Samuel Underhill
Encyclopedia
Samuel Jackson Underhill (25 August 1917 - 8 May 1942)
was a naval aviator
of the United States Navy
who was killed in action during the Battle of the Coral Sea
.
Born in Jericho, New York
, he received a bachelor of science
from Yale University
and attended Harvard Law School
before enlisting in the United States Navy Reserve
as a Seaman Second Class on 8 November 1940. After serving briefly at Floyd Bennett Field
, Brooklyn, New York, Underhill was appointed an aviation cadet and was transferred on 6 February 1941 to the Naval Air Station
, Jacksonville, Florida
, for flight training. He subsequently underwent further training at Miami, Florida
; was designated a naval aviator on 15 July; and was commissioned an ensign
in the Naval Reserve on 6 August. Following advanced flight training at Norfolk, Virginia
, he reported to Scouting Squadron 5 (VS-5).
In May 1942, when Rear Admiral
Frank Jack Fletcher
's Task Force 17 steamed in the Coral Sea
seeking to foil Japan
's attempt to extend her influence southward, Underhill was with VS-5 on board carrier
USS Yorktown (CV-5)
. When VS-5 raided Tulagi
on the morning of 4 May he flew his Dauntless dive-bomber against a heavy anti-aircraft barrage and contributed to the sinking or damaging of eight enemy vessels.
On the morning of 7 May, a coordinated attack group of 17 SBDs from VS-5 took off from Yorktown and, in clear skies with unlimited visibility, launched a dive bombing attack on the light carrier Shōhō
. The American planes scored nine direct hits and two near misses that sent the hapless enemy flattop to the bottom.
The next day, the two naval forces at last found one another and the stage was set for the first great naval action between aircraft carrier
s, the Battle of the Coral Sea
. On the morning of 8 May, Yorktown
launched the SBDs of VS-5, dividing the group to accomplish separate missions. One division joined in the attack on Japanese carrier Shōkaku
and, diving from 17,000 feet through broken cloud cover, dropped bombs which bent the enemy carrier's deck sufficiently to prevent the launching of her aircraft. As the bombers pulled out, Japanese fighter planes swarmed out to repel them but were fought off by the Americans.
Later that morning, dive bombers of VS-5 conducted anti-torpedo plane patrol around Yorktown's formation. Pressed into service due to the lack of fighters, the slower Dauntless dive-bombers were at a disadvantage with the
Japanese attackers. At 1110, eight of the American bombers intercepted and engaged a group of about 17 Japanese fighter planes, shot down six of the enemy and damaged seven more. When the fierce action was over, Ensign Underhill was numbered among those lost in the fight to protect the carrier.
He was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross
for his extraordinary
heroism, and became the namesake for the destroyer escort USS Underhill (DE-682)
.
was a naval aviator
Naval Aviator
A United States Naval Aviator is a qualified pilot in the United States Navy, Marine Corps or Coast Guard.-Naming Conventions:Most Naval Aviators are Unrestricted Line Officers; however, a small number of Limited Duty Officers and Chief Warrant Officers are also trained as Naval Aviators.Until 1981...
of the United States Navy
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...
who was killed in action during the Battle of the Coral Sea
Battle of the Coral Sea
The Battle of the Coral Sea, fought from 4–8 May 1942, was a major naval battle in the Pacific Theater of World War II between the Imperial Japanese Navy and Allied naval and air forces from the United States and Australia. The battle was the first fleet action in which aircraft carriers engaged...
.
Born in Jericho, New York
Jericho, New York
Jericho is a hamlet in Nassau County, New York on the North Shore of Long Island. As of the United States 2010 Census, the CDP population was 13,567. The area is served by the Jericho Union Free School District, the boundaries of which differ somewhat from those of the hamlet...
, he received a bachelor of science
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
from Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
and attended Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...
before enlisting in the United States Navy Reserve
United States Navy Reserve
The United States Navy Reserve, until 2005 known as the United States Naval Reserve, is the Reserve Component of the United States Navy...
as a Seaman Second Class on 8 November 1940. After serving briefly at Floyd Bennett Field
Floyd Bennett Field
Floyd Bennett Field is New York City's first municipal airport. While no longer used as an operational commercial, military or general aviation airfield, the New York Police Department still flies its helicopters from its heliport base there...
, Brooklyn, New York, Underhill was appointed an aviation cadet and was transferred on 6 February 1941 to the Naval Air Station
Naval Air Station
A Naval Air Station is a military airbase, and consists of a permanent land-based operations locations for the military aviation division of the relevant branch of their Navy...
, Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
, for flight training. He subsequently underwent further training at Miami, Florida
Miami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
; was designated a naval aviator on 15 July; and was commissioned an 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....
in the Naval Reserve on 6 August. Following advanced flight training at Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....
, he reported to Scouting Squadron 5 (VS-5).
In May 1942, when Rear Admiral
Rear Admiral
Rear admiral is a naval commissioned officer rank above that of a commodore and captain, and below that of a vice admiral. It is generally regarded as the lowest of the "admiral" ranks, which are also sometimes referred to as "flag officers" or "flag ranks"...
Frank Jack Fletcher
Frank Jack Fletcher
Frank Jack Fletcher was an admiral in the United States Navy during World War II. Fletcher was the operational commander at the pivotal Battles of Coral Sea and of Midway. He was the nephew of Admiral Frank Friday Fletcher.-Early life and early Navy career:Fletcher was born in Marshalltown, Iowa...
's Task Force 17 steamed in the Coral Sea
Coral Sea
The Coral Sea is a marginal sea off the northeast coast of Australia. It is bounded in the west by the east coast of Queensland, thereby including the Great Barrier Reef, in the east by Vanuatu and by New Caledonia, and in the north approximately by the southern extremity of the Solomon Islands...
seeking to foil Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
's attempt to extend her influence southward, Underhill was with VS-5 on board 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...
. When VS-5 raided Tulagi
Tulagi
Tulagi, less commonly Tulaghi, is a small island in the Solomon Islands, just off the south coast of Florida Island. The town of the same name on the island Tulagi, less commonly Tulaghi, is a small island (5.5 km by 1 km) in the Solomon Islands, just off the south coast of Florida...
on the morning of 4 May he flew his Dauntless dive-bomber against a heavy anti-aircraft barrage and contributed to the sinking or damaging of eight enemy vessels.
On the morning of 7 May, a coordinated attack group of 17 SBDs from VS-5 took off from Yorktown and, in clear skies with unlimited visibility, launched a dive bombing attack on the light carrier Shōhō
Japanese aircraft carrier Shoho
Shōhō , the lead ship of her class, was a light aircraft carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II...
. The American planes scored nine direct hits and two near misses that sent the hapless enemy flattop to the bottom.
The next day, the two naval forces at last found one another and the stage was set for the first great naval action between 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...
s, the Battle of the Coral Sea
Battle of the Coral Sea
The Battle of the Coral Sea, fought from 4–8 May 1942, was a major naval battle in the Pacific Theater of World War II between the Imperial Japanese Navy and Allied naval and air forces from the United States and Australia. The battle was the first fleet action in which aircraft carriers engaged...
. On the morning of 8 May, Yorktown
launched the SBDs of VS-5, dividing the group to accomplish separate missions. One division joined in the attack on Japanese carrier Shōkaku
Japanese aircraft carrier Shokaku
Shōkaku was an aircraft carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy, the lead ship of her class. Along with her sister ship , she took part in several key naval battles during the Pacific War, including the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Battle of the Coral Sea and the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands...
and, diving from 17,000 feet through broken cloud cover, dropped bombs which bent the enemy carrier's deck sufficiently to prevent the launching of her aircraft. As the bombers pulled out, Japanese fighter planes swarmed out to repel them but were fought off by the Americans.
Later that morning, dive bombers of VS-5 conducted anti-torpedo plane patrol around Yorktown's formation. Pressed into service due to the lack of fighters, the slower Dauntless dive-bombers were at a disadvantage with the
Japanese attackers. At 1110, eight of the American bombers intercepted and engaged a group of about 17 Japanese fighter planes, shot down six of the enemy and damaged seven more. When the fierce action was over, Ensign Underhill was numbered among those lost in the fight to protect the carrier.
He was posthumously awarded 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 extraordinary
heroism, and became the namesake for the destroyer escort USS Underhill (DE-682)
USS Underhill (DE-682)
USS Underhill , a , was named in honor of Ensign Samuel Underhill, a naval aviator of the United States Navy who was killed in action during the Battle of the Coral Sea. Her keel was laid down on 16 September 1943 by the Bethlehem Steel Company's Fore River Shipyard at Quincy, Massachusetts. She...
.