Minor Butler Poole

Minor Butler Poole
Memorial to those killed on Boise, October 11–12, 1942
Born	(1920-02-02)February 2, 1920 Brandon, Mississippi
Died	October 12, 1942(1942-10-12) (aged 22) Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands
Allegiance	United States
Service/branch	Navy
Years of service	February 15, 1938 to October 12, 1942
Rank	Gunner's Mate First Class
Unit	USS Boise (CL-47)
Battles/wars	Battle of Cape Esperance
Awards	Navy Cross

Minor Butler Poole (February 2, 1920, in Brandon, Mississippi - October 12, 1942, in Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands) enlisted in the United States Navy February 15, 1938.

During the Battle of Cape Esperance at Guadalcanal, Poole was in charge of the Forward Magazine Flooding Control Station aboard USS Boise (CL-47). He gave up his life in an attempt to reach the flooding panel through overpowering gas fumes on October 12, 1942, and for this Gunners Mate First Class Poole posthumously received the Navy Cross for extraordinary heroism and courageous devotion to duty. 107 Boise crewmembers died in that battle.

Namesake

USS Poole (DE-151), named in his honor, launched May 8, 1943 by Consolidated Steel Corporation, Orange, Texas; sponsored by Mrs. Minor Herndon Poole, mother of Minor Butler Poole. Poole's mother used a bottle filled with water from Liberty Creek in Mississippi to christen the ship instead of the traditional Champagne. She used it because her son learned to swim in the waters of the creek.^[1]

See also

• USS Poole (DE-151)

References

• Poole at the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships
• This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.