Ralph Merle Petersen
Private Ralph M. Petersen served with HQ Company, First Pioneer Battalion, 1st Marine Division.
He was reported missing in action at Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands, on 19 August 1942.
Branch
Marine Corps Regular
Service Number 325260
Current Status
Remains Not Recovered
Pursuit Category
The DPAA has not publicized this information.
Capsule History
Pre-War Life
Birth
August 8, 1923
at Spokane, WA
Parents
Richard George Petersen
Benita Merle (Smith) Petersen
Education
West Valley High School (1941)
Occupation & Employer
Details unknown
Service Life
Entered Service
November 25, 1941
at Seattle, WA
Home Of Record
Spokane, WA
Next Of Kin
Father, Mr. Richard G. Petersen
Military Specialty
Radioman
Primary Unit
HQ Co. / 1st Pioneers
Campaigns Served
Solomon Islands / Guadalcanal
Individual Decorations
Purple Heart
Additional Service Details
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Loss And Burial
Circumstances Of Loss
On 18 August 1942, in response to intermittent and worrisome shelling from Japanese submarines, a Higgins boat set out from Kukum for an overnight patrol. The unarmed landing craft could not put up a fight, but if equipped with a powerful TBX radio, it could provide early warning. Two communications specialists from the First Pioneer Battalion – PFC George Y. Benson and Private Ralph M. Petersen – volunteered for the job.
Japanese warships were active in the area, Marine units ashore reported shelling from the sea, despite the efforts of the ad-hoc patrol boats. As the sun rose on 19 August, the little Higgins boat wrapped its patrol activities and started heading back to Kukum. Unfortunately, they were spotted by an enemy destroyer. Observers ashore watched as the Japanese ship demolished the unarmed boat, killing or capturing the American crew.
Burial Information or Disposition
Petersen, Benson, and three Coast Guardsmen – MM3c John Joseph Alcorn, BM1 Charles Newell Stickney, and BM2 Charles Wilbur Williams – were reported as missing after the incident. The boat crew were declared dead on 1 November 1945; the Marines on 7 January 1946.
Memorials
Next Of Kin Address
Address of father, Mr. Richard Petersen.
Location Of Loss
The Higgins boat sank approximately halfway between Tulagi and Guadalcanal.
