Manny Berkman
Gunnery Sergeant Manny Berkman served the Marine detachment aboard the cruiser USS Astoria (CA-34).
He was lost at sea in the battle of Savo Island, off Guadalcanal, on 9 August 1942.
Branch
Marine Corps Regular
Service Number 160244
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
September 1, 1895
at Grodno Oblast, Russia (now Belarus)
Parents
Max Berkman (d. 1942)
Sarah R. Berkman (d. 1940)
Education
Details unknown
Occupation & Employer
Professional Marine
Service Life
Entered Service
March 8, 1917
at Charleston, SC
Home Of Record
Cincinnati, OH
Next Of Kin
Wife, Mrs. Alexandria Chernoff Berkman
Military Specialty
Gunnery Sergeant
Armorer
Primary Unit
USS Astoria
Campaigns Served
Haiti
Yangtze River Valley
Nicaragua
Coral Sea
Midway
Guadalcanal / Savo Island
Individual Decorations
Purple Heart
Good Conduct Medal (6)
Additional Service Details
Gunnery Sergeant Berkman was rated as an expert rifleman and expert pistol shot.
Loss And Burial
Circumstances Of Loss
Gunnery Sergeant Manny Berkman – an “old salt” Marine whose twenty-plus year career included service in Haiti, Nicaragua, China, and countless posts in the States and overseas – was a senior NCO of the Marine detachment aboard the heavy cruiser USS Astoria in 1942. “Gunny” Berkman was a weapons expert who served as the ship’s armorer, and likely had a battle station at one of the anti-aircraft batteries.
Astoria provided fire support for the Marine landings at Guadalcanal on 7 August 1942, and remained on station to guard the vulnerable transports offloading supplies. In the early morning hours of 9 August, a Japanese surface fleet slipped into the channel and caught the Allied warships completely by surprise. Astoria roused her crew to battle stations and entered the fray at approximately 0150 hours. The ship fought bravely, but the effects of surprise and superior Japanese night tactics proved too much to overcome. Four Allied cruisers were soon flaming wrecks, and the Japanese withdrew at 0225.
Damage control crews tried valiantly to save the damaged Astoria and managed to keep her afloat for several hours. The cumulative effect of at least 65 hits, numerous fires, and personnel casualties gradually overwhelmed their efforts. Astoria listed and settled by the stern, finally sinking at 1216 hours on 9 August. In all, 219 of her crew perished in the battle of Savo Island.
Gunnery Sergeant Berkman was lost in the sinking; his exact fate is unknown. He was officially reported as missing after the battle, and declared dead on 10 August 1943.
Burial Information or Disposition
Remains lost at sea; ship considered to be final resing place.
Memorials
Manila American Cemetery and Memorial – with excellent biography by Rick Lawrence.
The wreck of the Astoria was discovered in 2015.
Next Of Kin Address
Address of wife, Mrs. Alexandria Berkman.
Location Of Loss
The Astoria sank in Iron Bottom Sound at 1216, 9 August 1942.
