Clarence E. Vammen, Jr.

Clarence Earl Vammen, Jr. (17 October 1919 – 6 June 1942) was a United States Navy aviator during World War II.

Vamman was born in Aberdeen, Washington, on 17 October 1919. He attended Pomona Junior College in California before enlisting in the Naval Reserve on 17 February 1941 at Long Beach, Calif. After his initial duty at the Naval Reserve Aviation Base Long Beach, Seaman 2d Class Vammen was transferred to naval air station at Pensacola, Fla., on 27 March. On 3 April, he was discharged at his own request to accept an appointment as an aviation cadet.

Vammen reported to NAS Pensacola, on 4 April for flight training. Detached on 19 August and transferred to NAS Miami, for further training, Vammen was appointed a naval aviator (heavier-than-air) on 23 September. Completing his instruction on 20 October, he accepted the rank of ensign that day.

Assigned to Advanced Carrier Training Group, Pacific Fleet, soon thereafter, Vammen continued his training until joining Torpedo Squadron 6 (VT-6), based on the aircraft carrier Enterprise (CV-6), on 28 April 1942. He joined the ship within two weeks of the completion of the famous Doolittle Raid on Tokyo, 18 April 1942, and just before his carrier and Hornet (CV-8) proceeded south toward the Coral Sea to meet an expected Japanese thrust. The two flattops were too late to assist Lexington (CV-2) and Yorktown (CV-5) in the critical Battle of the Coral Sea which took place from 4 to 8 May.

Although she missed the Coral Sea action, Enterprise—"The Big E"—did participate in the pivotal Battle of Midway one month later. Ensign Vammen, by that point assigned to Scouting Squadron 6 (VS-6), did not take part in the strikes of 4 June against the Japanese carrier fleet. He received his baptism of fire, however, soon enough.

On Friday evening, 5 June, Vammen—flying a Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless, with Aviation Machinists' Mate 2d Class M. W. Clark in the rear seat—took off with eight other planes of VS-6, as part of the strike launched to locate and sink what had been erroneously reported as two enemy carriers. Subsequently, the SBDs from Enterprise and Hornet found and attacked what they reported to be a "Japanese CL" (light cruiser)— a ship that turned out to be the destroyer Tanikaze. The Dauntlesses that made the dusk attack failed to score any hits with their 500-pound bombs on the twisting, turning destroyer. Vammen, who had never received instruction in night carrier recoveries, made his first night landing—not on Enterprise, but on Hornet.

The next morning, on 6 June, Vammen joined Hornet's planes in attacking the fleeing Japanese heavy cruisers Mogami and Mikuma, a strike that inflicted such severe damage on the latter that she sank later that day. Unfortunately, Vammen and his gunner failed to return from that mission.

For his part in the Battle of Midway, however, Ensign Vammen—cited for "courage and unflinching devotion to duty"—was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, posthumously.

In 1944, the destroyer escort USS Vammen (DE-644) was named in his honor.

References

• Stafford, Edward P. (2002). The Big E: The Story of the USS Enterprise (reissue ed.). Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-998-0.
• www.history.navy.mil: Biography of Clarence Vammen