Name Royal Ingersoll Unit USS Hornet (CV - 8) | Rank Lieutenant Years of service 1934 – 1942 | |
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Born 17 December 1913
Manila, The Philippines ( 1913-12-17 ) Died 6 June 1942(1942-06-06) (aged 29)
at sea, while serving in USS Hornet (CV - 8) in the vicinity of Midway Atoll Allegiance United States of America | ||
Service/branch United States Navy | ||
Royal Rodney Ingersoll II (17 December 1913 – 6 June 1942) was an American junior naval officer, a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy (1934), who was killed in battle early during the War in the Pacific.
Ingersoll was born in Manila, The Philippines, and he was the son of Admiral Royal E. Ingersoll, and the grandson of Rear Admiral Royal R. Ingersoll. After graduating from the United States Naval Academy in 1934, Ingersoll served on the battleship USS California (BB - 44), on the destroyer USS Cassin (DD-372), and other warships during 1934 - 41, and he reported on board the aircraft carrier USS Hornet (CV-8) during her fitting-out (pre-commissioning) period in 1941. Lieutenant Ingersoll served on the Hornet during the critical early months of the War in the Pacific, including on the famous Doolittle Raid on Tokyo in April 1942, the Hornet's maiden combat voyage.
Ingersoll served on board the USS Hornet during the Battle of Midway from 4 June to 6 June 1942, in which the portion of the U.S. Navy fleet based in Hawaii decisively defeated the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) during its attack on Midway Island, sinking four IJN Japanese aircraft carriers.
Lt. Ingersoll was killed at his battle station by machine gun fire from a crippled fighter plane (an F4F Wildcat) from the USS Yorktown (CV-5) during its emergency landing on board the Hornet. Its wounded pilot was either unable to, or failed to, cut off its guns.
Four enlisted men on board the Hornet were also killed, and 20 more sailors were wounded in this accident.
In 1942, the destroyer USS Ingersoll (DD-652) was named in honor of both Rear Admiral Royal R. Ingersoll and Lt. Royal R. Ingersoll II.
Lt. Ingersoll's father, Admiral Royal E. Ingersoll, became the Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. Navy's Atlantic Fleet on December 30, 1941.