706 94 73
3 January 1946
THE SECRETARY OF THE NAVY
WASHINGTON
Mrs. Adeline Jeanette McCartney
540 Ringwood Avenue
Midvale, New Jersey
Dear Mrs. McCartney:
Your husband, James William McCartney, Seaman first class, U. S. N. R., has been carried on the official records of the Navy Department in the status of missing as of 2 December 1943. He was serving aboard the USS SCULPIN when that submarine was lost during a surface engagement with an enemy destroyer.
Lieutenant George E. Brown, Jr., United State Naval Reserve, who was also serving aboard the SCULPIN at the time of her loss and who was liberated from a Japanese prisoner of war camp has furnished the following information concerning the loss of the vessel and the fate of her crew.
On 19 October 1943, the SCULPIN was scuttled by her crew during a surface engagement with an enemy destroyer in an area approximately 200 miles northeast of Truk Island, The Carolines. Survivors, including Lieutenant Brown, and your husband were picked up by the enemy destroyer and taken to Truk Island. After remaining on Truk Island for ten days the survivors were divided into two groups and placed aboard two enemy aircraft carriers. The two aircraft carriers departed from Truk Island in the same convoy bound for Japan. At about 8:00 p.m. on 2 December 1943 one of the enemy aircraft carriers with the survivors of the SCULPIN aboard, was torpedoed by a friendly submarine. Your husband is known to have been aboard this ship. Lieutenant Brown was not aboard the torpedoed vessel and the carrier on which he was being transported together with the rest of the convoy continued on. This group of survivors arrived at Ofuna Camp near Tokyo, Japan on 5 December 1943.
On the same day that Lieutenant Brown and his group had arrived at Ofuna Camp, G. Rocek, Motor Machinist's Mate first class, United States Navy, also arrived. Mr. Rocek had been aboard the enemy carrier which was torpedoed and he reported to Lieutenant Brown that at the time of the torpedoing the carrier went dead in the water but did not sink.
Prisoners were locked below but managed to break the door down and reached the flight deck. Some of them including Mr. Rocek went over the side and clung to a log while others remained on the deck. Early the next morning the carrier was torpedoed again and sank. Several hours later a Japanese destroyer nosed into the debris and picked up about 40 Japanese survivors, Mr. Rocek grabbed a Jacob's ladder as the destroyer went by and managed to hang on. None of the other prisoners ware picked up and it appeared that some of them had remained on board the carrier and had gone down with that ship. The water was very cold and there were apparently no other ships in the vicinity. At the time the prisoners were all in a weakened condition due to wounds and treatment received at the hands of the Japanese at Truk Island.
In view of the additional length of time that has now elapsed since your husband was reported missing in action and because of the strong probability that he lost his life as a result of the sinking of the Japanese carrier and because there have been no official or unconfirmed reports that your husband survived or was taken a prisoner of war I am reluctantly forced to the conclusion that he is deceased. In compliance with Section 5 of Public Law 490, 77th Congress, as amended, the death of your husband is, for the purposes of termination of pay and allowances, settlement of accounts, and payment of death gratuities, presumed to have occurred on 15 December 1945.
I extend my deepest sympathy to you in your sorrow. It is hoped that you may find comfort in the knowledge that your husband gave his life for his country, upholding the highest traditions of the Navy.
Sincerely yours,
