Recounting the History of Colfax Veteran Killed in Action-- Part 2

While at sea, he learned of the birth of his daughter whom he never met. //// Next station was the Philippines where the Whitehurst served as part of the anti-aircraft/submarine screen. They helped rescue the survivors of the USS Eversole which had been torpedoed. Then, it was off to Australia for five months. //// In April 1945, the Whitehurst was patrolling by the Kerama Islands southwest of Okinawa when it was attcked by four Aichi D3As, Japanese Navy dive bombers, now operating as kamikazes. The first one crashed into the bridge and the bomb it carried broke lose and blew up inside the ship. //// The USS Vigilence came and rescued 21, but Norman Ellsworth was not one of them. He died that April 12, 1945. His remains were transported back to Hawaii and buried at the Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu. //// --GreGen