Henry Elpidio Bucci
Master Gunnery Sergeant Henry “Bucky” Bucci served with the Marine detachment aboard the cruiser USS Vincennes (CA-44).
He was lost at sea in the battle of Savo Island, off Guadalcanal, on 9 August 1942.
Branch
Marine Corps Regular
Service Number 165721
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
February 28, 1897
at Providence, RI
Parents
Ismaele Bucci
Anna Bucci
Education
Providence Technical High School (1915)
Occupation & Employer
Professional Marine
Service Life
Entered Service
1915 – 1920 (Army)
August 17, 1920 (USMC)
Home Of Record
Providence, RI
Next Of Kin
Wife, Mrs. Florence M. Bucci
Military Specialty
Gunnery Sergeant
Primary Unit
USS Vincennes
Campaigns Served
Midway
Guadalcanal / Savo Island
Individual Decorations
Purple Heart
World War I Victory Medal
Additional Service Details
Bucci served overseas with the Coast Artillery Corps from 1917 – 1919.
Loss And Burial
Circumstances Of Loss
Master Gunnery Sergeant Henry Bucci – known as “Bucky” – served as a senior enlisted man aboard the cruiser USS Vincennes from April 1941 to August 1942. A veteran of the Great War and several overseas deployments, Bucci was one of the most experienced men aboard the cruiser, and was placed in charge of the detachment’s ordnance. He participated in the Doolittle Raid, and saw action in the battle of Midway before sailing for the Solomon Islands in the summer of 1942.
At 0155 on 9 August 1942, 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.
Captain Frederick Reifkohl passed the word to abandon ship at 0230; ten minutes later, Vincennes slipped beneath the waves. Of nearly 900 crew, 332 men – among them “Bucky” Bucci – 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
Trinity Square (Elmwood Avenue and Broad Street) Providence, Rhode Island
The wreck of the Vincennes was discovered by RV Petrel in 2015.
Next Of Kin Address
Address of wife, Mrs. Florence Bucci.
Location Of Loss
The Vincennes sank in Iron Bottom Sound at approximately 0240 hours.
