WWII · Battle Death Record
Cassin Young
Captain, U.S. Navy · California
Medal of Honor
Personnel File — Core Information
- Name
- Cassin Young
- Entered the Service From
- California
- Rank
- Captain
- Service
- U.S. Navy
- Unit / Regiment
- USS San Francisco (CA-38)
- War
- WWII
- Date of Death
- November 13, 1942
- Awards
- Medal of Honor, Navy Cross, Purple Heart
- Burial / Memorial
- Manila American Cemetery and Memorial, Taguig, Metro Manila, Philippines
- Grave
- Walls of the Missing
Their story
As commanding officer of the repair ship USS Vestal during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, Commander Young fought his ship against enemy aircraft and, after being blown overboard by the explosion of the magazines aboard USS Arizona, swam back to the Vestal and directed efforts to get her beached and save her. Promoted to Captain, he was killed in action on November 13, 1942, aboard the cruiser USS San Francisco while closely engaging Japanese warships during the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal; his body was not recovered and he is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at Manila American Cemetery.
Compiled from American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) and National Archives (NARA) records and public sources.
This record is one of more than 200,000 in our historical archive. Some information may have been corrupted or lost over decades of data conversion. Corrections are welcome — please contact the archive.