USS SIGSBEE DD-502 

Just one small ship in one "Big War".........This WW II Fletcher Class Destroyer saw action in the Pacific Theatre of Operations 1943 to 1945.........This web site is a Memorial to the DD-502, her crew that sailed into harms way, and to those sailors that made the ultimate sacrifice.

United States Navy World War Two

SIGSBEE photo from Lt. Barrett collection quality control courtesy John Chiquoine.

Launched Dec. 7th 1942

Sigsbee launched Dec. 7th 1942 Kearny, N.J.

SIGSBEE photo from Lt. Gordon Barrett's collection

The Sigsbee family lost a good sailor and friend with the passing of Lt. Gordon Barrett. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family.

 Barrett obituary linked to Billy Roberts Sigsbee web site. Click anchor.

My Search	Launch & Commissioning	History and Crew  List	S
Memorial	USS Sigsbee Photos	Kamikaze attack painting	I
Action Reports	USS Sigsbee Artifacts	Hollywood and the 502	G
DD-502 Model	A Sailors Testimony	502 Obituary Archives	S
Reunions 1988, 1994 Linked from Billy Roberts Sigsbee site	Lt. Ransom Slack's photos	The Sigsbee's Bell	B
Billy Roberts 502 site	LT. Barrett's photos	Destroyer Squadron 25	E
DesRon 25 Reno 2003	DesRon 25 Lou. KY 05'	DesRon 25 Reunion 2007	E
CHUNG-HOON DDG-93	DDG-93 Web Site	DDG-93 Commissioning	DD
RADM Gordan P. Chung-Hoon 7/25/1910 -7/24/1979	My family that Served	Very Ship Has A Name Click URL below http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9rAunPwbUQ	502

1st Division (deck crew in action) photos

Assortment of SIGSBEE ship photos  

       1943 Navy Public Relations story involved a Sigsbee vet

Photos of damaged SIGSBEE in dry dock

This site last updated on March 14, 2013

       View movie clip of the damaged DD-502from the 1950 release of "Okinawa"

                                                                              Click on the poster to view the movie clip (speakers on?)

              Locate a Sigsbee Sailors photograph

( 331 identified officers and crew )

 Tribute to the Minesweeper YMS-81 and her crew

and my uncle Herbert Dewey Mastin PHM3c

Click on the 81's picture below

       Sign Guest Book via email or send a message @ dd502@insightbb.com  

Read Guest Book entries: 

  #1  to #44  #45 to #84    #85 to #124   #125 to #164  #165 to latest entry

SIGSBEE vet Lt. Hal Kauffman, Naval Academy football player and survivor of the USS MEREDITH sinking in 1942, where he struggled for five days to stay alive on a raft. One of four Academy graduates that played in the 1941 Army/Navy game featured in the book "The All Americans" by Lars Anderson. Click on anchor for book review.

SIGSBEE Lt. jg. Eugene Lopez survives DC-3 plane crash in Burbank, CA. Nov. of 1944 (see his photo in album 12)

Article on Gordon Chung-Hoon donated by George Mazzagotte

Burial at sea on the Sigsbee April 15, 1945 following kamikaze attack the previous day. Linked from Billy Roberts Sigsbee site.

SIGSBEE west coast veterans and SIGSBEE family members attend a luncheon onboard the USS CHUNG-HOON Oct. 2008

Three great Sigsbee related photos 1.Twenty MM gun crews on Sigsbee's stern 2. Sailors Empire State Building 1943  3. Close-up of crew preparing a tow line after the kamikaze hit of 4/14/1945

January 23, 2009, marks the sixty sixth anniversary of the Commissioning of the USS Sigsbee DD-502 at Brooklyn Navy Yard, Brooklyn, NY.  View the members of the Commissioning crew and officers copied from Administrative Logs. Linked from Billy Roberts 502 site.

"The Old Salts" Which sailors served on the 502 the longest? Click anchor for answer. Linked from Billy Roberts site.

"Recollections" THE WAR YEARS, BY ROBERT D. KARL, as told by Bill Branch March 2005.   Webmaster's Note: Ensign Robert D. Karl, was ordered to report for duty to the New York Navy Yard, where he was to join the soon to be Commissioned USS SIGSBEE DD-502 as Assistant Gunnery Officer. The following excerpt from "Recollections" deals with Robert's time spent on the SIGSBEE.

New photos of the SIGSBEE taken from the cruiser USS MIAMI 4/14/1945. Photos were sent to me by my friend Dave Schroeder. The photos were found by his friend Joe Lewis.

1931 Naval Academy wire photo of Gordon P. Chung-Hoon

Photos donated in memory of  Sigsbee veteran Vincent Palmieri

SIGSBEE attempted to rescue a downed airman on July 16, 1944. Read the deck logs which describes the event. Linked to Billy Roberts SIGSBEE site.

SABINE PASS tows the 502 from Guam to Pearl Harbor for repairs.

Tribute to Lt. Thomas R.Weschler, Gunnery Officer  Aug. 15, 1943 to Mar. 9, 1945. Linked to Billy Roberts  web site.

Photo of  Sigsbee at the Philadelphia Navy Yard 1973. Photo taken by Ted Stone and courtesy of the Cote Collection.

Location in the Pacific Ocean off Okinawa where the Sigsbee was hit 4/14/1945. Courtesy off Billy Roberts.

Article written by SIGSBEE vet William Suter that appeared in an issue of "Reminisce". Mr. Suter recalls the celebration at Pearl Harbor on VJ Day. Linked fom Billy Roberts SIGSBEE web site. Click on the anchor.

North Platte Canteen a must see video

World War II Navy Rank and Rate Abbreviations

Description and order form for "War Diary: USS Stevens 1941-1946"   This book is about the STEVENS, a sister ship to the 502       and member of DesRon 25 (see photos and info on DesRon 25 link)

Register your name at HULLNUMBER.COM and join other SIGSBEE veterans. HullNumber.com's mission is to provide a means for shipmates to keep in touch with one another.

View a Pearl Harbor VJ Day Celebration shot with a home movie camera. Credit Richard Sullivan, linked via email.

WW II Veterans Tribute                                   Navy Links                                                          Patriotic Videos

   There are twenty-four (24) sailors honored on the Memorial Page on this web site, of these, seven (7) sailors do not have a  photo posted. It is our goal to obtain a photo of each Sigsbee sailor that made the ultimate sacrifice. During our research my good friend Billy Roberts and I have been unable to locate any family members of these seven sailors.  If anyone visiting this site can help, please contact @ dd502@insightbb.com          

Looking for surviving family members of these sailors lost on the SIGSBEE

      Name & Rate                  Received     Enlisted         Service #                          Family Info  

 *Missing (lost overboard) 7/25/43    Shapiro, Myer H. F1c linked from Billy roberts 502 site

Information compiled by Billy Roberts using ships muster rolls with research help from John Chiquoine.