Rank and Name, Private First Class Lewis Quay Steele.
Unit/Placed in, 803rd Engineer Battalion, Aviation, United States Army Air Forces.
Camp no record
The Imperial Japanese began their Invasion in the Philippines on 8 Dec 1941.
The Serviceman resorted to fighting together among American and Filipino forces when compelled to surrender on 9 Apr 1942.
He became a POW and was imprisoned at Pow Camp no record, he survived the Bataan Death March, but died in transport on a “Hellship”.
Oryoku Maru
Lewis Quay Steele was one of 1619 prisoners of War onboard the Oryoku Maru at Manila. The ship sailed on December 13, 1944, for Japan and when It arrived at Subic Bay, the same day, it was bombed by American planes from the USS Hornet, while it was picking up Japanese personnel. When dusk came, the planes broke off the attack. Next day the planes returned and resumed the attack. On Dec. 15, 1944 and sunk the Ship. The Japanese abandoned ship, even ordered the POWs to abandon ship during the air raid when the American pilots saw the large number of men climbing from the ship’s holds, they stopped their attack. As the POWs swam to shore, they were shot at by Japanese soldiers with machine guns, many lost their lives.
Lewis is born approx. on no record in South Carolina.
Lewis enlisted the service in South Carolina with service number # 6970409.
Lewis was KIA/MIA while escaping from the sinking Oryoko Maru, he was executed by the Japanese guards on, December 15 1944, he is honored with a POW Medal, Purple Heart, Good Conduct Medal, American Campaign Medal, Army Presidential Unit Citation, Asiatic Pacific Campaign Medal, WW II Victory Medal.
Lewis is buried/mentioned at Manila American Cemetery and Memorial Manila, Metro Manila, National Capital Region, Philippines.
Walls of the missing.
Thanks to, http://www.powresearch.jp/en/archive/ship/ouryoku.html
Jean Louis Vijgen, ww2-Pacific.com ww2-europe.com
Air Force Info, Rolland Swank.
ABMC Website, https://abmc.gov
Marines Info, https://missingmarines.com/ Geoffrey Roecker
Seabees History Bob Smith https://seabeehf.org/
Navy Info, http://navylog.navymemorial.org
POW Info, http://www.mansell.com Dwight Rider and Wes injerd.
Philippine Info, http://www.philippine-scouts.org/ Robert Capistrano
Navy Seal Memorial, http://www.navysealmemorials.com
Family Info, https://www.familysearch.org
WW2 Info, https://www.pacificwrecks.com/
Medals Info, https://www.honorstates.org
Medals Forum, https://www.usmilitariaforum.com/
Find a Grave, https://www.findagrave.com
Tank Destroyers, http://www.bensavelkoul.nl/
WordPress en/of Wooncommerce oplossingen, https://www.siteklusjes.nl/
Military Recovery, https://www.dpaa.mil/
Pfc. Lewis Quay Steele was in Company C They were located at NIchols field and tried to keep the field operational until the unit was withdrawn to Bataan at the end of December, 1941, captured on Bataan then sent on to a Japanese POW camp on transport with the Hellship Oryoku Maru
He died when Oryoku Maru, was attacked and sunk by US planes operating off the USS Hornet, escaping from the sinking Oryoko Maru, he was executed by the Japanese guards
Oryoku Maru left Manila on December 13, 1944, with 1,620 prisoners of war (including 1,556 American, 50 British and Dutch, 7 Czech, 4 Norwegians and several other nationalities) packed in the holds, and 1,900 Japanese civilians and military personnel in the cabins. As she neared the naval base at Olongapo in Subic Bay, US Navy planes from USS Hornet attacked the unmarked ship, causing it to sink on December 15. About 270 died aboard ship. Some died from suffocation or dehydration. Others were killed in the attack, drowned or were shot while escaping the ship as it sank in Subic Bay where the ‘Hell Ship Memorial’ is located.
Wikipedia
