DONALD H. VAN IDERSTINE, LT, USNR
Donald Van Iderstine '42
Donald Hugh Van Iderstine was admitted to the Naval Academy with an At Large appointment on July 7, 1938 at age 20 years 2 months.
He was “honorably discharged on account of physical disability” on May 27, 1940.
Photographs
Photo from the 1935 Roosevelt High School, Seattle, Washington year book. Located by Kathy Franz.
Loss
Donald was lost when USS Monaghan (DD 354) capsized and sank during Typhoon Cobra on December 18, 1944. Only eight of her crew survived.
Other Information
His wife, Rosalie Darlene Van Iderstine, was listed as next of kin; they were married September 25, 1942 in Seattle. Donald was also survived by his parents and a sister. He has a memory marker in Washington.
The men and ships involved in Typhoon Cobra are extensively chronicled in "Down to the Sea: An Epic Story of Naval Disaster and Heroism in World War II" by Bruce Henderson.
From researcher Kathy Franz:
His grandmother lived with them - and they were actually counted twice in the 1930 census - once in Seattle, and once across the bay in Harper! His father had a hard life: 1920 a millwright in Harper, 1930 pile driver (mother ices cakes in a bakery) in Seattle, a 1940 a janitor in Harper, and in 1942 worked in the Seattle-Tacoma shipyard. Shows how the Naval Academy midshipmen come from all walks of life.
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