James Wiggin Coe

James Coe
Commander James Wiggins Coe
Birth name	James Wiggins Coe
Nickname(s)	Red
Born	(1909-06-13)June 13, 1909 Richmond, Indiana,U.S.
Died	September 28, 1943(1943-09-28)(aged 34) PresumedSouth China Sea
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	United States Navy
Years of service	1926–1943
Rank	Commander (United States)
Service number	0-063137
Commands held	USSS-39 USSSkipjack(SS-184) USSCisco(SS-290)
Battles/wars	World War II
Awards	Navy Cross Purple Heart

CommanderJames Wiggins "Red" Coe(June 13, 1909 – September 28, 1943) (missing), January 8, 1946 (presumed dead) was an American submariner. Asubmarine ace,Coe commandedUSSSkipjackandCiscoduring operations in thePacific theatreofWorld War II.After a number of successful patrols, Coe and theCiscofailed to return from patrol in November 1943, and her captain and crew were presumed dead in 1946.

Early life and career

Born inRichmond, Indiana,Coe attendedMorton High Schooland then theUS Naval AcademyandAnnapolis,Maryland.Commissioned in June 1930, he served aboardUSSNevadaand thenUSSChicago.From 1931 he commenced training in submarines, and served onUSSS-27in 1933, followed byUSSS-29in 1935 andUSSS-33in 1937.

After two years back in the United States as an instructor, he took command ofUSSS-39in January 1940 and, after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, he commanded her during three war patrols in the Southeast Asia. On March 4, 1942, Coe commandedS-39when she attacked and sank a Japanese tanker inSunda Strait.

Coe transferred to the USSSkipjackin March 1942.

Skipjack

Coe commandedSkipjackfor three war patrols (Skipjack's third, forth and fifth) during which he sank four Japanese merchant ships and damaged another.

While in command of theSkipjack,he wrote a letter to his superiors in the supply division complaining about a lack of toilet paper aboard his vessel. Included in the memorandum was "a sample of the desired material" to help supply identify the item being requested, while commenting that in the meantime, "personnel during this period has become accustomed to the use of “Ersatz” the vast amount of incoming non-essential paper work "and closing with the remark that" in order to cooperate in war effort at small local sacrifice, the SKIPJACK desires no further action to be taken until the end of current war which has created a situation aptly described as “War is Hell”. "The letter later served as inspiration for a scene in the 1959 comedy filmOperation Petticoat.Coe's letter and the roll of toilet paper are preserved at theSubmarine Force Library and MuseuminGroton, Connecticut.

Coe also fired the firstMark 14 torpedoto be shot with its magnetic influence disabled as part of a new test run ordered by Rear-AdmiralCharles A. Lockwood,which took place off ofKing George Soundin June 1942.

USSCiscoand death

Coe was appointed prospective commanding officer of the USSCiscoin January 1943. He became the submarine's first commanding officer when it was commissioned on May 10. He was awarded theNavy Cross"for extraordinary heroism" while serving in the Pacific sinking Japanese merchant shipping.

In September 1943,Ciscosailed on its first war patrol to theSouth China Sea,where his submarine was presumed lost in action. (Postwar analysis concluded thatCiscowas sunk by Japanese forces on September 28.) Coe was posthumously awarded thePurple Heart.

Japanese ships sunk by submarines under Coe's command

• March 4, 1942 - USSS-39sank fleet tankerErimo(6500 GRT).
• May 6, 1942 - USSSkipjacksank transport shipKanan Maru(2567 GRT).
• May 8, 1942 - USSSkipjacksank transport shipBujun Maru(4804 GRT).
• May 17, 1942 - USSSkipjacksank troop transportTazan Maru(5477 GRT).
• October 14, 1942 - USSSkipjacksank transport shipShunko Maru(6780 GRT).

Source -U-Boat.net

Legacy

Coe's successful patrols with theSkipjackand his command of theCiscogave him some notoriety, leading to his name appearing in a contemporary list of theTop Skippers of World War II By Number of Confirmed Kills.

A military rest camp inSubic Bayin thePhilippines– part of theU.S. Naval Base Subic Bay– is named in his honour, as is a street inNaval Station Pearl Harbor.

Awards

• Navy Cross
• Purple Heart(posthumous)
• Combat Action Ribbon(posthumous)
• American Defense Service Medalwith "FLEET" clasp
• Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medalwith fivebattle stars
• World War II Victory Medal(posthumous)
• Philippine Presidential Unit Citation
• Philippine Defense Medal(posthumous)

Navy Cross citation

The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Navy Cross to Lieutenant Commander James Wiggins Coe (NSN: 0-63137), United States Navy, for extraordinary heroism in the line of his profession as Commanding Officer of the U.S.S. S-39 (SS-144) during the FIRST through the FOURTH War Patrols in the Southwest Pacific from 8 December 1941 through March 1942, and as Commanding Officer of the U.S.S. SKIPJACK (SS-184), on the THIRD War Patrol of that submarine during the period 14 April 1942 to 17 May 1942, in enemy controlled waters at Cam Ranh Bay. While conducting war patrols as Commanding Officer of the U.S.S. S-39, Lieutenant Commander Coe boldly and successfully delivered an attack under hazardous and difficult conditions which resulted in the sinking of an armed enemy auxiliary vessel in Philippine waters, and later, a large enemy naval tanker in the Java Sea. Furthermore, while Commanding Officer of the U.S.S. SKIPJACK, he skillfully evaded enemy naval and air patrols to deliver a vigorous and effectively executed attack against enemy vessels, armed or escorted by anti-submarine craft. In these engagements, the SKIPJACK succeeded in destroying two large enemy auxiliaries and an enemy Japanese transport in the South China Sea and seriously damaging and presumably sinking another enemy armed auxiliary. Lieutenant Commander Coe displayed the outstanding characteristics of a leader, and the aggressive and intrepid spirit of a fine seaman which were in keeping with the traditions of the United States Naval Service.

References

Notes

Sources

• Blair, Clay Jr.(1975).Silent victory: the U.S. submarine war against Japan.Philadelphia: Lippincott.ISBN978-0-397-00753-0.OCLC821363.
• Gugliotta, Bobette (2000).Pigboat 39: An American Sub Goes to War.University Press of Kentucky.ISBN0813128307.