S1C Charles Walter Jeffery (WWII, Typhoon Cobra)

Remembering S1C Charles Walter Jeffery (Logan)

October 6, 1924 - December 18, 1944

----

S1C Charles Walter Jeffery (service number 8282188) was born in Logan, WV on October 6, 1924, the son of Robert & Carrie Mae (Hill) Jeffery. Robert (also referred to as "Jabb") worked at the Logan lumber mill, first as a laborer (1920 census), then as a shipping clerk (1930 Census). By 1935 they'd moved to the Oceana District of Wyoming County, where Robert worked in "goods loaded" at the saw mill. (1940 Census).

Military Service

18-year-old Charles registered for the draft on December 18, 1942 in Cyclone, WV, two years to the day from when he'd die in a water cyclone (Typhoon Cobra). At the time, Charles was working for Jesse Maynard. He was 5'8" and 165 lbs, with gray eyes, brown hair, and ruddy skin.

Charles enlisted in the US Navy Reserve on May 22, 1943 in Huntington, WV, and traveled to the 
Great Lakes Training Center for training (July 1943 Navy Muster Roll).

On September 18, 1943, Charles arrived on board the USS Monaghan after transport from the Great Lakes Training Center aboard the USS Minneapolis (September 1943 Navy Muster Roll). This would be his last assignment, as he remained stationed on the Monaghan until its sinking on December 18, 1944.

Typhoon Cobra

The USS Monaghan survived the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Battle of Midway, and many other decisive battles, earning a total of 12 battle stars during WWII. However, the strength and tenacity of the Monaghan was no match for Typhoon Cobra.

Also known as Halsey's Typhoon, Typhoon Cobra struck Task Force 38 of the US Third Fleet beginning December 17, 1944, and worsening on December 18, 1944. Task Force 38 was off the coast of Leyte and in dire need of re-fueling when they began to encounter hurricane-strength winds.

Samuel Cox with The Naval History and Heritage Command says of the USS Monaghan in Typhoon Cobra: "Farragut-class destroyer Monaghan (DD-354) was not so lucky as Dewey and Aylwin. Her fuel tanks were 76 percent full, and although she attempted to ballast down, with great difficulty as valves stuck, it was too late. At 1130, Monaghan lost electric power and the steering engine failed. After several very heavy rolls she foundered just before noon along with 256 of her crew (only six survived). Monaghan had 12 battle stars, having sunk a Japanese midget submarine inside Pearl Harbor during the air attack, served at Midway, performed valiantly in the Battle of the Komandorski Islands, drove the Japanese submarine I-7 onto the rocks in the Aleutians and fought in other battles, but she was defeated by a storm" (Cox, 2019).

Unfortunately, S1C Charles Walter Jeffery was one of the 256 lost crew members of the USS Monaghan. His body was never recovered.

Legacy and Survivors:

S1C Charles Walter Jeffery is honored at the  West Virginia Veterans Memorial in Charleston, WV, and on the USS Monaghan Memorial Wall Plaque at the National Museum of the Pacific War.

While Charles's body was never recovered, his name is immortalized on the Tablets of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial. 

He was survived by his parents,Robert and Carrie, one sister, Lula Jeffery Ring (1912-1961), and five brothers: Wayne (1916-1978), Paul (1920-1946), Robert (~1922-?), Billy (1926-2007), and Emmett (1929-2011). Robert named his son, born a few years after Charles' death, after his brother (1950 Census).

Sources and More Information:

  • American Battle Monuments Commission Profile: Charles W. Jeffery
  • Family Search Profile: SFC Charles Walter Jeffrey
  • Findagrave Profiles: S1 Charles Walter Jeffery
  • Individual Deceased Personnel File (IDPF): Charles Walter Jeffery. Accessed with help from the National Archives in St. Louis.
  • U.S. Census (Accessed through Ancestry): 1920, 1930, 1940, 1950
  • U.S., World War II Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard Casualties, 1941-1945: Charles Walter Jeffery (Accessed through Ancestry)
  • US, World War II Navy Muster Rolls, 1938-1949 (Accessed through Ancestry)
  • West Virginia Veterans Database (West Virginia Memory Project): Charles Walter Jeffery
  • WWII Draft Card: Charles Walter Jeffery (Accessed through Ancestry)

Navy Muster Rolls Available Through Ancestry as of Publication:

  • July 1943: Promoted from S3C to S2C at the Great Lakes Training Center, 7/27/1943
  • August 1943: Transferred from the Great Lakes Training Center, 8/6/1943. Received at the Naval Personnel Distribution Center in Pleasanton, CA, 8/10/1943.
  • September 1943: On board the USS Minneapolis (Muster Roll was dated Month Ending in 9/10/1943)
  • September 1943: Boarded the USS Monaghan from the Great Lakes Training Center on 9/18/1943
  • December 1943: Aboard the USS Monaghan
  • March 1944: Aboard the USS Monaghan
  • April 1944: Promoted from S2C to S1C aboard the USS Monaghan 4/1/1944
  • June 1944: Aboard the USS Monaghan
  • September 1944: Arrived at the Naval Hospital in Bremerton, Washington on 9/1/1944, transferred back the USS Monaghan on 9/4/1944
  • December 1944: Reported missing 12/18/1944. The Muster Roll was amended 2/20/1945 to list him as dead

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