aggressive attack must have caught the Japanese
admiral by surprise, because he ordered the signal for "general
attack" vice the more potent "battle line formation." The
result was a free-for-all that pitted small destroyers against an
overwhelming force of battleships and cruisers. SAMUEL B. ROBERTS fought her
way into the thick of the Japanese force and began a head-to-head duel with a
heavy cruiser. The two 5 inch guns on SAMUEL B. ROBERTS fired furiously
against the cruiser while the destroyer escort managed for over two hours to
avoid the 8 inch and 14 inch shells fired at her. At times the SAMUEL B.
ROBERTS was so close to her target that the cruiser's guns could not be
trained low enough to aim at her. SAMUEL B. ROBERTS, meanwhile, knocked out
an 8 inch gun mount, destroyed the cruiser's bridge, and caused fires aft.
Japanese shells from several ships finally found their mark, knocking out all
power, compressed air, and communications on the destroyer escort. During the
battle, Paul Carr kept his gun mount operating continuously, firing over 300
rounds until power and air were lost. Carr then began firing rounds by hand,
accepting the risk that without air the gun would not cool down between
firings. With seven rounds left in the magazine, the tremendous heat in the
gun breech "cooked off" a round, exploding the projectile loaded in
the gun and killing most of the gun crew. When a rescue team member made his
way into the shattered mount, he found Paul Carr, literally torn open from
neck to thigh, attempting vainly to load a shell into the demolished gun
breech. The rescue team member took the round from Carr and laid him aside as
he began to remove the bodies of the gun crew. When he returned to the mount,
he again found Paul Carr, projectile in hand, trying to load his gun. Carr
begged the sailor to help him get off one last round. The sailor pulled him
from the mount and laid him on the deck. Paul Carr died a few moments later,
beneath the gun he served so well. The crew of the SAMUEL B. ROBERTS finally
had to abandon ship, but they did see theJapanese force turn away, believing
by the ferocity of the attack that they faced a large and potent foe.
Paul Henry Carr was posthumously awarded the Silver Star. He is
survived by eight sisters.
Silver Star Medal citation:
The President of the United States takes pride in
presenting the Silver Star Medal posthumously to:
Carr, Paul Henry; Gunners Mate Third Class / USNR
Citation:
"For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity as Gun Captain of a
5"/38 Mount on the USS Samuel BB. Roberts, in action against enemy
Japanese forces off Samar Island during the Second Battle of the Philippine
Sea, October 25, 1944. With the power of the rammer lost and mechanical
failures in the ammunition hoist, Carr manned his station steadfastly in the
face of continuous close-range fire of enemy guns during an attack by a
numerically superior Japanese surface force on the Samuel B. Roberts. By his
outstanding technical skill and courageous initiative, Carr was instrumental
in causing rapid and heavy fire from the gun to inflict damage upon an enemy
heavy cruiser. Although mortally wounded by the premature detonation of a
powder charge, fired by hand, Carr tried unassisted to load and ram the only
projectile available to that mount after order to abandon ship had been
given. His aggressive determination of duty reflected the highest credit upon
Carr and the United States Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his
country."
For the President -
James Forrestal / SECNAV
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Carr's original
homeport was Charleston, SC. Her original operational deployment was to the
Persian Gulf, where Carr was involved in Operation Earnest Will,escorting
re-flagged oil tankers through the Strait of Homuz. While Commander,
Destroyer Squadron 14 was the senior officer present, Commander Wade C.
Johnson, USN, Captain of the Carr was the next senior officer in the area and
was routinely assigned duties of Convoy Commander during escort missions.
During one of these escort missions, Iranian small boats approached the
tankers and were engaged by Carr successfully using deck mounted M2 .50
caliber machine guns and the Bushmaster 25 mm "Chain Gun" on the
starboard main deck.
Carr returned to Charleston, SC in late March, 1988, and 31 days later, was
ordered underway to replace another ship that had been unable to get
underway. Sent to sea to conduct anti-submarine exercises with the USS
Kennedy (CV-67) and USS Bonefish (SS-582), on 24 April, 1988, Carr was first
on the scene to conduct rescue operations when the Bonefish suffered a
battery fire while submerged. Putting her 26' whaleboat and deploying 5
inflatable life rafts, Carr maneuvered to effect the rescue of 89 of the
Bonefish's crew, using the whaleboat, life rafts, and the SH-3H Sea King
helicopters from the Kennedy and the embarked SH-60B Seahawk of Helicopter
Squadron (Light) 44. Shore communications from Carr were established between
Commander, Atlantic Fleet watch center using the Joint Operational Tactical
System (JOTS) via the "opnote" capability. Crew muster lists were
sent ashore as rescued crew members where identified. For her professionalism
in the rescue, the Carr was awarded a Meritorious Unit Commendation.
In October, 1988, Carr made a port visit to Tampa, FL at the request of the
local Navy League Chapter, mooring at Harbor Island pier. Public tours were
held for several days in celebration of Navy Week, honoring the Navy's
Birthday. The Commissioning Commanding Officer, Captain Robert Horne, USN,
was stationed at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, FL and was there to greet
the ship.
In March, 1989, Carr was sent to Fleet Training Group, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba
for Refresher Training (REFTRA). While the ship conducted exercises in all
departments, Mikhail Gorbachev was making a visit to Havana, Cuba. News crews
from NBC, headed by Henry Champ, and ABC by Bob Zelnic, each spent a day
aboard Carr to observe the training conducted.
In the summer of 1989, while the Carr was heading to the Puerto Rican
Operation Area (PROA) for the Middle East Force Exercise (MEFEX), the Ship's
laundry washers both broke down. With the permission of the Squadron
Commodore running MEFEX, the Carr's Seahawk helicopter flew into Naval
Station Roosevelt Roads, PR, and the Supply Officer purchased a household
washing machine from the Navy Exchange. The washer was unboxed on the ramp at
the airfield, loaded in the helicopter and flown to the ship, where it was
plumbed in to the water system and served as the crew laundry for the next
several weeks.
On 18 September, 1989, Carr sailed from Charleston to be on station off the
Mayport Naval Air Station for the week to provide a practice flight deck for
the SH-60B Seahawk squadrons. That night, an officer of HSL-44 came aboard
and informed the Captain that the helicopters would be flying to Georgia the
following day in preparation for the impending arrival of Hurricane Hugo. On
the morning of the 19th, Carr entered Naval Station, Mayport and moored,
awaiting further instructions. At midnight on the 19th/20th, Carr got
underway and headed south to the Strait of Florida to avoid the storm. One
the hurricane was safely past, the Captain ordered the ship to sail towards
Charleston.
Arriving off the port of Charleston, SC to morning after Hurricane Hugo made
landfall there, Carr was the first Navy vessel to return. Carr remained
anchored for three days, not being able to enter port, as essentially all
navigation aids were moved or destroyed by the hurricane. One of the Coast
Guard ships at anchor sent a small boat to the USCG Station in Charleston and
transported Sonar Technician Chief Petty Officer Steven Hatherly, USN, from
Carr as well. STGC Hatherly made his way to the Naval Station and proceeded
to contact a majority of the crew's families and reported their status to the
ship via Bridge-to-Bridge VHF radio that evening. From the anchorage off
shore, the crew could easily see the bridge between the Isle of Palms and the
mainland in the air, as well as the demolished houses along the shore line.
Local television stations were returning the transmitting and the crew had
little to do besides consider the condition of their families and possessions
ashore. Carr was ordered to proceed to Naval Station, Mayport. Arriving the
next morning, the local community had staged relief supplies to be taken to
Charleston. The next day, Carr was directed to return to her homeport. Upon
arrival, there were no shore services, so the Engineering Department kept the
engineering plant on line to provide power, air-conditioning, fresh water and
other support services. Crew members were dispatched, during the day, to
assist in the clean up of the Naval Station, the Naval Weapons Station and
the local community. As time permitted, they also helped each other's
families secure their belongings and clean up their homes. For this response
the natural disaster, Carr was awarded the Humanitarian Service Medal.
In early October, the first formal ceremony of any type at the Naval Station
held was the Change of Command for Carr, with Commander Edward
"Ned" Bagley, III, USN relieving Commander Wade C. Johnson, USN.
The Change of Command was held in the morning and that afternoon, Commander,
Destroyer Squadron 4 held their Change of Command.
On 31 October, Carr sailed from Charleston for her second operation
deployment, assigned to the Commander, Middle East Force. En route the
Persian Gulf, Carr made port visits to the Azores, Palma Majorca, Spain, then
transited the Suez Canal. During this deployment, Carr spend the first half
assigned to tanker escort duties in the Strait of Hormuz. The later part of
the cruise was spent operating in the Northern Persian Gulf, conducting
electronic surveillance and early warning duties for the units operating to
the south. Carr left the Persian Gulf the end of March, 1990 and returned to
Charleston a month later.
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