Rank and Name, Pharmacist’s Mate Second Class Irwin Henry Anderson.
Unit/Placed in, “Hellship Arisan Maru”.
Camp no record
The Imperial Japanese began their Invasion in the Philippines on 8 Dec 1941.
Phm2. Was taken prisoner at the Hospitalship Canacao.
Phm2c. Anderson became a POW and was imprisoned at Pow Camp no record, he survived the Bataan Death March, but died shortly aboard the “Hellship Arisan Maru”.
Arisan Maru
The Arisan Maru was a Hell Ships (former Cargo, used for Transport POW’s to other Camps) sunk on Nov. 24, 1944.
The Arisan Maru, sailed from Manila on October 11, 1944 for Japan. This ship was sunk by the American submarine, USS Snook (Shark?) with three torpedoes, east of Hong Kong, on November 24, 1944. There were 1800 POWs aboard – 1793 died. Eight men survived this sinking. Two days later, five of the survivors were rescued by a Chinese fishing junk. The Chinese helped them reach American Air Corps forces. Other survivors were recaptured by a Japanese destroyer and taken to Formosa.
This Hell Ship sank in the South China Sea making it the worst naval disaster in the history of the United States.
Irwin is born approx. on no record in Indiana.
Parents and Siblings, No Record Available.
Irwin enlisted the service in Indiana with service number # 2915502.
Irwin was KIA aboard the Arisan Maru when torpedoed, tried to escape and got shot by the guards on Oct. 24, 1944, he is honored with a Purple Heart, Combat Action Ribbon, Good Conduct Medal, Expeditionary Medal, American Campaign Medal, Distinguished Unit Citation, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, WW II Victory Medal.
Irwin is buried/mentioned at Manila American Cemetery and Memorial Manila, Metro Manila, National Capital Region, Philippines.
Walls of the missing.
Thanks to,
Jean Louis Vijgen, WW2-Pacific Website.
Air Force Info, Rolland Swank.
ABMC Website, https://abmc.gov
Navy Info, http://navylog.navymemorial.org
POW Info, http://www.mansell.com Dwight Rider and Wes injerd.
Family Info, https://www.familysearch.org
Marines Info, https://missingmarines.com/ Geoffrey Roecker
Info, https://www.pacificwrecks.com/
Medals Info, https://www.honorstates.org
Philippine Info, http://www.philippine-scouts.org/
Find a Grave, https://www.findagrave.com
