Clyde Hamilton McClain, Jr.
Platoon Sergeant Clyde H. McClain, Jr., served with the Second Separate Tank Company, 22nd Marines.
He was killed in action at Engebi, Eniwetok atoll, on 18 February 1944.
Branch
Marine Corps Regular
Service Number 274477
Current Status
Remains Not Recovered
Pursuit Category
This case is under Active Pursuit by the DPAA
Capsule History
Pre-War Life
Birth
January 27, 1921
at Los Angeles, CA
Parents
Clyde Hamilton McClain, Sr.
Kathlyn Margaret (Webster) McClain
Education
Details unknown
Occupation & Employer
Details unknown
Service Life
Entered Service
September 13, 1939
at Los Angeles, CA
Home Of Record
1315 South Simmons Ave.
Los Angeles, CA
Next Of Kin
Wife, Mrs. Marjorie V. (Reis) McClain
Military Specialty
Tank Commander
Primary Unit
Second Separate Tank Co. /
22nd Marines
Campaigns Served
Marshall Islands / Engebi
Individual Decorations
Purple Heart
Additional Service Details
—
Loss And Burial
Circumstances Of Loss
On 18 February 1944, the First and Second Battalions, 22nd Marines, spearheaded an amphibious assault on the island of Engebi in the Eniwetok atoll. Despite heavy naval bombardment and support from Army and Marine batteries on nearby islands, the two battalions experienced a challenging and bloody baptism of fire. In support were sixteen M4A2 medium tanks belonging to the Second Separate Tank Company. At 0700, a little fleet of LCMs – each carrying one tank – shoved off from the USS Ashland and motored over to the line of departure. If all went well, the tankers would be ashore by 0845.
Unfortunately, LCM-6 and its embarked tank would be the center of what the regimental history called “one of those pathetic episodes to the horrible waste of war.” A mechanical failure caused the bow ramp to open while still 2,000 yards from the beach. Though the sailors struggled to close the ramp, LCM-6 shipped enough water to capsize, dumping her crew – and the embarked tank – into the water.
The tankers, who were “buttoned up” with all hatches and ports sealed for landing, had no chance to escape before their M4A2 sank. Miraculously, one man – Corporal Ernest Lehman, the driver – survived the nightmarish ordeal, and related his experiences to a company officer several days later.
The tank, upon the craft's capsizing, went to the floor of the lagoon and came to rest upside down, thereby cutting off the only chance of escape for the three men located in the fighting compartment (turret basket), for the only hatch in that compartment is located at the top of the turret, and the entrance to the driving compartment was blocked by wire mesh. Either of the two hatches located forward of the turret in the tank hull over the heads of the driver and assistant driver could have been opened. Water did not immediately flood the tank because the tank's seams were waterproofed.
Private First Class BURNS and Corporal LEHMAN decided that LEHMAN should open his hatch cover and leave, with BURNS to follow through the same hatch. LEHMAN opened the hatch cover and as he left the tank, his head became lodged in an air bubble and he went directly to the surface where he was picked up by a passing landing craft and returned to his ship.
The time that LEHMAN remained in the tank on the floor of the lagoon was of such length that by the time he had gained the surface the capsized craft had been towed away. LEHMAN did not know if BURNS ever gained exit from the tank.
Trapped in the turret and with no way to escape, Platoon Sergeant McClain drowned when the drivers opened the hatch.
Burial Information or Disposition
The remains of the four tankers were never recovered from the lagoon – but not for lack of trying. James E. Walsh witnessed the accident during the invasion; six years later, as a lieutenant colonel of an engineer unit stationed on Eniwetok, he was able to find the approximate area where the LCM sank. Mr. Douglas McWay, another veteran back at Eniwetok as a contractor for Holmes & Narver, also knew of the sunken M4A2. The tank was thought to be 2,00 yards offshore in about 40 feet of water – and could potentially be raised with the right equipment.
In September 1950, the salvage ship USS Deliver arrived at Eniwetok to assist with a construction project – and search for the tank “as practicable.” Over the course of eight days, Deliver searched more than five million square yards; her divers spent a total of 46 hours underwater looking for the tank. Poor weather conditions and a strict timetable sent her back to Pearl Harbor empty handed.
Memorials
Next Of Kin Address
Address of wife, Mrs. Marjorie Reis McClain.
Location Of Loss
The lost tank was believed to have sunk approximately 2000 yards south of a small pier on Engebi (Enjebi), Eniwetok (Enewetak) Atoll, Marshall Islands.
