Woodrow Wilson Dennis - Brinker, TX
N 33° 07.987 W 095° 29.578
15S E 267438 N 3668810
Woodrow Wilson Dennis "died in service of our country" in 1943 while aboard the USS Pompano (SS-181), on patrol near Honshu. A native of nearby Sulphur Springs, a cenotaph stands for him in historic Richland Cemetery, Brinker, TX.
Waymark Code: WMQA19
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 01/19/2016
Views: 16
Mr. Dennis's cenotaph is of gray granite, with the Submarine Warfare Insignia flanking his photo medallion. The inscription is:
In Memory of
Woodrow Wilson Dennis
MOMM, 2/C U.S. Navy
Born Nov. 21, 1912
Died in Service of our Country
On Submarine Pompano
At Honshu, Japan
Oct. 15, 1943
In Our Hearts He Lives Forever
The Wikipedia article about the submarine indicates that it was plagued with engine problems from the start, but served admirably from 1941-1943. Final contact was made on August 20, 1943, but records show that Pompano sank several Japanese ships in September. Speculation is that Pompano was the victim of Japanese mines, or possibly depth charges after a battle on September 17, 1943. A Japanese plane spotted a surfaced submarine -- no others were known to be patrolling the area -- and shots were exchanged. The submarine dived, leaving a trail of oil that made her easy prey the next day, when even more oil surfaced when depth charges were dropped.
The October date provided on the cenotaph is when Pompano was presumed lost in enemy waters, and she was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 12 January 1944.
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