Name
Claude Robert Busby
From
Dilley, Frio County, Texas
Birth Date
June 5, 1921
Casualty Date
April 9, 1945
War
World War II
Service Branch
Navy
Rank
Lieutenant Junior Grade
Unit/Group
USS Snook (SS-279)
Casualty Type
Missing in action, Lost at sea
Location
East of Taiwan, South China Sea

Last Patrol
Snook was lost while conducting her ninth war patrol, in the South China Sea and Luzon Strait. On 8 April, she reported her position to submarine Tigrone and when she did not acknowledge messages sent from Tigrone the next day, it was presumed that she had headed toward Luzon Strait. On 12 April, she was ordered to take lifeguard station in the vicinity of Sakishima Gunto in support of British carrier air strikes. On 20 April, the commander of the British carrier task force reported that he had a plane down in Snook's assigned area, and that he could not contact the submarine by radio. Snook was ordered to search the area and to acknowledge the order. When she failed to make a transmission, submarine Bang was sent to make the search and rendezvous with Snook. Although Bang arrived and rescued the downed aviators, she saw no sign of the missing submarine; on 16 May, Snook was presumed lost due to unknown causes.