S1C Frank Bill Corder (WWII, Typhoon Cobra)

Remembering S1C Frank Bill Corder

January 8, 1925 - December 18, 1944

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"It was only by the combined might of the winds and the seas that Spence was silenced and finally laid to rest—honorably buried at sea as is befitting a brave and rugged seaman!" 

-Rear Admiral Henry A. Armstrong

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S1C Frank Bill Corder (Service Number 8280798) was born January 8, 1922 in Raleigh County, WV, the son of Frank T. and Roena (Wadsworth) Corder. The 1920 Census shows their family as residing in Fayetteville, but Frank B's draft card lists Raleigh County as the place of his birth. In 1930, their family lived in Belle, WV, where Frank T. was a bookkeeper at the chemical plant (1930 census). They remained in Belle, though Frank T.'s position at the chemical plant evolved to Senior Foreman, Shipping and Filling (1940 Census).

Frank attended DuPont High School for at least 8th grade and 9th grade, possibly longer though no yearbook verification has been available as of publication.

Military Service

Frank entered the draft on January 9, 1943. At the time, he was working for the U.S. Signal Corps at their Kanawha Annex. He was 5'11" and 130 lbs with brown hair, brown eyes, and ruddy skin.

He enlisted in the U.S. Navy on March 22, 1943 in Huntington, WV, and received training in Shoemaker, California (Muster Roll). Frank was received aboard the U.S.S. Spence on August 30, 1944.

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 U.S.S. Spence in Typhoon Cobra:
"Spence (DD-512) was a new Fletcher-class destroyer, much more stable than the older Farragut-class, but she was in trouble even before the typhoon hit, with her fuel state down to 15%, which meant she had less than 24 hours’ steaming time at eight knots. After unsuccessfully attempting to refuel from battleship New Jersey (BB-62) on the 17th, she was then ordered to accompany the oiler group to refuel at the first chance, which never came. Her skipper began water-ballasting too late and she began rolling heavily to port. Water entered through the ventilators and short-circuited the distribution board. Then the rudder jammed hard right. At 1110, Spence took a deep roll to port, recovered, and then took another one from which she did not recover, going down with 317 of her crew (23 survived), the first destroyer to sink in the typhoon." (Cox, 2019)

Unfortunately, S1C Frank Bill Corder was one of the 317 lost crew members of the U.S.S. Spence. His body was never recovered.

Legacy and Survivors:

S1C Frank Bill Corder is honored at the West Virginia Veterans Memorial in Charleston, WV, and on the U.S.S Spence Memorial wall plaque at the National Museum of the Pacific War.

While Frank'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, Frank (1893-1975) and Roena (1897-1988), and three sisters: Helen Corder Grady (1918-2003), Mary "Sue" Corder Belcher (1920-1989), and Nancy Corder Hale (1932-2015).

Sources and More Information:

  • American Battle Monuments Commission Profile: Frank B. Corder
  • Findagrave Profile: S1 Frank B Corder
  • HonorStates: Frank B. Corder
  • U.S. Census (Accessed through Ancestry): 1920, 1930, 1940 
  • U.S., World War II Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard Casualties, 1941-1945: Frank Bill Corder (Accessed through Ancestry)
  • US, World War II Navy Muster Rolls, 1938-1949 (Accessed through Ancestry)
  • West Virginia Veterans Database (West Virginia Memory Project): Frank Bill Corder
    • Wreck Site: Frank Bill Corder
    • WWII Draft Card: Frank Bill Corder (Accessed through Ancestry)
    • Yearbook: 1940 DuPont High School Yearbook (Accessed through Ancestry)

    Navy Muster Rolls Available Through Ancestry as of Publication:

    • August 1944: Received aboard the U.S.S. Spence from USN TADCEN in Shoemaker, California on 8/30/1944

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