CLARENCE W. BECKER, LCDR, USN

Clarence Becker '39

Date of birth: January 6, 1917

Date of death: May 18, 1945

Age: 28

Lucky Bag

From the 1939 Lucky Bag:

CLARENCE WILLIAM BECKER

Alton Bay, New Hampshire

Ole Cle, Beck

This long, lanky Marine Junior hails from all points of the compass, but he has a warm spot in his heart for the Hawaiian Islands. Beck has the build of a "natural" athlete, but he specializes in basketball and indulges in other sports only to keep in trim until the basketball season rolls around. He follows the collegiate and big league seasons with enthusiasm and can tell you who won what game for the past three years. When not on the courts he likes to play cards or try to beat the pin ball games out in town. He is a confirmed redmike, but he has one big love—that for his pipes, which fill the room. Good luck, Beck, you've been a swell pal.

Football 4; Basketball 3, 2, N.A.; Battalion Football 3; Battalion Basketball 4; Battalion Baseball 4, 3; G.P.O.

CLARENCE WILLIAM BECKER

Alton Bay, New Hampshire

Ole Cle, Beck

This long, lanky Marine Junior hails from all points of the compass, but he has a warm spot in his heart for the Hawaiian Islands. Beck has the build of a "natural" athlete, but he specializes in basketball and indulges in other sports only to keep in trim until the basketball season rolls around. He follows the collegiate and big league seasons with enthusiasm and can tell you who won what game for the past three years. When not on the courts he likes to play cards or try to beat the pin ball games out in town. He is a confirmed redmike, but he has one big love—that for his pipes, which fill the room. Good luck, Beck, you've been a swell pal.

Football 4; Basketball 3, 2, N.A.; Battalion Football 3; Battalion Basketball 4; Battalion Baseball 4, 3; G.P.O.

Loss

Clarence was lost when USS Longshaw (DD 559) ran aground near Naha, Okinawa, and was destroyed by shore battery fire. He was the commanding officer for less than a week (May 12).

From Wikipedia:

On the morning of 18 May 1945, following a grueling four-day period of fire support, Longshaw, en route to her patrol area, ran aground on a coral reef just south of Naha airfield, at 0719. Other attempts to free her failing, tug Arikara (ATF-98) arrived at 0945. At 1000, tug's skipper, Lieutenant John Aikin, and Radioman First Class James J Zikus, boarded to arrange recovery and communications. Towing commenced at 1100. At 1101, Japanese shore batteries opened up, hitting the water between Arikari and Longshaw. The stranded destroyer attempted to fight back as best she could; but, as she opened fire, her bow was completely blown off by a hit in the forward magazine. When efforts to save her appeared hopeless, the order "Abandon Ship" was relayed by word of mouth from the bridge. At 1105, all hands on the bridge were killed, injured, or stunned; the Longshaw's skipper, Lieutenant Commander Clarence William Becker, was reportedly there, mortally wounded, along with Radioman Zikus of the Ariaka. At 1115, the abandon ship order reached the aft fire room and engine room.
About 1200, LCI(L)-356 came alongside to remove all wounded. The ship was burning, shells were exploding in their magazines, and the decks were hot enough to cause burns; many in the rescue party were awarded medals.
The casualties included 86 dead or missing, including the skipper. (The missing were later declared dead.) In addition to the dead and missing, 95 crew members were wounded, and 113 crew members survived the sinking.
Later in the afternoon, Longshaw, battered beyond salvaging, was destroyed by gunfire and torpedoes from U.S. ships.

Other Information

From Heroes of the US Naval Academy:

On January 13, 1942, Ensign Becker was assigned to the commissioning crew of destroyer USS Forrest (DD-461). Forest was assigned to the Atlantic fleet and saw action escorting aircraft carrier USS Ranger (CV-4) and she patrolled the Atlantic with the hunter-killer group headed by escort carrier USS Guadalcanal (CVE-60).

It's unclear when he left this ship, or what he did prior to his assignment as commanding officer of Longshaw.

From researcher Kathy Franz:

Clarence was named first alternate for appointment to the Naval Academy by Congressman William N. Rogers in February 1935.
From The Portsmouth Herald, June 12, 1945: Clarence “was in command of one of the over-age destroyers which this country turned over to Great Britain in 1940, and later was active in the North Atlantic patrol. Since he went to the Pacific area a year ago, he has taken part in nine major battles.”
He was survived by his wife, son Douglas, age 2, and Richard, 5 months, whom he had never seen. His parents were USMC Capt. William & Emma (Matthews) Becker.

His wife was listed as next of kin. His parents also survived him, as did two sons, Douglas and Richard. (Information on Richard from Clarence's granddaughter on October 24, 2019.)

Clarence has a memory marker in New Hampshire.

Photographs

From the Lucky Bag

Navy Directories & Officer Registers

The "Register of Commissioned and Warrant Officers of the United States Navy and Marine Corps" was published annually from 1815 through at least the 1970s; it provided rank, command or station, and occasionally billet until the beginning of World War II when command/station was no longer included. Scanned copies were reviewed and data entered from the mid-1840s through 1922, when more-frequent Navy Directories were available.

The Navy Directory was a publication that provided information on the command, billet, and rank of every active and retired naval officer. Single editions have been found online from January 1915 and March 1918, and then from three to six editions per year from 1923 through 1940; the final edition is from April 1941.

The entries in both series of documents are sometimes cryptic and confusing. They are often inconsistent, even within an edition, with the name of commands; this is especially true for aviation squadrons in the 1920s and early 1930s.

Alumni listed at the same command may or may not have had significant interactions; they could have shared a stateroom or workspace, stood many hours of watch together… or, especially at the larger commands, they might not have known each other at all. The information provides the opportunity to draw connections that are otherwise invisible, though, and gives a fuller view of the professional experiences of these alumni in Memorial Hall.