Russell L BAUM has an overseas memorial at Manila American Cemetery and Memorial

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Baum was a radio technician on the submarine, USS Snook, which was lost at sea, with all hands, on April 9, 1945. The May 1946 date is when the War Department declared the crew dead. None of the bodies were recovered. Therefore, Baum's remains were not recovered. His name is inscribed on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery in the Philippines.

NOOK (CDR J. F. Walling) departed Guam on 25 March 1945 in company with BURRFISH (SS-312) and BANG (SS-385) to carry out a coordinated patrol with Commander Walling commanding the group. They were to patrol Luzon Strait, the south coast of China, and the east coast of Hainan, and to perform lifeguard duties if so directed by despatch. SNOOK returned to Guam for emergency repairs on 25 March, and departed on 28 March to rejoin her group. The patrol was SNOOK's ninth.

In accordance with her orders, weather reports were received daily from SNOOK as she proceeded westward until 1 April, when she was told to discontinue making them. On the same date, SNOOK was directed to proceed westward to join a coordinated attack group under Commander Cassedy in TIGRONE. BANG and BURRFISH already had been assigned lifeguard stations, and were not available for the attack group as originally planned.

Although the last message received from SNOOK by shore bases was on 1 April, TIGRONE was in contact with her until 8 April, at which time SNOOK's position was 18° 40'N, 111° 39'E. On 9 April TIGRONE was unable to raise her by radio, nor was she ever able to afterwards. TIGRONE being unable to raise her may be explained by the fact that on 10 April SNOOK was directed to move eastward toward Luzon Strait, and on 12 April she was ordered to lifeguard duty for British carrier based air strikes. Her position for this duty was in the vicinity of Sakeshima Gunto, about 200 miles east of northern Formosa. No acknowledgement for these orders was required. On 20 April the Commander of a British carrier task force reported he had a plane down in SNOOK's vicinity, but could not contact her by radio. SNOOK was ordered to search the area and to acknowledge these orders. When she failed to make a transmission, BANG was sent to make the search and to rendezvous with SNOOK. Although BANG arrived on the scene and rescued three aviators, she saw nothing of SNOOK. When SNOOK had not appeared or been heard from by 16 May, she was reported as presumed lost on her ninth patrol.

Japanese anti-submarine attack reports available at this time give no information of an attack which might have been on SNOOK. There were mines in the vicinity of Sakeshima Gunto, but SNOOK had information of these, which had been gained from captured enemy documents. It is improbable that she would have gone into the minefields unless intentionally to rescue a downed aviator. She was not asked to penetrate any minefield in effecting any rescue.

A number of enemy submarine contacts were reported in the vicinity of SNOOK's lifeguard station during the period in which her loss occurred. During April and May 1945, five Japanese submarines were sunk in the Nansei Shoto chain. The circumstances surrounding SNOOK's loss suggest the possibility that one of these lost submarines may have torpedoed her while she was surfaced during her lifeguard duties and it was not reported. It is known that such tactics were suggested to Japanese submarine commanders by their superiors.

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Service No. #6192188

Entered the Service from: Colorado

Awards: Purple Heart

Official Declaration of Death: May 6th, 1946

U.S., World War II Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard Casualties, 1941-1945 lists his Next of Kin's Home of Record as Parents: Mr. and Mrs. Harold Lee Baum, 128 2nd Street, Box 41; Eaton, Colorado. Missing In Action Or During Operational War Missions.

***I would like to thank H BRAUN Find A Grave ID 46848471 for creating this memorial***

***I would like to thank Randy Find A Grave ID 46846747 for adding his photo of Russell to this memorial***

***I would like to thank Friday Find A Grave ID 47335104 for adding their gravesite photos to this memorial***

***I would like to thank John Russell Pierson Find A Grave ID 47258421 for linking his parents to this memorial***