SK3 Charles Reed Bean (WWII, Typhoon Cobra)
August 8, 1923 - December 18, 1944
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-Rear Admiral Henry A. Armstrong
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SK3 Charles Reed Bean (Service Number 8951357) was born in Moorefield, WV on August 8, 1923, the son of Orvon and Essye (Reed) Bean. For Charles' entire life, his family lived in Moorefield. The 1930 Census gave Orvon's occupation as bookkeeper for a local lumber company. Later, Orvon worked as a supervisor of Liquor Store District Distribution (1940 Census).
Charles was a member of the Moorefield Methodist Church starting December 2, 1934 ("Dies When Typhoon Sinks Destroyer," The Moorefield Examiner). Charles graduated from Moorefield High School in 1941, and went on to graduate from Tennessee Wesleyan College in Athens, TN in 1943 (WV Memory Project). While at Tennessee Wesleyan, he was a member of Phi Pi Delta, "W" Club, "International Relationship," basketball, YMCA, and football (1943 Nocatula Yearbook). He was at Tennessee Wesleyan College to take pre-dental courses ("Charles Bean Is Reported Missing In Pacific Storm," The Cumberland News).
Charles Bean was well-known locally for his athleticism. The Moorefield Examiner refers to Charles as "an outstanding athlete with exceptional abilities in basketball, football and track" ("Dies When Typhoon Sinks Destroyer"). In Charles' brother Wallen's book, "A Most Uninitiated Hillbilly," he states "Charles grew up to be six feet three inches tall and some said he could run the football field in ten seconds."
Military Service
18-year-old Charles registered for the draft on June 30, 1942 in Moorefield, WV. At the time, Charles was working for Fairchilds Aircraft Corporation in Hagerstown, MD. Layton was 6'2" and 170 lbs, with black hair, blue eyes, and ruddy skin.
On August 4, 1943, Charles enlisted in the US Navy in Huntington, WV. He received training at the Great Lakes Training Center in Illinois. On December 21, 1943, Charles arrived on board the U.S.S. Spence from Boston. This would be his last assignment, as he remained stationed on the Spence until its sinking on December 18, 1944.
The Cumberland News said of his service:
"In August he was home for a twenty-day leave when the Spence came to the west coast for ship repairs. At that time he had seven major campaign stars, three of which he wore and four which were still unauthorized," stated the article Charles Bean Is Reported Missing In Pacific Storm. "In telling of his experiences while home, he said his ship was patrolling the shores of Guam when the Radioman George Tweed was rescued. At one time, while chasing the Japanese fleet, his ship was within 400 miles of Japan. He had visited island waters from New Guinea to the Philippines."
The Moorefield Examiner shared a list of some of the battles Charles had participated in:
"November 24-25, 1943, Battle off Cape St. George; December 25, 1943, Kavieng Strike; January 1, 1944, Kavieng Strike; February 15-19, 1944, Green Islands landing; March 30-April 1, 1944, Raid on Palau, Yap, Ulithi and Wolea Islands; April 29-May 1, 1944, Raid on Truk, Satawan and Ponape; June 11-August 10, 1944, Capture and occupation of Saipan; June 15-16, 1944, First Bonin raid; July 12-August 15, 1944, Capture of Guam; July 20-August 10, 1944, Capture and occupation of Tinian; November 15- December 2, 1944, Philippine liberation, air strikes on Mindoro and Luzon; December 14-16, 1944, Air strikes on Luzon and Battle of Leyte."
They went on to add: "During the fighting off the Solomons, the U.S.S. Spence sustained damage from an eight-inch Jap shell, necessitating her return to this country for repairs, at which time Charles received a leave home. The Spence was again assigned duty in the South Pacific immediately upon Charles' return. On December 18, 1944, off the Philippine Islands, the Spence encountered a typhoon of unprecedented fury in the annals of naval history, causing the ship to capsize and sink with only 24 survivors of a complement of approximately 350 men. This occured during refueling operations at which time two other destroyers likewise capsized with a total loss of over 700 men. Mr. and Mrs. Bean were personally informed by the only surviving officer of the Spence that Charles was below deck at the time of the capsizing and was unable to get from of the ship"
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 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, SK3 Charles Reed Bean was one of the 317 lost crew members of the USS Spence. His body was never recovered.
Al Krauchunas' Account of the U.S.S. Spence's Sinking
Lt. Al Krauchunas was the Senior Survivor of the U.S.S. Spence sinking. His account of the sinking mentions Charles by name several times. Full account can be found here: The Loss of the USS Spence. The quotes below are relevant excerpts.
"I swam to a floater net that contained about 15 or 20 other men, many of them I don’t remember very distinctly but neither Poley nor Bean were there. Chief Watertender Johnson handed me a life jacket that was floating by. I had thrown up several times by this time from swallowing oil and water and I think this snapped me out of the daze and shock that most of the others were in."
Legacy and Survivors:
On February 8, 1945, Orvon and Essye received a telegram from the War Department that said the following: "The Navy Department deeply regrets to inform you that a careful review of all facts available relating to the disappearance of your son, Charles Reed Bean, Storekeeper Third Class, USNR, previously reported missing, leads to the conclusion that there is no hope for his survival and that he lost his life as result of typhoon on 18 December, 1944, while in the service of his country."
SK3 Charles Reed Bean is honored at the West Virginia Veterans Memorial in Charleston, WV, and on the USS Spence 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. There is also a cenotaph for Charles at the Olivet Cemtery in Moorefield.
He was survived by his parents, Orvon (1896-1975) and Essye (1901-1998), as well as his brothers Rev. Wallen Bean (1922-2012) and Rodney Bean (1925-2018). Rodney also served in the Navy during WWII and Korea.
Sources and More Information:
- H-039-2: Typhoon Cobra—The Worst Natural Disaster in U.S. Navy History, 14–19 December 1944 by Samuel J. Cox. 2019. (Naval History and Heritage Command)
- The Loss of the USS Spence by Al Krauchunas, Lt.(jg) SC USNR, Senior Survivor of the USS Spence (Destroyer History Foundation). Note: his account mentions SK3 Charles Reed Bean specifically
- Naval History of the USS Spence DD-512 by R.A. Strand
- Typhoon Cobra: Halsey Versus Mother Nature by Dr. John Curatola (National WWII Museum)
- The USS Spence (DD-512) in World War II: Documents, Recollections and Photographs by E. Andrew Wilde, Jr. (2001)
- USS Spence (DD-512) Memorial Wall Plaque (National Museum of the Pacific War)
- USS Spence (DD-512) Photographs (NavSource)
- American Battle Monuments Commission Profile: Charles R. Bean
- Family Search Profile: Charles Reed Bean
- Findagrave Profiles: Manila American Cemetery and Memorial, Olivet Cemetery Cenotaph
- Individual Deceased Personnel File (IDPF): Charles Reed Bean. Accessed with help from the National Archives in St. Louis.
- A Most Uninitiated Hillbilly by Wallen Bean. 25 Nov. 2009.
- Obituaries: Rev. Wallen L. Bean, Rodney Bean
- U.S. Census (Accessed through Ancestry): 1920, 1930, 1940
- U.S., World War II Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard Casualties, 1941-1945: Charles Read [SIC] Bean (Accessed through Ancestry)
- US, World War II Navy Muster Rolls, 1938-1949 (Accessed through Ancestry)
- West Virginia Veterans Database (West Virginia Memory Project): Charles Reed Bean
- Wreck Site: Charles Read [SIC] Bean
- WWII Draft Card: Charles Reed Bean (Accessed through Ancestry)
Newspaper Articles, in Chronological Order:
- Charles Bean Is Reported Missing In Pacific Storm. The Cumberland News (Maryland). 18 January 1945. Accessed with Newspapers.com
- Dies When Typhoon Sinks Destroyer. Moorefield Examiner. 9 May 1945. Accessed with help from the West Virginia Regional History Center.
Navy Muster Rolls Available Through Ancestry as of Publication:
- August 1943: Received at the Great Lakes Training Center from Huntington, WV, 8/12/1943
- October 1943: Promoted from S3C to S2C on 10/7/1943. Left the Great Lakes Training Center for Pleasanton, CA on 10/19/1943
- October 1943: Arrived at the Naval Receiving Barracks in Shoemaker, CA on 10/23/1943
- December 1943: Boarded the U.S.S. Spence on 12/21/1943
- March 1944: Aboard the U.S.S. Spence
- May 1944: Promoted to SK3C (Storekeeper 3rd Class) on 5/1/1944, aboard the U.S.S. Spence
- June 1944: Aboard the U.S.S. Spence
- September 1944: Aboard the U.S.S. Spence
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