Namesake:

Gunner's Mate 3rd Class Paul Henry Carr

CARR is named in honor of Gunner's Mate 3rd Class Paul Henry Carr, USNR (1924-1944), the heroic gun captain of the after 5-inch mount of the destroyer escort USS SAMUEL B. ROBERTS (DE 413) during the Battle of Samar, 15 October 1944, awarded a posthumous Silver Star for his conspicuous and gallant display of "outstanding technical skill" and "courageous initiative."

When SAMUEL B. ROBERTS engaged Japanese heavy cruisers attacking a force of escort carriers off Samar during the battle of Leyte Gulf, the fire of her after 5-inch guns inspired "every man on the ship." As the destroyer escort maneuvered radically, and used minimal fire control equipment, Carr's mount fired over 300 rounds of 5-inch ammunition, scoring, at close range, "a great many hits" on one of the enemy heavy cruisers, knocking out an 8-inch turret, demolishing her bridge and starting fires aft.

Ultimately, the damage received from Japanese shells knocked out all power, compressed air, and communications, crippling the ship. Knowing the hazards involved, Carr's close-knit crew loaded, rammed, and fired six charges by hand, without the safety device of a gas ejection system. In attempting to fire a seventh round, however, the powder charge "cooked-off" before the breech was closed, wrecking the gun and killing or wounding all but three men in the gun house.

After the order to abandon ship had been given, a Petty Officer entered the mount, to find Carr, literally torn open from neck to thigh, holding a 54-pound projectile, trying unassisted to load and ram the only shell available. Carr begged the man to help him get off the last round, but the latter, seeing that the gun had been destroyed and its breach rendered an unrecognizable mass of steel, took the projectile from the gunner's hands. After helping one of the other wounded men to the main deck, the Petty Officer returned to find Carr again attempting, although horribly wounded, to place the projectile on the loading tray of the inoperative gun. Carr perished a few minutes later after he was dragged from the mount.

Historical Notes:

Ship's Crest:

The Shield: The wavy, divided shield alludes to the Battle of Leyte Gulf where the newly commissioned destroyer escort SAMUEL B. ROBERTS (DE 413) and one of her gunner’s mates on his first duty cruise were both to end their short naval careers. The red reversed chevron suggests Paul Henry Carr’s rank as Petty Officer Third Class, and the bombshell refers to his rating and training as a gunner’s mate. The white star symbolizes the Silver Star posthumously awarded to Gunners Mate Carr for his valor as a gun captain while engaged against the enemy.

The Crest: The gold sea lion grasping an artillery projectile symbolizes the courage, will, and determination demonstrated by Gunners Mate Carr in continuing to fire his gun after his ship was disabled and after sustaining massive personal injuries to which he would shortly succumb.

PHOTOS