Paul Henry Carr

Paul Henry Carr, as a Gunner’s Mate 3rd Class (US Navy Rsv) from Checotah, Oklahoma aboard the USS Smmuel B Roberts. He was gun captain aboard #4 Gun Mount. During the Battle of Samar, part of the Larger Battle of Leyte Gulf, Sammy B surged ahead, ordering her CHENG to disable all engineering safties, knowing she would not see another day. They unloaded over 95% of her munitions onto the Japanese Navy, primarily the Chikuma. During the attack, her HPAir system to cool her turrets was knocked out.Caar’s gun fired her second to last round before a cook off occured beofre the breech could be shut. Corpsman arrived to find the dead and dying, with Carr holding the last shell, begging for help to chamber and fire it, thus fulfilling his orders. The shell was taken from him, and he was laid down to await triage. As the corpsman get near where he should have been, they turn to see Paul dead, hod his last round, never stopping to fulfill his orders to fire every shell into the enemy. 36 years later, the USS Carr (FFG-52) was commisioned into the US Navy, in honor of his sacrifice. She was decommisioned 13MAR2013 at Navsta Norfolk.

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