World War II Honoree

William Theodore 'Ted' Rankin

Branch of Service

U.S. Navy

Hometown

Sand Springs, Oklahoma

Honored By

Robert S. Cox

ENTERED MILITARY SERVICE IN JANUARY, 1943. SERVED IN THE AMERICAN THEATER AND OVERSEAS IN THE EUROPEAN-AFRICAN-MIDDLE EASTERN THEATER ABOARD THE ESCORT DESTROYER USS POPE (DE-134). HIS SHIP ESCORTED HER FIRST CONVOY ACROSS THE ATLANTIC OCEAN TO CASABLANCA, MOROCCO, ARRIVING ON SEPTEMBER 23, 1943, AND SUBSEQUENTLY ESCORTED TWO MORE CONVOYS TO THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA. THEN WORKED WITH AN ANTISUBMARINE TASK GROUP THAT SANK A GERMAN SUBMARINE OFF FRENCH MOROCCO ON APRIL 9, 1944. ON JUNE 4, 1944, PARTICIPATED IN THE CAPTURE OF THE GERMAN SUBMARINE U-505 IN THE ATLANTIC OCEAN ABOUT 150 MILES OFF THE COAST OF RIO DE ORO, AFRICA. THIS CAPTURE MARKED THE FIRST TIME A U.S. NAVY VESSEL HAD CAPTURED AN ENEMY VESSEL AT SEA SINCE THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. IMPORTANTLY, THE CAPTURE OF CODEBOOKS ON U-505 ALLOWED AMERICAN CRYPTANALYSTS TO BREAK THE SPECIAL ‘COORDINATE’ CODE IN ENCIPHERED GERMAN MESSAGES AND DETERMINE MORE PRECISE LOCATIONS FOR U-BOAT OPERATING AREAS. FOR HER PART IN THAT ACTION HIS DESTROYER RECEIVED THE PRESIDENTIAL UNIT CITATION. CONTINUED OPERATIONS IN THE ATLANTIC AND CARIBBEAN AREAS UNTIL THE END OF THE WAR IN EUROPE, INCLUDING ASSISTING IN THE SINKING OF ANOTHER GERMAN SUBMARINE ON APRIL 24, 1945. SHORTLY AFTER HOSTILITIES ENDED, HIS SHIP ESCORTED A GERMAN U-BOAT WHICH HAD SURRENDERED IN THE NORTH ATLANTIC, TO CAPE MAY, NEW JERSEY; THEN ESCORTED ANOTHER CONVOY ACROSS THE ATLANTIC. AFTER RETURNING TO THE UNITED STATES, THE DESTROYER PERFORMED PLANE GUARD DUTIES OUT OF NORFOLK, VIRGINIA AND MAYPORT, FLORIDA. AWARDED THE AMERICAN CAMPAIGN MEDAL, EUROPEAN-AFRICAN-MIDDLE EASTERN CAMPAIGN MEDAL, AND WWII VICTORY MEDAL. AUTHORIZED THE PRESIDENTIAL (DISTINGUISHED) UNIT CITATION FOR EXTRAORDINARY HEROISM IN ACTION BY HIS DESTROYER DURING THE CAPTURE OF U-505. HONORABLY DISCHARGED IN 1945 AND ISSUED THE WWII HONORABLE DISCHARGE LAPEL PIN.