Samuel B. Roberts
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Samuel Booker Roberts, Jr. (12 May 1921 – 27 September 1942) was a U.S. Navy coxswain who was killed in the Battle of Guadalcanal, and became the namesake of three U.S. Navy warships.
Roberts was born in San Francisco, California, on May 12, 1921. He enlisted in the U.S. Naval Reserve in 1939 and was called to active duty in 1940. Roberts served aboard the USS California (BB-44) and the transport USS Heywood (AP-12), before being transferred to the troop transport USS Bellatrix (AK-20, later AKA-20).[1]
In 1942, Bellatrix was assigned to Task Group Four and became part of the Guadalcanal Assault Force. As a coxswain for the Bellatrix's assault boats, Roberts helped ferry supplies from the transport ships to a tenuous beachhead.[1]
Roberts was awarded the Navy Cross for his valor in the face of enemy fire.
[edit] Warships named for Roberts
- DE-413, a John C. Butler-class destroyer escort, commissioned in April 1944 and sunk on 25 October in the battle of Leyte Gulf.
- DD-823, a Gearing-class destroyer, commissioned in 1946 and struck in 1970.
- FFG-58, an Oliver Hazard Perry-class guided missile frigate, commissioned in 1986 and still active as of 2008.
[edit] References
- ^ a b NO HIGHER HONOR: Coxswain Samuel B. Roberts. Retrieved on 2008-04-24.
[edit] Further reading
- Peniston, Bradley (2006). No Higher Honor: Saving the USS Samuel B. Roberts in the Persian Gulf. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-59114-661-5. (Gives fuller bio of Roberts; discusses the ships named for him)
