Enlistment
During the time Purvis Gilmore’s enlistment, he was living in the city of Columbus, MS. Purvis Gilmore was enlisted at the Navy Recruiting Station on October 25, 1941 in Jackson, MS, to serve during minority. Purvis’s father was also present during the time of the enlisting, with his father signing NRB form 15 in the presence of Recruiter. Purvis Gilmore was given the rank of Apprentice Seaman.
Training
Soon after enlisting for the military, Purvis Gilmore would be transferred to the Naval Training Station, Naval Operating Base in Norfolk, Virginia, on October 27, 1941. The Naval Operating Base was built during World War I, and placed on standby until the start of World War II. This was when more training facilities and medical camps were built, along with ramps used by seaplanes to be operated by the Navy.
After attending the Naval Training Services, Purvis would be transferred to the USS SIMS for duty and received aboard the ship on December 15, 1941. |
Battle at Coral Sea
The Battle of the Coral Sea started on May 4, 1942 and lasted for four days, ending on May 8, 1942. The battle was a major naval battle between the Imperial Japanese Navy and the naval and air forces of the United States and Australia. This was the first action in which aircraft carriers engaged each other and the first battle where the opposing ships never fired directly upon one another.
Japanese forces successfully invaded and occupied Tulagi, however, they also lost a good portion of their warships during the invasion. Japanese fleet carriers advanced towards the Coral Sea with the intention of locating and destroying Allied naval forces. Then commencing in battle, the Japanese instead fired towards other units, with the U.S. sinking Japanese carriers and the Japanese sinking a U.S. destroyer and heavily damaging a fleet oiler. Both sides suffered heavy losses in aircraft and carriers (which were damaged or sunk), and the two forces disengaged and later retired from the area.
USS SIMS was a 1,570-ton destroyer built at the Bath Iron Works Corporation in Bath, Maine. Authorized by an Act of Congress, March 27, 1934 and her keel was laid July 15, 1937. USS SIMS was launched on April 8, 1939 and placed in commission in August 1939.
In late April 1942, SIMS was ordered to escort the oiler ship, USS Neosho. On May 7, a search plane from the Japanese striking force sighted the oiler and destroyer and reported to Admiral Takagi as a carrier and a cruiser. Takagi would order an all-out attack with 15 high level bombers attacking the two ships, however, did no damage to either ships. Soon after the first attack, the Japanese would then strike again, with 10 of the bombers attacking the ship, and Neosho evading 9 bombs. A third attack against the two ships would lead to a devastating result. Neosho was soon crippled and burning as seven direct hits and one plane dived into her.
Above is a picture of the aftermath. Left is carrier Lexington and right is the Oiler Neosho.
The USS SIMS was attacked from all directions, however, three 250 kilograms bombs hit the destroyer. Two of the bombs destroyed the engine room and soon, the ship began to sink. Only sixteen survivors came out from the engagement.
The Coral Sea Battle cost the United States the carrier LEXINGTON, the oiler NEOSHO, and the destroyer SIMS. Navy fliers sank one Japanese carrier, damaged another, sank a light cruiser, two destroyers, a cargo ship, four gunboats, and destroyed 104 enemy aircrafts.