By Philip R. Devlin
(July 12, 2025) — Guadalcanal is one of many islands in the South Pacific that constitute a chain of islands known collectively as the Solomon Islands. It was deemed of great military and strategic importance to gain control of the Solomons in order to keep open a supply line to Australia during World War II. Therefore, on August 7, 1942, American Marine and naval forces began an invasion of Guadalcanal that would last for several months.
Five naval battles ensued in what was originally called the Savo Strait, a body of water within the Solomon Island chain about fifteen miles wide and about twenty-five miles long. From August to December of 1942, a staggering number of men, warships, and airplanes were lost in this strait: more than 20,000 men, 1,450 airplanes, and at least 111 naval ships! So many ships and planes sank into the Savo Strait that it came to be called “Iron Bottom Strait.” Among the casualties there at the Battle of Tassafaronga Point was Erwin Clark Parmelee of Haddam.
Tassafaronga Point is on the north shore of Guadalcanal and is the location of a major naval battle that took place there in Iron Bottom Sound on the evening of November 30, 1942. Carpenter’s Mate Erwin Parmelee, 42, of Haddam participated in that battle, a battle generally regarded as having the worst outcome of any for the American Navy during World War II.
On that day, Parmelee was aboard a heavy cruiser named the USS New Orleans. The New Orleans was shadowing another heavy cruiser that night called the USS Minneapolis. When the Minneapolis was disabled by a Japanese torpedo fired from a destroyer, the New Orleans pulled out to pass the disabled ship and was itself struck on the port-side bow by a second torpedo intended for the Minneapolis.
The results were devastating. A 150-foot section of the bow of the New Orleans exploded upon impact and then detonated ammunition and gasoline stored in the bow, killing 183 sailors. Amazingly, that devastated bow section was found this month in more than 2,000 feet of water by an archaeological expedition led by Old Lyme’s noted naval explorer, Bob Ballard. Ballard’s expedition began on July 2, 2025 and will continue until July 23, 2025. It is being streamed live online at nautiluslive.org
Incredibly, the New Orleans did not sink, limping the next morning to a harbor at the island of Tulagi. For eleven days there, the crew utilized coconut tree trunks lashed to the remnants of the bow to keep it afloat. Soon after the New Orleans chugged its way to Sydney, Australia, steaming stern first, and was fitted with a stub bow there. It then made its way back to Puget Sound in Washington for a complete re-fitting before rejoining the war effort in August of 1943. In a statement released to the press this month, retired Navy Admiral Samuel Cox said, “By all rights, this ship should have sunk, but due to the heroic damage control efforts of her crew, USS New Orleans became one of the most grievously damaged U.S. cruisers in World War II to actually survive.”
Chief Carpenter’s Mate Erwin Clark Parmelee had been in the Navy since 1920. Parmelee survived the initial attack on his ship and then played a major role in sustaining its ability to float. Parmelee, whose grandfather, Wesley Clark, had been a deep-sea diver, dove below the surface to make needed repairs by sealing off the ship’s bulkheads to prevent water from flooding the rest of the ship.
While tending to the repairs of his ship, Erwin Parmelee lost his life. His courage and resourcefulness in helping to save the ship resulted in his being awarded the Navy Cross, at the time an award second only in distinction to the Congressional Medal of Honor. Here is the citation for Parmelee’s heroism:
“The President of the United States of America takes pride in presenting the Navy Cross (Posthumously) to Chief Carpenter’s Mate Erwin Clark Parmelee, United States Navy, for extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty while serving on board the Heavy Cruiser U.S.S. NEW ORLEANS (CA-32), in action after the torpedoing of his ship in enemy-controlled waters during the Battle of Tassafaronga on the night of 30 November 1942. The success of Chief Carpenter’s Mate Parmelee’s efforts to perfect the damage control organization of his ship was illustrated when his ship remained afloat and accomplished the feat of reaching port after extensive damage had been wrought by an explosion caused by a torpedo hit which detonated the forward magazines and gasoline tank. The conduct of Chief Carpenter’s Mate Parmelee throughout this action reflects great credit upon himself and was in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country.”
Erwin Parmelee’s body was never found. He was officially listed as “Missing.” Having actually gone “Missing” on November 30th, he was not officially declared dead by the military until December 1, 1943, one year and one day after he went missing, as was the Navy’s custom. His name appears on the “Tablets of the Missing” at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial in the Philippines. Erwin Parmelee was also awarded the Purple Heart posthumously, undoubtedly sent to his wife, Mabel, who was living in Long Beach, California at the time. The couple had no children. This unsung local hero was the son of George Wilson Parmelee and Delphine Clark Parmelee of Haddam.
Launched in 1933, the New Orleans earned 17 battle stars during World War II in the Pacific, despite being sidelined for extensive repairs for more than nine months. It was one of only four American battleships to be so highly decorated during the war. Notably, the New Orleans was at Pearl Harbor in dry dock getting repairs on December 7, 1941, and was strafed and bombed during the infamous Japanese sneak attack. Chief Mate Parmelee was onboard and personally witnessed the devastation of the American fleet at Pearl. He was also onboard several months later when the New Orleans was used as screening cover for the carrier USS Enterprise during the Battle of Midway—the turning point of the war for the United States. Parmelee was also onboard in May of 1942 at the Battle of the Coral Sea when the New Orleans picked up 580 survivors from the ill-fated American aircraft carrier, Lexington.
Finally, most Americans who know something about the Battle of Guadalcanal probably know of the extraordinary heroism of Marine Sgt. John Basilone of New Jersey in defending Henderson Field from an overwhelming Japanese force—action for which Basilone earned the Congressional Medal of Honor. That was far less publicized than the famous Sullivan brothers incident that also occurred at Tassafaronga just 17 days before the New Orleans incident. And, three brothers from Birmingham, Alabama—all shipmates of Erwin Parmelee—died together on the USS New Orleans just over two weeks after the deaths of the five Sullivan brothers.
Jack Ellis Rogers, Jr. and his brothers Charles and Edward Rogers are buried in Chattanooga National Cemetery in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Their youngest brother, Emmett, enlisted in the Navy at the age of 17 hoping to avenge his brothers’ deaths, and eventually served aboard the repaired New Orleans from November 1944 through the end of the war.
Ship and Navy Cross photos from United States Navy Archives
E.C Parmelee photo provided by John Parmelee
