PATRICK A. CARSWELL
Signalman Third Class · Plankowner, USS Silversides (SS-236)
| Born / Died | 18 Sep 1923 (see Research Notes) / 11 May 2013 |
| Service no. | 406-24-84 |
| Commissioning rate | SM3c (15 Dec 1941) |
| Silversides tenure | 15 Dec 1941 – 5 Feb 1944 |
| Patrols aboard | 8 (20 ships credited, 113,962 t)² |
| Rate on leaving Silversides | QM1c |
| Service | 30 Sep 1940 – 19 Oct 1945 (BIRLS) |
Prewar (1923–1941)
Patrick Carswell was born on 18 September 1923. The 1940 census finds him at sixteen in Charleston, South Carolina, in a 1,740 in 1939, and Michael (17). He enlisted in the Navy on 30 September 1940, at seventeen.
On Silversides (Dec 1941 – Feb 1944)
Carswell commissioned aboard *Silversides* on 15 December 1941 as SM3c, aged eighteen. He made her first eight war patrols and left on 5 February 1944 as QM1c. Three other plankowners left the same day: Arthur W. Clark Jr., William F. Marsh and Roy C. Riser.
| Patrol | Dates | CO | Credited sunk | Credited damaged |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 30 Apr – 21 Jun 1942 | Burlingame | 5 (25,627 t)¹ | 1 (10,100 t) |
| 2 | 15 Jul – 8 Sep 1942 | Burlingame | 4 (15,250 t) | 2 (5,750 t) |
| 3 | 2 Oct – 25 Nov 1942 | Burlingame | 2 (12,500 t)² | 0 |
| 4 | 17 Dec 1942 – 31 Jan 1943 | Burlingame | 1 (10,010 t) | 3 (14,360 t) |
| 5 | 17 May – 1 Jul 1943 | Burlingame | 1 (10,000 t) | 0 |
| 6 | 21 Jul – 12 Sep 1943 | Coye | 0 | 0 |
| 7 | 5 Oct – 8 Nov 1943 | Coye | 4 (22,075 t) | 1 (5,000 t) |
| 8 | 4 Dec 1943 – 15 Jan 1944 | Coye | 3 (18,500 t) | 2 (8,000 t) |
| Total | 20 (113,962 t) | 9 (43,210 t) |
¹ Tonnage as credited in endorsements. Patrol 1 includes a submarine credit that was likely a log or other debris.
² Patrol 3 figures come from the ship’s history, not a patrol report. The total therefore mixes bases.
Later War (1944–1945)
His service after leaving Silversides has not yet been traced.
Postwar (1945–2013)
BIRLS gives his discharge as 19 October 1945. The 1950 census finds him in Charleston working as a telephone installation and repairman for the telephone company, with his wife Mary (22). A Korean War-era draft card gives his final rate as Chief Quartermaster. He died on 11 May 2013.
Research Notes
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Date of birth: BIRLS has 1922. The postwar and Korean War draft cards, both filled out by Patrick, have 1923, as does the 1940 census age of 16. The profile follows 1923.
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Korean War card: a draft card after a 1945 discharge is unusual. Check what it records.
verify -
Departure: the destination is not in the file, and 5 Feb 1944 is shared with three other plankowners.
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Open: place of death, obituary.
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Patrol 3:
secondary_source(ship’s history, not located on Fold3). -
Source notes (carried over, verbatim):
1940 Census Ray C Carswell (42), Michael (17) and Patrick (16). Ray is widowed. They live in a 1,740 in 52 weeks of 1939.
1950 Census Patrick A. Carswell (26) and Mary T (22). Patrick is a telephone installation and repairman (I and R) for the telephone company.
Korean War Draft Card has his final rate as Chief Quatermaster.
Favored draft card reads on birth year, two different documents both filled out by Patrick vs BIRLS.
Sources: 1940 and 1950 census; BIRLS; draft cards; Silversides muster and ROC; Silversides patrol indexes 1–8.