Frederic Haynes Ramsey
Captain Frederic H. Ramsey commanded the Marine detachment aboard USS Houston (CA-30).
He was reported missing in action at the battle of Sunda Strait, Indonesia, on 1 March 1942.
Branch
Marine Corps Regular
Service Number O-4951
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
July 21, 1910
in Portland, OR
Parents
Rev. Horace Marion Ramsey (d. 1942)
Helen Gould (Ramswell) Ramsey
Education
 Allen Preparatory School (1926)
Princeton University (1930)
Occupation & Employer
Professional Marine
Service Life
Entered Service
September 27, 1930 (enlisted)
March 24, 1934 (commission)
Home Of Record
4868 Delmonte Avenue
San Diego, CA
Next Of Kin
Wife, Mrs. Patricia (McQuillen) Ramsey
Military Specialty
Ship’s Detachment CO
Individual Decorations
Purple Heart
Loss And Burial
Circumstances Of Loss
Frederic Ramsey enlisted in the Marine Corps as a private after graduating from Princeton University. He spent almost all of his four-year hitch as an instructor at the Marine Corps Institute in Washington, DC, and accepted a lieutenant’s commission in March 1934. As an officer, Ramsey served in a number of roles and wound up spending a good deal of time on sea duty aboard the USS Texas and USS Ranger. In 1941, he was assigned to the cruiser USS Houston (CA-30) as commander of her Marine detachment.
On the night of 28 February 1942, a small flotilla of Allied ships, including the Houston, was engaged by a superior Japanese fleet in the Java Sea. After a ferocious fight, the Houston went down in the waters of Sunda Strait. Several hundred of her complement escaped the sinking ship and struggled in the water for hours before being picked up and taken prisoner.
Captain Ramsey was seen in the water wearing his life preserver but was not reported as a prisoner of war, and likely drowned or was killed in the aftermath of the sinking. He was declared dead by the Secretary of the Navy on 1 March 1943.
(Note: almost all Marines lost with the Houston stayed in missing status until 12 December 1945. It is not clear why Ramsey’s case was different.)
Burial Information or Disposition
None; remains not recovered. The Houston wreck is considered his final resting place.
Next Of Kin Address
Address of wife, Mrs. Patricia Ramsey.
Location Of Loss
Approximate location of the USSÂ Houston wreck site.
