United States Navy Water-tender 1st Class Frank Sherman King (service N? 3211907) was born February 17th 1919 in Rolfe, Pocahontas County, Iowa to Raymond C. At the age of 4 he moved with his family to Ohio near Buffalo, where they lived 5 years. At the age of 9 he came to Mason City with his parents and continued to reside there until he entered the service. Frank attended the local schools and was a member of the Boy Scouts. He enlisted as a seaman in the United States Navy in Mason City, on August 28th 1937. After basic training he was transferred to the New Orleans class cruiser U. Minneapolis on December 24th 1937. The Minneapolis operated along the west coast, aside from a cruise to the Caribbean early in 1939, until arriving at Pearl Harbor in 1940. Seaman King continued serving aboard Minneapolis at Pearl Harbor, until he reenlisted June 28th 1941 in Mare Island, California where he was issued this Navy Good Conduct Medal dated 1941. Water tender King continued his service during his 2nd enlistment aboard the Minneapolis at Pearl Harbor. When Japan attacked her base on December 7th 1941, WT2c King aboard the Minneapolis was at sea for gunnery practice about 8 mi from Pearl Harbor. She immediately took up patrol until late January 1942 when she joined a carrier task force about to raid the Gilberts and Marshalls. While screening aircraft carrier U. Lexington on February 1st, she helped turn back an air attack in which three Japanese Mitsubishi G4M “Betty” medium bombers were shot down. King aboard the Minneapolis took part in the Battle of the Coral Sea from May 4th – 8th 1942, screening Lexington through the great air engagement and shooting down three Japanese bombers. She rescued survivors when Lexington was lost, part of the price for preserving the vital lines of communication to Australia and New Zealand and stopping further Japanese expansion southward. The Minneapolis was also engaged in the second key battle of the early phase of the Pacific War, the Battle of Midway from June 3rd – 6th 1942, again protecting the carrier’s task force from Japanese air attack. After replenishing and repairing at Pearl Harbor, Minneapolis sailed to protect the carriers as they covered the landings on Guadalcanal and Tulagi from August 7th – 9th. Remaining with the carriers, she went to the aid of Saratoga on August 30th, when the carrier took a torpedo hit, and towed her from the danger area. Through September and October, Minneapolis supported landings west of Lunga Point and on Funafuti. As flagship of Task Force 67, she sortied on November 29th to intercept a Japanese destroyer force attempting to reinforce Guadalcanal. She scored many hits on the destroyer Takanami, which sank. However, the gunfire failed to sink Takanami before she could fire her torpedoes, and in a twist of revenge two of these torpedoes hit Minneapolis, one on the port bow, the other in her number two fireroom, causing loss of power and severe damage; her bow collapsing back to the hawsepipes, her port side badly ruptured, and two firerooms open to the sea. Of Minneapolis crew, 37 were killed in action while 36 were wounded. WT1c King was 1 of those 37 casualties, confirmed killed in action on Nov. King was awarded numerous citations among which was the Purple Heart Medal and this posthumously issued Navy Good Conduct Medal. United States Navy Water-tender 1st Class Frank Sherman King is buried at the Memorial Park Cemetery. Mason City, Cerro Gordo County, lowa. I will include 22 full size color printed copies of the research documents presented. WORLD WAR II UNITED STATES NAVY GOOD CONDUCT MEDAL, W/ FULL WRAP BROOCH. FRANK SHERMAN KING 1941. POSTHUMOUS AWARDED WORLD WAR II UNITED STATES NAVY GOOD CONDUCT MEDAL, W/ SLOT BROOCH. RIBBON DRAPES TESTED U. Please let me know if there’s anything else I can do for you!
