Lucky Bag Yearbook

From the 1942 Lucky Bag:

ROBERT ROSS CARTER

Bob, R.R.

Lacrosse 4, 3, 2, N*; 2/c P.O.; 2 Stripes.

Well equipped for most emergencies, Bob’s tragedy came when he had no comeback for the corpsman who asked which tree he had dropped from—this despite his ability to convey the opposite impression when undergoing feminine scrutiny. There were a few uneasy moments youngster year, but he eluded the clutches of the Math Department. Perhaps his only relaxation has been chasing lacrosse balls with the rest of the butterfly boys.

---

The Class of 1942 graduated on December 19, 1941, less than two weeks after the United States entered World War II. The class had previously been scheduled to graduate in February 1942.

Loss

Robert was lost at sea when he fell overboard from his flagship, USS Newman K. Perry (DD 883), on August 12, 1965, while the ship was transiting the Atlantic Ocean for deployment to the Mediterranean Sea. He had taken command of Destroyer Squadron 20 only nine days earlier.

Other Information

From Daily News on August 12, 1965:

Capt. Robert R. Carter, 47, vanished from his flagship at sea today leaving a riddle that baffled and bewildered Pentagon brass. Carter, named commander of the Destroyer Squadron 20 eight days ago, was reported missing from the destroyer Newman K. Perry at 5 A.M. He was last seen four hours earlier. With no clue to his disappearance, a massive search of the area, 350 miles north of Bermuda, was launched in heavy seas. Carter’s command of six destroyers, a destroyer tender, a Coast Guard cutter and Navy Coast Guard planes joined in the hunt. Carter assumed command of the squadron Aug. 3. The ships sailed Monday from here for the Mediterranean and operations with the 6th Fleet. Tall, lean and a dedicated Navy man trained in destroyers, Carter was known by his subordinates as a just and even-tempered officer.

(In Washington, the Pentagon said there was no indication of foul play in any reports it had received. It pointed out that the weather had been bad in the area.)

Nearly all of Carter’s Navy career has been concerned with destroyers. His last previous assignment was a two-year stretch as commanding officer of the Naval Destroyer School here. His wife, Margaret, and daughters, Roberta, 19, Donna Ross, 17, and Sharon, 14, live here. Navy records list Larchmont, N. Y., as his home town.

A 1942 graduate of Annapolis, Carter was aboard the USS Quincy (CA 39) when it was sunk in the World War II battle of the Savo Islands. He was wounded in the sinking After the war he commanded the destroyer escorts Gunasons and Spangler and the destroyer McGowan.

He was a member of the Command and Staff class at the Naval War College in 1953.

Robert’s Find A Grave page is here.

Photographs

Source

From the Lucky Bag