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Albert Sidney O'Neil, Jr.

Gunnery Sergeant Albert S. O’Neil, Jr., served as a 40mm battery officer aboard the USS Saratoga (CV-3).
He was reported missing after a kamikaze strike offshore of Iwo Jima, 21 February 1945.

Created by potrace 1.16, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2019

Branch

Marine Corps Regular
Service Number 223757

Created by potrace 1.16, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2019

Current Status

Remains not recovered

Pursuit Category

Based on circumstances of loss, this individual is considered permanently non-recoverable.

Capsule History

Pre-War Life

Birth

June 21, 1911
in Riverside, CA

Parents

Albert Sidney O’Neil, Sr.
Edna (Borden) O’Neil

Education

Details unknown

Occupation & Employer

American Potash & Chemical Corp.

Service Life

Entered Service

September 19, 1929 (1st enl.)
December 23, 1941 (2nd enl.)

Home Of Record

3962 Alla Road
Venice, CA

Next Of Kin

Wife, Mrs. Marion C. (Luebke) O’Neil

Military Specialty

Antiaircraft Officer
40mm Battery

Individual Decorations

Purple Heart

Loss And Burial

Circumstances Of Loss

Albert O’Neil first joined the Marine Corps in 1929 and served on active duty through 1936. He spent the next five years on the inactive reserve list, reentering the Regular service shortly after Pearl Harbor. O’Neil was posted to the San Diego recruit depot until the end of 1943, at which time he joined the Marine detachment aboard USS Saratoga (CV-3). Marines on capital ships commonly manned anti-aircraft guns; O’Neil would eventually run the detachment’s 40mm gun crews.

While steaming off Iwo Jima on the afternoon of 21 February 1945, Saratoga’s radar picked up unidentified aircraft on an intercept course. The carrier went to General Quarters at 1652; at 1700, six Japanese aircraft dove out of the sky. In less than five minutes, Sara was hit by one bomb and five suicide strikes, wrecking her flight deck and causing chaos below. The last plane to hit careened into the starboard aircraft crane, released its bomb, and crashed over the port side. Its right wing tore off and fell on the antiaircraft gunners, causing an explosion and gasoline fire “completely wiping out the No. 1 gun gallery.”

As damage control raced to control the fires, a trio of “Betty” bombers appeared. Two were shot down clear of the ship, but the third dropped its bomb on the Sara before crashing over the port side. The explosion blew a hole in the flight deck, destroyed a 40mm ready room, and demolished both the No. 2 five-inch battery and the No. 6 40mm quad mount. Altogether, six 40mm quads and four five-inch guns were knocked out.

The final Marine casualty list included twelve killed in action, plus one officer (1Lt. David Steinberg) and three enlisted missing. Saratoga‘s medical report notes, “it appears that 25 men were blown into the sea as a result of explosions on board.” A total of 93 bodies were buried at sea; 32 of these were beyond recognition.

As a 40mm battery officer, Gunnery Sergeant O’Neil was probably among those killed in the second attack. However, there are no known confirming eyewitness accounts.

Burial Information or Disposition

Gunnery Sergeant O’Neil’s remains were either lost overboard or buried at sea as an unknown.

Next Of Kin Address

Address of wife, Mrs. Marion O’Neil

Location Of Loss

Approximate location of the Saratoga during the kamikaze attack

Related Profiles

Marines reported non-recoverable after kamikaze attacks off Iwo Jima, 21 February 1945.
Aboard USS Saratoga
Aboard USS Bismarck Sea
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