Carl Ives Schuessler
Second Lieutenant Carl I. Schuessler served aboard the cruiser USS Vincennes (CA-44) during the Solomon Islands campaign.
He was lost at sea in the battle of Savo Island, off Guadalcanal, on 9 August 1942.
Branch
Marine Corps Reserve
Service Number O-9308
Current Status
Lost At Sea
Pursuit Category
Based on circumstances of loss, this individual is considered permanently non-recoverable.
Capsule History
Pre-War Life
Birth
August 26, 1916
at Columbus, GA
Parents
Joseph William “JW” Schuessler
Charlotte (Dillingham) Schuessler
Education
Columbus High School (1934)
University of the South (1938)
Sewanee School of Theology (1941)
Occupation & Employer
Divinity Student
Service Life
Entered Service
April 29, 1941 (enlisted)
March 7, 1942 (officer)
Home Of Record
2105 Wynnton Drive
Columbus, GA
Next Of Kin
Mother, Mrs. Charlotte Schuessler
Military Specialty
Pilot
Primary Unit
VMO-251
attached to USS Vincennes
Campaigns Served
Guadalcanal / Savo Island
Individual Decorations
Purple Heart
Additional Service Details
—
Loss And Burial
Circumstances Of Loss
He possessed one of the most versatile personalities within the range of my experiences. Aboard ship [to Espiritu Santo] he entertained all hands with his acrobatic stunts that we all enjoyed. On Sunday mornings, Lieutenant Schuessler held divine services for the ship's crew and all personnel aboard, from which all gained spiritual food that was indeed a great help during these pressing times....
In late July 1942, Schuessler and 2Lt. William P. Kirby were detached for temporary duty aboard USS Vincennes. The cruiser was supporting the upcoming invasion of the Solomon Islands, and needed additional pilots and observers for her Curtiss SOC Seagull floatplanes. Kirby, Schuessler, and 2Lt. Jay C. Griffith, Jr. spent several busy days catapulting off the Vincennes and reporting their findings back to the fire direction crew.
The first two days of Operation WATCHTOWER – the invasion of Guadalcanal – were exhausting, but there was little for the scout planes to do at night. Schuessler was probably fast asleep when the general quarters alarm sounded early on the morning of 9 August. Bright searchlights stabbed out of the darkness and illuminated Vincennes. The cruiser let loose a salvo, but was almost immediately bracketed by Japanese shells. In just fifteen minutes, she suffered at least 85 hits from large and medium caliber shells, and at least one torpedo strike. Without power, aflame from stem to stern, Vincennes drifted to a stop and began to list.
Schuessler’s battle station was at the hangar amidships; early hits turned the area into an inferno.
Lieutenant Schuessler was last seen by an eyewitness manning a machine gun in the rear seat of an airplane on deck and caring for the wounded on the after part of the ship while it was under heavy fire from enemy forces.
Captain Frederick Riefkohl passed the word to abandon ship at 0230; ten minutes later, Vincennes slipped beneath the waves. Of nearly 900 crew, 332 men – among them Second Lieutenant Schuessler – died in the battle for Savo Island.
Burial Information or Disposition
Remains lost at sea; ship considered to be final resting place.
Memorials
Manila American Cemetery and Memorial
Arlington National Cemetery
VMO-251 named their airstrip “Kirby-Schuessler Field” in honor of their first combat casualties. It is better known as “Turtle Bay Airfield” or “Fighter Field 1.”
The wreck of the Vincennes was discovered by RV Petrel in 2015.
Next Of Kin Address
Address of parents, Charlotte & Joseph Schuessler.
Location Of Loss
The Vincennes sank in Iron Bottom Sound at approximately 0240 hours.
