Reuben Thornton Whitaker, USN
| Born | 23 Sep 1911 | West Point, Georgia, USA | |
| Died | 9 Oct 1985 | (74) | Fairfax, Fairfax City, Virginia, USA |
| Ranks
Retired: 31 Jul 1968 Decorations
|
Warship Commands listed for Reuben Thornton Whitaker, USN
| Ship | Rank | Type | From | To |
| USS S-44 (155) | Lt. | Submarine | Sep 1942 | Oct 1942 |
| USS Flasher (249) | T/Lt.Cdr. | Submarine | 25 Sep 1943 | 31 Oct 1944 |
Career information
We currently have no career / biographical information on this officer.
Events related to this officer
Submarine USS S-44 (155)
17 Sep 1942
USS S-44 (Lt Reuben Thornton Whitaker) departed from Brisbane for her 4th war patrol, and was ordered to patrol off New Georgia.
14 Oct 1942
USS S-44 (Lt. R.T. Whitaker) ended her 4th war patrol at Brisbane.
Submarine USS Flasher (249)
8 Oct 1943 (position 0.00, 0.00)
USS Flasher (Lt.Cdr. R.T. Whitaker, USN) departed New London, Connecticut for Newport, Rhode Island for her torpedo trials.
11 Oct 1943 (position 0.00, 0.00)
Having completed her torpedo trials, USS Flasher (Lt.Cdr. R.T. Whitaker, USN), returned to New London, Connecticut from Newport, Rhode Island.
13 Nov 1943 (position 0.00, 0.00)
USS Flasher arrived at Key West, Florida for duty with the
Fleet Sound School.
15 Nov 1943 (position 0.00, 0.00)
USS Flasher conducted exercises off Key West.
16 Nov 1943 (position 0.00, 0.00)
USS Flasher conducted exercises off Key West.
17 Nov 1943 (position 0.00, 0.00)
USS Flasher conducted exercises off Key West.
18 Nov 1943 (position 0.00, 0.00)
USS Flasher conducted exercises off Key West.
19 Nov 1943 (position 0.00, 0.00)
USS Flasher conducted exercises off Key West.
20 Nov 1943 (position 0.00, 0.00)
USS Flasher conducted exercises off Key West.
21 Nov 1943 (position 0.00, 0.00)
USS Flasher departed Key West for the Panama Canal Zone.
15 Dec 1943
USS Flasher (Lt.Cdr. Reuben Thornton Whitaker) arrived at Pearl Harbor from New London.
6 Jan 1944
USS Flasher (Lt.Cdr. R.T. Whitaker) departed from Pearl Harbor for her 1st war patrol. She was ordered to patrol off Mindoro, Philippines.
18 Jan 1944 (position 23.50, 151.28)
USS Flasher (Lt.Cdr. R.T. Whitaker) torpedoed and sank the Japanese oiler Yoshida Maru (2920 GRT) about 140 nautical miles west-south-west of Marcus Island in position 23°50'N, 151°28'E.
5 Feb 1944 (position 13.09, 120.24)
USS Flasher (Lt.Cdr. R.T. Whitaker) torpedoed and sank the Japanese army cargo ship Taishin Maru (1722 GRT) about 60 nautical miles west of Mindoro, Philippines in position 13°09'N, 120°24'E. She also sank a Japanese sampan with gunfire in position 13°12'N, 120°22'E.
14 Feb 1944 (position 13.43, 120.39)
While operation off Cape Santiago, Luzon, Philippines USS Flasher (Lt.Cdr. R.T. Whitaker) torpedoed and sank the Japanese army cargo ship Minryo Maru (2224 GRT) in position 13°43'N, 120°39'E and the Japanese tanker Hokuan Maru (3712 GRT) in position 13°44'N, 120°29'E.
29 Feb 1944
USS Flasher (Lt.Cdr. R.T. Whitaker) ended her 1st war patrol at Fremantle, Australia.
4 Apr 1944
USS Flasher (Lt.Cdr. R.T. Whitaker) departed from Fremantle for her 2nd war patrol. She was ordered to patrol in the South China Sea along the coast of French Indochina.
29 Apr 1944 (position 13.02, 109.28)
USS Flasher (Lt.Cdr. R.T. Whitaker) torpedoed and damaged the Vichy French cargo ship Song Giang Go (1065 GRT) in the South China Sea some 5 miles off Cape Varella, French Indochina in position 13°02'N, 109°28'E. The damaged freighter sank the next day.
30 Apr 1944 (position 13.02, 109.28)
USS Flasher (Lt.Cdr. R.T. Whitaker) torpedoed and sank the Vichy French gunboat Tahure (644 tons) in the South China Sea off Cape Varella, French Indochina in position 13°02'N, 109°28'E.
3 May 1944 (position 12.54, 114.07)
USS Flasher (Lt.Cdr. R.T. Whitaker) torpedoed and sank the Japanese merchant cargo ship Teisen Maru (5050 GRT) in the South China Sea about 300 nautical miles east of Cape Varella, French Indochina in position 12°54'N, 114°07'E.
28 May 1944
USS Flasher (Lt.Cdr. R.T. Whitaker) ended her 2nd war patrol at Fremantle.
19 Jun 1944
USS Flasher (Cdr. R.T. Whitaker) departed from Fremantle for her 3rd war patrol. She was ordered to patrol in the South China Sea.
29 Jun 1944 (position 0.44, 105.45)
USS Flasher (Cdr. R.T. Whitaker) torpedoed and sank the Japanese merchant cargo ship Niho Maru (6079 GRT) and torpedoed and damaged the Japanese fleet oiler Notoro (14050 GRT, offsite link) about 125 nautical miles south-east of Singapore in position 00°44'N, 105°45'E.
7 Jul 1944 (position 13.08, 109.28)
USS Flasher (Cdr. R.T. Whitaker) torpedoed and sank the Japanese troop transport Koto Maru No.2 (3557 GRT) off Cape Varella, French Indochina in position 13°08'N, 109°28'E.
19 Jul 1944 (position 13.12, 114.52)
USS Flasher (Cdr. R.T. Whitaker) torpedoed and sank the Japanese light cruiser Oi (5100 tons) (offsite link) in the South China Sea about 280 nautical miles east of Cape Varella, French Indochina in position 13°12'N, 114°52'E.
26 Jul 1944 (position 17.56, 118.07)
While attacking a Japanese convoy in the South China Sea, USS Flasher (Cdr. R.T. Whitaker) torpedoed and sank the Japanese merchant tanker Otorisan Maru (5280 GRT) in position 17°56'N, 118°07'E, and teams with USS Crevalle to sink the Japanese army cargo ship Tosan Maru (8666 GRT) in position 18°24'N, 118°02'E, the submarine shared this 'kill'.
The US submarines USS Angler (Lt.Cdr. F.G. Hess), USS Flasher (Cdr. R.T. Whitaker) and USS Crevalle (Lt.Cdr. F.D. Walker), attack a convoy in the South China Sea, east of Luzon. Based on the firing sequences of the 3 subs, it is believed Angler scored a torpedo hit on the seaplane carrier Kiyokawa Maru (6863 GRT, offsite link) in position 18°30'N, 117°57'E. The ship made port with moderate damage. The matter is conjectural, since there is no possible way of determining actual hits obtained. A mere 10 seconds error in the logbook recordkeeping would necessitate a complete reassessment of the credits.
7 Aug 1944
USS Flasher (Cdr. R.T. Whitaker) ended her 3rd war patrol at Fremantle.
30 Aug 1944
USS Flasher (Cdr. R.T. Whitaker) departed from Fremantle for her 4th war patrol. She was ordered to patrol in the Philippines.
18 Sep 1944 (position 14.20, 120.05)
USS Flasher (Cdr. R.T. Whitaker) torpedoed and sank the Japanese auxiliary gunboat Saigon Maru (5350 GRT, offsite link) off Manila Bay, Philippines in position 14°20'N, 120°05'E.
27 Sep 1944 (position 15.45, 117.20)
USS Flasher (Cdr. R.T. Whitaker) torpedoed and sank the Japanese army transport Ural Maru (6374 GRT) and torpedoed and damaged the Japanese merchant tanker Tachibana Maru (6521 GRT) in the South China Sea west of Luzon, Philippines in position 15°45'N, 117°20'E.
4 Oct 1944 (position 15.22, 119.51)
USS Flasher (Cdr. R.T. Whitaker) torpedoed and sank the Japanese army cargo ship Taibin Maru (6886 GRT) in the South China Sea North of Luzon, Philippines in position 15°22'N, 119°51'E.
20 Oct 1944
USS Flasher (Cdr. R.T. Whitaker) ended her 4th war patrol at Fremantle.
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