William Paul Kirby
Second Lieutenant William P. Kirby 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-9045
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
July 16, 1916
at Valley, ID
Parents
David Henry Kirby (d. 1938)
Gertrude Lucretia (Moore) Kirby
Education
Cascade High School
Boise Junior College
Occupation & Employer
Boise Payette Lumber Company
*Note: Civilian records spell the family name as "Kerby."
Service Life
Entered Service
May 14, 1941 (enlisted)
April 4, 1942 (officer)
Home Of Record
Emmett, ID
Next Of Kin
Mother, Mrs. Gertrude M. Kirby
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
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. Kirby 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.
Kirby’s battle station – the seaplane hangar – was an inferno. It is not known exactly how he met his fate; a friend of Lieutenant Griffith’s recalled that a plane with two men aboard was preparing for launch when hit by a shell, but whether Kirby was aboard or not is a matter of speculation.
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 Kirby – 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
Alpha Cemetery, Alpha, Idaho (as William Paul Kerby)
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 mother, Mrs. Gertrude Kirby.
Location Of Loss
The Vincennes sank in Iron Bottom Sound at approximately 0240 hours.
