March 14, 2003

OROVILLE MERCURY REGISTER February 22nd and 24th 1945

SOME GAVE ALL
Lost at Sea
Ted Ingraham U. S. Navy man who went down with his ship in the service of his country. Mr. Ingraham was the son of Mrs. Irma Kestello, superintendent of nurses at Good Samaritan Hospital. Mrs. Kestello was notified Jan. 8 that her son was missing. Later she received word that he must be presumed to be lost. He was a shipfitter 3-C. Prior to his military service he worked as a miner near Oroville. Before then he attended Chico schools.

MOTHER LEARN UNSELFISH CONDUCT OF SON WHO WENT DOWN WITH SHIP
Mrs. Irma Kestella, former superintendent of nurses at the Good Samaritan Hospital, has received a letter informing her of the circumstances surrounding the disaster, in which her son, the late Ted Ingraham, Shipfitter 3-C, in the U. S. Navy, lost his life at sea. The letter was sent by Mr. Ingraham’s commanding officer and read in part as follows: “it is with deepest sorrow that I, as the commanding officer of the U.S.S. Hull write to you concerning the loss of your son…
"Your son had been aboard several months before I assumed command. During that time he had gained the confidence and respect of his officers and fellow crew members. He performed his duties with skill and dispatch and could always be counted upon in any emergency. As a welder, he was a Godsend to our ship because, before his coming we had no one who was as skillful as he. He was last seen manning his station in the steering engine room, testifying that he gave his life in accordance with the highest traditions of the naval service. . . " The letter went on to relate that the Hull had been carrying out a mission in company with a large group of naval vessels, which included the ill fated Spence and Monaghan and that there had been little warning of the vicious typhoon that struck it with great violence. "The seas were mountainous," it read, "and the wind that finally caused our capsizing was estimated to be about 110 knots, an unbelievably high velocity. There was ample time for the men to abandon ship, as she went down slowly. The mountainous seas pounded us with terrific violence that any of us managed to come through it alive was a miracle."

CAPT. RALPH MOORE WOUNDED IN ACTION
Capt. Ralph D. Moore believed to be the son of Mr. and Mrs. Silas Moore, who live off the Chico road north of Oroville, has been wounded in action, according to an announcement made by the War Department. The announcement gave as next of kin the name of Mrs. Naomi Moore, of Oroville. Moore was inducted into the service in July of 1941 by the local draft board. He is 27 years old.

LLOYD SILVER PROMOTED TO SERGEANT
Word has been received of the promotion of Lloyd J. Silva to the rank of sergeant. He is head mechanic in a tank unit in Belgium. Before going overseas he completed several weeks of training in mechanics at the Replacement Training Center at Fort Knox. He was one of six men selected from 700 for this work. Silva is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Frank J. Silva of Strawberry Valley. His wife, Mrs. Dolores Silva and son Larry are living in Oroville.

Stu's notes: Some Gave All, we talked about Ted back in September 2002 when wee listed him as missing from an Oroville Mercury Register article, Jan. 1945. Now we know the sad out-come. He stayed at his duty post until the very end. I heard he worked with his father in the mines near Cherokee.