County mourns passing of USS Ommaney Bay attack survivor

USS Ommaney Bay

Conecuh County residents were saddened to hear the news this week of the passing of Emmett Eugene Darby, who passed away last Thursday at the age of 88 at his home in Montgomery.

Darby, a member of one of South Alabama’s prominent pioneer families, lived a long and interesting life, and was without a doubt a member of “The Greatest Generation.” Coined by journalist Tom Brokaw, the term “The Greatest Generation” applies to the generation of people who grew up in the U.S. during the Great Depression and then went on to serve in the military during World War II. After the war, many of this generation returned home, where they lived lives of service to their communities and changed the world for the better.

On this week’s front page, you’ll see a full story about Darby’s life and his many accomplishments, but if you read it closely, you’ll see where his life was almost cut short during WWII. Shortly after his graduation from Evergreen High School, Darby enlisted in the U.S. Navy at the age of 18 and went on to serve aboard the USS Ommaney Bay.

The USS Ommaney Bay was an escort carrier that was launched in December of 1943, a little more than two years after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Named after Ommaney Bay in Alaska, this ship saw combat service in the Pacific, including fighting off the shores of Peleliu, the Anguar Islands and Samar.

On the afternoon of Jan. 4, 1945, with young Eugene Darby on board, the USS Ommaney Bay found itself in the Sulu Sea when a Japanese suicide plane, commonly referred to as a Kamikaze plane, slammed into the carrier’s starboard side south of Mindoro in the Philippine Islands. Before it crashed, the plane released two bombs, both of which went through the flight and hangar decks and exploded deep within the ship. These explosions knocked out water pressure, power and communications on the ship and ignited a terrible fire that resulted in heavy black smoke and exploding ammunition and torpedoes below decks.

The order to abandon ship was given at 5:50 p.m. and at 7:45 p.m. the carrier was sunk by a torpedo from the escort destroyer, USS Burns. Presumably this was done to prevent the wreckage, including sensitive wartime technology, from falling into Japanese hands. In the end, 95 men died in the sinking of the USS Ommaney Bay, but Darby was fortunate enough to count himself among the survivors.

Darby was honorably discharged from the Navy in April 1946, and many in the reading audience can remember Darby telling of his harrowing escape from the burning USS Ommaney Bay. In the ensuing years, he kept in touch with many of the ship’s survivors and enjoyed attending ship reunions when they were held.

According to a 2011 U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs estimate, we lose an average of 670 World War II veterans a day, and it’s a sad fact of life that we’re losing so many of “The Greatest Generation” with each passing day. With that said, take the time this week to thank a World War II veteran for their service. It’s the least we can do in exchange for what they gave to the world decades ago.