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| Machinist's Mate 2nd Class John Quigley served on the minesweeper USS Tide during the Normandy landings. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/81207650/john-richard-quigley https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Tide_(AM-125) |
John was born March 31, 1919 in Tama County, Iowa. His parents John and Ameila were born in Iowa and Pennsylvania, respectively. His father worked as a farmer and proprietor of a tavern. John had two older sisters, one older brother, one younger sister, and a younger brother. He graduated from Gilman High School in Gilman, Iowa in 1938.
John enlisted in the US Navy in January 1939 and served as a Machinist’s Mate 2nd Class aboard the USS Hamilton, a high-speed minesweeper. By 1944, John was a chief motor machinist’s mate aboard a different minesweeper, the USS Tide. The Tide was commissioned in May 1943 and following shakedown training carried out convoy escort duties between the US and North Africa for several months. In January 1944 the Tide left port in Charleston, SC and sailed for England, where she escorted convoys in British coastal waters and engaged in exercises with minesweepers of the Royal Navy in preparation for the invasion of Europe.
On the night of June 5-6 1944, USS Tide operated in the English Channel to protect the convoys heading for Normandy, then on D-Day she worked off Utah Beach. On the morning of June 7 USS Tide struck a German mine, which exploded with such force that she was lifted out of the water. The explosion broke her back, blasted a tremendous hole in her bottom, and tore away all bulkheads below the waterline causing immediate and irreversible flooding. USS Tide sank only minutes after the last survivors had been taken off. Sadly 26 of the Tide’s crew of 112, including CMMOM Quigley, died in the explosion or were unable to be rescued and went down with the ship.
John Richard Quigley is buried in Prairie View Cemetery in Gilman, Iowa.
Thank you John for your sacrifice. Let's Earn It for John.
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This profile was written by Bob Fuerst. "I’m a NASA engineer, B-17 Flying Fortress enthusiast, and amateur genealogist so this kind of research is an ideal outlet for me. But more than anything, it’s a way to express my sincere appreciation for The Greatest Generation and the sacrifices that they made, especially those who made the ultimate sacrifice. They should never be forgotten and I’m grateful to Don for allowing me to play a small part in honoring them."
Last year on this date I profiled Medal of Honor hero Jack Pendleton of the 30th Infantry Division. You can read about S/Sgt Pendleton here.
On behalf of the fallen, if you would like to see more people become aware of this project to honor the WW2 fallen, be sure to share with others on Twitter, Facebook, etc. Thanks for your interest!
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I am a US Navy veteran serving proudly from 1980-1985. I found out recently that Ensign John McCaa Villepigue, USN.a USNA graduate has had his letters home donated. John finished the Academy and assigned to USS Quincy and he went down with the ship at the Battle of Savo Island.
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