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AVIATION MACHINST'S MATE
THIRD CLASS JOHN J. PLUSKOSKY was the son of
lMr.
and Mrs. Vincent Pluskosky, of 1807 Fillmore St., Camden NJ. He worked
at the RCA-Victor plant in Camden, before entering the United States
Navy.
John
Pluskosky was a crewman aboard the USS Liscome Bay, a CASABLANCA class
escort carrier. LISCOME BAY (CVE-56) was laid down 9 December
1942 by Kaiser Shipbuilding Co., Vancouver, Wash., under a Maritime
Commission contract; launched 19 April 1943; sponsored by Mrs. Ben
Moreell; named LISCOME BAY 28 June 1943; redesignated CVE-56 15 July
1943; acquired by the Navy and commissioned 7 August 1943, Capt. I. D.
Wiltsie in command. After training operations along the west coast,
LISCOME BAY departed San Diego 21 October 1943 and arrived Pearl Harbor,
1 week later. Having completed additional drills and operational
exercises, the escort carrier set forth upon what was to be her first
and last battle mission. As a unit of CarDiv 24, she departed Pearl
Harbor 10 November attached to TF 52, Northern Attack Force, under Rear
Adm. Richard K. Turner, bound for the invasion of the Gilbert Islands.
The invasion bombardment announcing America's first major thrust into
the central Pacific began 20 November at 0500, and 76 battle-filled
hours later, Tarawa and Makin Islands were captured. LISCOME BAY�s
aircraft played their part well in the 2,278 action sorties provided by
carrier based planes which neutralized enemy airbases, supported
landings and ground operations in powerful bombing-strafing missions,
and intercepted enemy raids. With the islands secured, the U.S. forces
began a retirement. On 23 November, the Japanese submarine I-175 arrived
off Makin. The temporary task group built around Rear Adm. H. M.
Mullinnix's three escorts, LISCOME BAY, CORAL SEA (CVE-57) and
CORREGIDOR (CVE-58) commanded by Rear Adm. Robert M. Griffin in NEW
MEXICO (BB-40) was steaming 20 miles southwest of Butaritari Island at
15 knots. At 0430, 24 November, reveille was made in LISCOME BAY. The
ship went to routine general quarters at 0505 as flight crews prepared
their planes for dawn launchings. There was no warning of a submarine in
the area until about 0510 when a lookout shouted: " . . . here
comes a torpedo!" The missile struck abaft the after engineroom an
instant later with a shattering roar. A second major detonation closely
followed the first, the entire interior burst into flames. At 0533,
LISCOME BAY listed to starboard and sank, carrying Admiral Mullinix,
Captain Wiltsie, 53 other officers, and 591 enlisted men down with her;
272 of her crew were rescued. John Pluskosky was among those lost.
Gallantly her men had served; gallantly they died in the victorious
campaign giving their lives for the Nation's future.
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