John Clark Baker was the son of Jeptha Clark Baker and Fannie Mae Broome.
John Clark Baker, ID 02957633, served aboard the light cruiser USS Juneau CL-52 on 13 November 1942. The Juneau was on station supporting the invasion of Guadalcanal Island. The Juneau had been attacked, and was retiring when she was torpedoed by the Japanese Submarine I-26. He was killed in action.
NOTE: Garnet H. Bowlin also went down with the USS Juneau
He is memorialized at the Chickamauga Cemetery in Chickamauga, Georgia.
The USS Juneau’s most famous crewmembers were the five Sullivan brothers, all lost when the ship went down. One survivor, Allan Heyn, had an account of its loss that was published in “American Heritage” in 1956.
See: http://ussjuneau.weebly.com/crew-list.html
http://www.navsource.org/archives/04/052/04052.htm
Heyn’s account: http://www.americanheritage.com/content/one-who-survived
Photo of the Juneau shortly before her loss: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Juneau_(CL-52)#mediaviewer/File:USS_Juneau_(CL-52)_0405201.jpg
The Chattanooga Times, January 13, 1943
Mr. and Mrs. J.C. Baker, 4404 13th Avenue, were informed yesterday that their son, Coxswain John Clark Baker, 21, a graduate of Central High School, is missing in action following the sinking of the light cruiser Juneau. Head of a machine gun crew aboard the Juneau, Coxswain Baker had been in the Navy since October, 1940. He returned home on furlough last spring. A brother, Alvin, is now in the army air corps ground forces, and brothers William and Don will leave soon for service in the army. He has two sisters, Ruth and Dolores. Coxswain Baker was a lieutenant in the ROTC at Central High School and was a member of the honor society. He was a member of the Cedal Hill Baptist Church.
- Rank: Coxswain
- Date of death: 13 November 1942
- County: Hamilton
- Hometown: Chattanooga
- Service Branch: Navy
- Division/Assignment: USS Juneau CL-52
- Conflict: World War II
- Awards: Purple Heart
- Burial/Memorial Location: Manila American Cemetery, Fort Bonifacio, Manila, Philippines
- Location In Memorial: Pillar XI, Top Panel
- Contact us to sponsor John C. Baker
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