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SMN Wayne Francis Fegley

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Birth	:	4 Dec 1919 Berthold, Ward County, North Dakota, USA
Death	:	14 Nov 1943
Burial	:	Chelsea Cemetery, Chelsea, Roosevelt County, USA
Coordinate	:	48.1385000, -105.3462000
Description	:	Navy Seaman 2nd Class Fegley of Berthold gave his life in the Battle of Guadalcanal during World War II. He was killed in action off the coast of Savo Island, Solomon Islands, near Guadalcanal when his destroyer, the USS Monssen, was sunk by Japanese destroyers. He entered the Navy in San Diego on April 13, 1942, and trained there and at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii before sea duty, according to a Navy document. He was assigned duty in the Asiatic Pacific Theater. While stationed on the Monssen, Fegley was being trained as an electrician. The Monssen, with Fegley aboard, took... Read More	Navy Seaman 2nd Class Fegley of Berthold gave his life in the Battle of Guadalcanal during World War II. He was killed in action off the coast of Savo Island, Solomon Islands, near Guadalcanal when his destroyer, the USS Monssen, was sunk by Japanese destroyers. He entered the Navy in San Diego on April 13, 1942, and trained there and at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii before sea duty, according to a Navy document. He was assigned duty in the Asiatic Pacific Theater. While stationed on the Monssen, Fegley was being trained as an electrician. The Monssen, with Fegley aboard, took part in the April 1942 Jimmy Doolittle raid on Japan by escorting the aircraft carrier USS Hornet. Fegley was only 500 yards from the bombers as they launched the raid on Tokyo, according to McNally. Subsequently, the Monssen returned to the South Pacific and took part in the Battle of Midway in early June of the same year. In August 1942, the Monssen supported the landing of Marines on Guadalcanal. In November, the destroyer was guarding transports that were resupplying troops on Guadalcanal, and according to the Department of the Navy's Naval Historical Center, "She helped fight off a Japanese air attack on those ships while they were unloading on the 12th. That night, she was part of a cruiser-destroyer force ordered to block a Japanese attempt to bombard U.S. positions ashore." Because the ship's fire-control radar had been damaged the day before, the Monssen was essentially fighting blind, relying on radio and visual reports. At about 2:20 a.m., the ship was caught in the glare of two enemy spotlights and was immediately bombarded by Japanese destroyer gunfire, which spared little if any of the ship. Within 20 minutes of the first barrage, the Monssen was rendered totally immobile and unable to fight. As the Monssen was engulfed in flames, Lt. Comm. C. E. McCombs ordered the crew to abandon ship. As the sun came up, the ship was still afloat and on fire, but by the afternoon of Nov. 13 she had sunk. At 8 a.m., 40 percent of the crew were rescued and taken to Guadalcanal. About 130 men never made it off the ship, Fegley among them. The Monssen still lies 2,000 feet below the surface in Guadalcanal's Iron Bottom Sound, so named for the numerous ships that line the ocean floor. In 1992, the wreck of the Monssen was discovered and examined. The ship rests upright and intact, although the hull shows extensive damage both forward and aft. The Monssen's 5-inch guns all still point to starboard. Fegley's memorial stone is at the foot of his father's grave.

frequently asked questions (FAQ):

Where is SMN Wayne Francis Fegley's memorial?
SMN Wayne Francis Fegley's memorial is located at: Chelsea Cemetery, Chelsea, Roosevelt County, USA.
When did SMN Wayne Francis Fegley death?
SMN Wayne Francis Fegley death on 14 Nov 1943 in
Where are the coordinates of the SMN Wayne Francis Fegley's memorial?
Latitude: 48.1385000
Longitude: -105.3462000

Family Members:

Parent

Ralph Richard Fegley

(1882 - 1962)

Emma May Ellis Fegley

(1885 - 1964)

Siblings

Raymond Frank Fegley

(1908 - 1985)

Virgil Armand Fegley

(1914 - 1988)

Geraldine Doris Fegley McNally

(1916 - 1998)

Flowers:

Nearby Cemetories:

1. Chelsea Cemetery
Chelsea, Roosevelt County, USA
Coordinate: 48.1385000, -105.3462000

2. Box Elder Cemetery
Poplar, Roosevelt County, USA
Coordinate: 48.1417000, -105.2603000

3. Saint Anns Cemetery
Poplar, Roosevelt County, USA
Coordinate: 48.1385994, -105.2589035

4. Nickwall Cemetery
Nickwall, McCone County, USA
Coordinate: 48.0497017, -105.3007965

5. Poplar Cemetery
Poplar, Roosevelt County, USA
Coordinate: 48.1124992, -105.1893997

6. Courchene Cemetery
Wolf Point, Roosevelt County, USA
Coordinate: 48.0993996, -105.5927963

7. Greenwood Cemetery
Wolf Point, Roosevelt County, USA
Coordinate: 48.1035995, -105.6500015

8. King Memorial Cemetery
Wolf Point, Roosevelt County, USA
Coordinate: 48.0950012, -105.6524963

9. Grandview Cemetery
Richland County, USA
Coordinate: 47.9556007, -105.1343994

10. Riverside Cemetery
Brockton, Roosevelt County, USA
Coordinate: 48.1063000, -104.9862000

11. Sacred Heart Catholic Cemetery
Vida, McCone County, USA
Coordinate: 47.8976000, -105.2840000

12. Riverside Cemetery
McCone County, USA
Coordinate: 47.8972015, -105.2835999

13. Chicken Hill Cemetery
Roosevelt County, USA
Coordinate: 48.0685997, -105.7193985

14. Riverview Cemetery
Brockton, Roosevelt County, USA
Coordinate: 48.1610985, -104.9139023

15. Fisher Cemetery
Richland County, USA
Coordinate: 48.0588989, -104.8917007

16. Bethel Wolf Point Mennonite Church Cemetery
Wolf Point, Roosevelt County, USA
Coordinate: 48.3498000, -105.6980000

17. Vida Cemetery
McCone County, USA
Coordinate: 47.8333015, -105.4685974

18. Prairie Elk Colony Cemetery
McCone County, USA
Coordinate: 48.0159000, -105.7970000

19. Zion Lutheran Church Cemetery
Brockton, Roosevelt County, USA
Coordinate: 48.3474998, -104.9642029

20. Volt Cemetery
Volt, Roosevelt County, USA
Coordinate: 48.3775000, -105.7160500

21. Saint Bernard Cemetery
Richland County, USA
Coordinate: 48.0407982, -104.8383026

22. Oswego Catholic Cemetery
Oswego, Valley County, USA
Coordinate: 48.0480230, -105.8586070

23. Oswego Presbyterian Cemetery
Oswego, Valley County, USA
Coordinate: 48.0428140, -105.8675410

24. Prairie Lawn Cemetery
Dawson County, USA
Coordinate: 47.7611008, -105.3422012