Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

By Joel Reese
Local Historian,
Iredell Public Library

Marie Benge Craig Roth had a mystery on her hands.
Marie is a former volunteer at the Davie County Public Library History Room and has researched and written several books on Davie County history including “Davie County in the Spanish-American War”, “Davie Doctors Born Before 1900”, “Davie County in World War One”, and “Davie Sheriffs” among others. She was now writing a book about the Davie County Veterans’ Memorial.
She wanted to give a brief biography of each of the men’s names on the monument, but one name on the monument had her at a stopping point. The man’s name was Clarence King Jr., and she couldn’t find him in any of the Davie County records.
She did find one document that linked the name to Statesville, N.C. Her search led her to contact the Iredell County Public Library Local History Room, and it was researching Iredell County records that revealed who Clarence Jr. was and how his name came to be on a Davie County monument.
Clarence King Jr. was born March 26, 1926, in Statesville to Clarence and Annie Lou Simonton Moore King. By 1929 both of Clarence’s parents have died and are buried in the Green Street Cemetery in Statesville. Clarence and his brother Andrew and sister Beatrice are living with their uncle and aunt Albert and Hattie King in the 1930 Statesville census, but they also died over the next few years and in the 1940 Census, Clarence, Andrew and Beatrice are living in the Oxford Colored Orphanage in Granville County, N.C.
Once old enough to leave the orphanage, Clarence returns to Statesville and works at the Turner Manufacturing Co. while his brother Andrew takes a job in Mocksville.
Clarence registers for the draft on April 17, 1944, and is sent to Camp Croft, S.C. on Aug. 30, 1944. On June 23, 1945, Steward’s Mate Second Class Clarence King Jr., now 19 years old, boards the USS Indianapolis, a Portland Class heavy cruiser in port near San Francisco, Calif. The Indianapolis was in port for repairs after being hit by a bomb dropped by a Japanese kamikaze fighter at the Battle of Okinawa in the Pacific.
The Indianapolis is repaired and awaiting orders when the ship’s crane brings on board a wooden crate, five feet high, five feet wide and 15 feet long. A knee-high black metal canister was also brought on board hanging from a metal pole carried by a marine guard.
On July 16, 1945, at 5:30 a.m. in a New Mexico desert the world’s first nuclear bomb is detonated. News of the success of the test was immediately sent to President Harry S. Truman who in turn sent orders to the USS Indianapolis.
Due to secrecy the orders were taken on a motor-launch and hand delivered to Capt. Charles B. McVay III. They were to protect their cargo at all costs and to proceed at top speed. The crew had no idea what was in the crate or canister (containing uranium-235), but in speaking to his officers Capt. McVay said, “every hour we save will shorten the war by that much.”
The ship set sail immediately passing under the Golden Gate Bridge out to sea.
The USS Indianapolis delivered her cargo to Tinian Island on July 29th and set sail back unescorted and under radio silence. At 12:15 a.m. on July 30, 1945, the Indianapolis was hit by two torpedoes fired from Japanese submarine I-58. The ship went down in 12 minutes with over 300 men while 890 men went into the water. Four days later they were spotted at 10:25 a.m. on Aug. 2 by Lt. Wilbur Charles Gwinn flying a PV-1 Ventura on patrol. Only 316 of the 890 men survived. It is the greatest loss of life at sea in U.S. Naval history.
It is believed that Statesville’s Clarence King Jr. went down with the ship as his body was never recovered. Word of his death was sent back to his brother Andrew in Mocksville. Believing that Clarence was also from Davie County, Clarence’s name was later put on the Davie County War Memorial. The error was discovered by Marie Benge Craig Roth while researching her book, “Davie County Veteran’s Memorial.”
In assisting Marie with her research, I discovered that Clarence’s name was missing from Iredell County’s War Memorial and wrote an article titled, “Mystery Surrounds WWII Veteran” in 2014.
I related Steward’s Mate Second Class Clarence King Jr. story and advocated for his name to be added to Iredell’s War Memorial. It was finally the work of Melissa Neader, chairw of the Iredell County Board of Commissioners and Bob Waters, Commander of Statesville American Legion Hurst Turner Post No. 65 that made the addition a reality.
Speaking at Steward’s Mate 2nd Class Clarence King Jr.’s inscription ceremony Sept. 28, was Melissa Neader, American Legion Post member Dianne Wilson, Mayor Pro Tem of Statesville, David Jones, Joel Reese, Local History Librarian, Iredell County Public Library, and U.S. Navy Captain John Bellissimo. Boy Scout Troop 171 served as color guard and the members of Post No. 65 gave King a 21-gun salute.
The first use of an atomic bomb in war occurred on Aug. 6, 1945, when “Little Boy” was detonated over the Japanese city of Hiroshima after being dropped from a B-29 named the Enola Gay by bombardier Thomas Ferebee, a native of Davie County. Clarence King Jr. and his fellow sailors who died on the Indianapolis never lived to see Japanese Emperor Hirohito’s surrender on Aug. 15, 1945. Their last mission to deliver the components of atomic bomb has been called the most important single mission in U.S. Naval history.
Clarence King Jr.’s name is on the Tablets of the Missing in the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial in Manila, the Philippines. Now, 79 years after his sacrifice Clarence King Jr.’s name is on the Iredell County World War II Monument.
Clarence was only 19 when he died serving his country. May his name and the names of the other men on the memorial monuments in Davie and Iredell counties never be forgotten.
Twenty-five years later Marie Benge Craig Roth published a book titled, “Davie County Veteran’s Memorial” in which she discussed the history of the monument and gave information on the men whose names were on the monument.
Clarence and his fellow sailors didn’t know it as they left port, but they were carrying the integral components of the atom bomb which would become known as “Little Boy.” The Indianapolis set a new speed record of 74 ½ hours in reaching Pearl Harbor from San Francisco and then sailed on to deliver their cargo to the U.S. base on Tinian Island on July 29th. After delivering their cargo the Indianapolis set sail unescorted and under radio silence.
Clarence’s body was never recovered. The Stewards quarters were directly above where one of the torpedoes hit. He would have gone down with the ship. He has been missing for nearly 80 years.