Private Ireneo Canales, Jr. U.S. Army

1925 Killed in Action Feb 11, 1945

Aboard the USS Landing Ship Tanker #577

Ireneo Canales, Jr was born in Benavides, Texas in 1925. His parents were Ireneo and Herminia Canales. His father owned a Grocery Store (own Proprietor) and was also a City Councilman in the 1950’s. His siblings were: Aurora, Horacio, Englantina and Maria Olga. The 1930 Census shows that Ireneo, Jr was born about 1926, the 1940 Census shows about 1925. His enlistment records shows birth year 1925. Information on actual birth records could not be found.

Ireneo, Jr was a 1944 graduate of Benavides High School. He was the Business Manager for the EL Cenizo 1944 (yearbook) Staff his senior year, he was a member of the high school band and played the drums. Ireneo was inducted into the Army a week after high school graduation.

The (Ancestry.com) U.S. World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946 show the following for Pvt Ireneo Canales, Jr.

Birth year, 1925; Race, White; citizen; County, Duval; Enlistment date, 6 Jun 1944; Enlistment State, Texas; Enlistment City, Fort Sam Houston; Term of Enlistment: Enlistment for the duration of the War or other emergency, plus six months, subject to the discretion of the President or otherwise according to law; Education, 4 years of high school; Marital status, Single, without dependents.

I could not ascertain when Pvt Canales got to New Guinea during the war, but the fighting in New Guinea was over by Dec 1944 and the Americans were amassing for the invasion of the Philippines from New Guinea. However, an entry on the World War II Honoree memorial, his sister Englantina Pena (RIP), made an entry that he trained at Fort Hood, TX for six months and then shipped to New Guinea. That would have put him in New Guinea around December 1944.

1. http://wikimapia.org/15380492/Wreck-of-USS-LST-577#/photo/1096857

LANDING SHIP TANKER (LST) 577: Arriving off the shores of Leyte in November 1944 with the US Amphibious Force, the crew of LST-577 got their first exposure to combat as Japanese aircraft made a concerted effort to disrupt the landings, and got more of the same when they sailed further north to land forces at Lingayen Gulf in January 1945. It withdrew from Lingayen Gulf for Hollandia, New Guinea to reload both supplies and troops.

Pvt Ireneo Canales, Jr was an infantryman with the US Army's 279th Replacement Company, 21st Replacement Depot that boarded LST-577 on 9 February 1945, it also took aboard supplies and material as well as a group of US Navy personnel and put to sea once again bound for the Philippines in convoy.

As her convoy proceeded through the open ocean south of the Palau’s, it was sighted by the Japanese Submarine RO-50 which immediately began to stalk the Allied formation. Observing the convoy to be steaming in a single file line and flanked by Destroyers and Destroyer Escorts, the Captain of the RO-50 waited until dawn on February 11th and its foggy and rainy weather to make his attack, firing a blind four-torpedo spread into the convoys course and heading. With his sonar operator confirming the successful attack as the sound of an explosion rumbled through the sea, RO-50’s crew had little time for celebration before they were pounced upon by the convoy's escorts and heavily depth charged for the next 13 hours. 

Aboard LST-577, the crew had been permitted to sleep later than usual as they would likely be awake for the next several days and at battle stations while the ship was in the Philippines and under near-constant threat of air and sea attack. Steaming in the 21st position of the convoy through the foul weather, the crew aboard the ship were likely unaware of any danger to their formation until a torpedo was spotted by lookouts as it passed ahead of the ship. With barely enough time to pass the sighting back to the bridge,

the crew located forward was thrown to the deck as a tremendous explosion on LST-577’s Port Quarter shook through the ship. Wallowing to Starboard with the force of the impact, the heavily laden LST rolled back to an even keel as the weight of the inrushing water combined with her cargo load and began to wrench her compromised hull apart. Only seconds had passed after the torpedo impact when LST-577’s keel snapped and the ship split into two pieces, the Stern briefly floating free before it reared up and sank taking 166 Army, Navy and Crew with it to the bottom. Rescue efforts for those aboard the still-floating bow section began immediately, and within 20 minutes of the attack all of LST-577's remaining survivors were pulled off the bow by convoy escorts. 

After determining that LST-577’s bow and its cargo load was not worthwhile to tow to the Philippines and now posed more of a hazard to navigation than anything else, the Destroyer USS Isherwood (DD-520) sank the drifting hull section with gunfire at this location on the night on February 11th, 1945. 

USS LST-577 received two Battle Stars for her World War Two service.

Millions of Hero’s served our Country Valiantly during World War II; Pvt Ireneo Canales, Jr was one of those Hero’s that served and is among those so honored at the memorial at Manila American Cemetery, Fort Bonifacio, Manila, Philippines. He was one of 16 Hero’s from Benavides that paid the ultimate price for their Country in World War II. His name is proudly engraved and displayed on the memorial along with his Brothers in front of the Guadalupe Ramirez American Legion Post# 405, Benavides, Duval County, Texas.

Rest in Peace, Hero; Rest in Peace, Soldier!

================================================================

Information, pictures, maps, school memories associated with Pvt Ireneo Canales, Jr; LST 577, etc., follows:

1. Pvt Canales, Jr boards LST-577 with 270th Repl Company 9 Feb 19452. LST 577’s convoy proceeds to Leyte through open ocean South of the

Palau’s3. LST 577 torpedoed by the Japanese Submarine RO-50 11 Feb 1945.4. Leyte, the original destination of LST 577.

http://wikimapia.org/15380492/Wreck-of-USS-LST-577#/photo/1096857

The following picture shows the forward section of the LST 577 after a torpedo attack on February 11, 1945 broke the ship in two. The other section sank immediately with heavy loss of life. This picture was taken from the front 40mm gun stations on the LST 574.

============================================================================================

MEDALS/RIBBONS AUTHORIZED Pvt IRENEO CANALES, JR.

RIBBONS: PURPLE HEART, ASIATIC-PACIFIC CAMPAIGN, WORLD WAR II VICTORY, WW II - AMERICAN CAMPAIGN

MEDALS: PURPLE HEART, ASIATIC-PACIFIC CAMPAIGN, WORLD WAR II VICTORY, WW II - AMERICAN CAMPAIGN

U.S. WORLD WAR II ARMY ENLISTMENT RECORDS 1938-1946

Name: Ireneo Canales Jr

Birth Year: 1925

Race: White, citizen (White)

Nativity State or

Country:

Texas

State of Residence:

Texas

County or City:

Duval

Enlistment Date:

6 Jun 1944

Enlistment State:

Texas

Enlistment City:

Fort Sam Houston

Branch: No branch assignment

Branch Code:

No branch assignment

Grade: Private

Grade Code: Private

Term of Enlistment:

Enlistment for the duration of the War or other emergency, plus six months, subject to the discretion of the President or otherwise according to law

Component: Selectees (Enlisted Men)

Source: Civil Life

Education: 4 years of high school

Civil Occupation:

Tinsmiths, coppersmiths, and sheet metal workers

Marital status:

Single, without dependents

Height: 80

Weight: 099

WORLD WAR II AND KOREAN CONFLICT VETERANS INTERRED OVERSEAS

Name: Ireneo Canales Jr

Inducted From: Texas

Rank: Private

Combat Organization:

Infantry

Death Date: 11 Feb 1945

Monument: Fort William Mckinley, Manila, the Philippines

Last Known Status:

Missing

U.S. Awards: Purple Heart Medal

U.S. WWII MILITARY PERSONNEL MISSING IN ACTION OR LOST AT SEA 1942-1946

Name: Ireneo Jr Canales

Date of Loss:

11 Feb 1945 0

Branch: U.S. Army

Rank: PVT

Service Number:

38678105

Status: Missing in Action

U.S. ROSTERS OF WORLD WAR II DEAD, 1939-1945 ABOUT IRENEO CANALES, JR.

Name: Ireneo Canales Jr

Gender: Male

Race: White

Religion: Catholic

Disposition: Nonrecoverable

Service Branch:

Army

Rank: Private

Service Number:

38678105

Ireneo Canales, Jr.

ID: 38678105 Entered the Service From: Texas Rank: Private 

Service: U.S. Army, US Infantry 

Died: Sunday, February 11, 1945 Memorialized at: Manila American Cemetery Location: Fort Bonifacio, Manila, Philippines 

Awards: Purple Heart

 

PVT Ireneo Canales, Jr.ID: 38678105 

Branch of Service: U.S. Army Hometown: Duval County, TX 

Status: KIA

Ireneo Canales, Jr.

BRANCH OF SERVICE U.S. Army

HOMETOWN Benavides, TX

HONORED BYEnglantina Pena, Sister

ACTIVITY DURING WWII TRAINED AT FORT HOOD FOR 6 MONTHS. SHIPPED OUT TO NEW GUINEA. AFTER A SHORT TIME THERE, WAS SHIPPED TO MINDANAO. HIS LST #577 SHIP WAS HIT BY A JAPANESE SUBMARINE ON FEBRUARY 11, 1945 OFF THE COAST OF MINDANAO.

Ireneo Canales, Jr.

BRANCH OF SERVICE U.S. Army

HOMETOWN Benavides, TX

HONORED BYAmando Gonzalez

ACTIVITY DURING WWII LOST AT SEA. MEMORIALIZED AT MANILA AMERICAN CEMETERY, FORT BONIFACIO, MANILA, PHILIPPINE ISLANDS. PURPLE HEART.

Landing ship tanker: http://www.archives.gov/research/military/ww2/photos/images/ww2-151.jpg

 "Two Coast Guard-manned LST's open their great jaws in the surf that washes on Leyte Island beach, as soldiers strip down and build sandbag piers out to the ramps to speed up unloading operations.

http://www.dtic.mil/dpmo/wwii/reports/all_m_c.htm

Service Personnel Not Recovered Following WWII

5634 U.S. Personnel with Last Name beginning with C

Person's Full Name Service Number

Service Name

Service Rank

Date o

CANADY, EDWIN 2625778 USN MOMM1 08/13/1944

CANADY, KENNETH E 37212015 USAAF T SG 01/22/1945

CANADY, MORRIS E 367000 USMC PFC 09/24/1942

CANALE, LOUIS J 32794860 USAAF SGT 04/20/1944

CANALES, IRENEO 38678105 USA PVT 02/11/1945

CANALES, REIS 38027163 USA TEC5 05/25/1944

CANALICHIO, JOSEPH M 33947333 USA PVT 03/13/1945

CANAMAN, ALFONSO M 10302045 USA PVT 03/31/1946

CANARD, JAMES COLLINS 6167242 USNR S2C 11/30/1942

CANARY, WILLIE O 35487964 USA PFC 06/24/194

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaich%C5%AB_type_submarine

RO-50 Submarine Japanese

Kaichū VII (Sen-Chū, Ro-35 class)[edit]

Ro-50 in 1944

Boats in class

Boat

No.Boat Builder

Laid

down

Launch

ed

Compl

etedResults Fate

390 Ro-49

Mitsui-

Tamano

Shipyard

16-11-

1942

03-08-

1943

19-05-

1944Sunk by USS Hudson .

391 Ro-50

Mitsui-

Tamano

Shipyard

18-02-

1943

27-11-

1943

31-07-

1944

Sank USS LST-577 11-02-

1945

Decommissioned 30-11-1945. Sunk

as target off Gotō Islands 01-04-

1946.

http://www.skylighters.org/troopships/1945.html

1945 World War II Troop Ship CrossingsDuring World War II, LST 577 was asto the Asiatic Phttp://standrewsalbany.org/wordpress/?page_id=483ahttp://standrewsalbany.org/wordpress/?page_id=483cific Theater and participated in the Leyte landin

Departure DateEmbarkation

PlaceVessel Units on Board

Convoy Number

Debarkation Place

Arrival Date

Source of Information

45-early?? BougainvilleSS

Goodhue

132nd Infantry Regiment and other

units of the Americal Division

???Leyte,

Philippines45-early??

D. Cooper, whose father was aboard

(more)

45-02-09Hollandia, New

GuineaLST 577

mostly infantry replacements of the 270th Replacement

Company (21st Replacement Depot)

???

torpedoed off New

Guinea by Japanese

submarine RO 50 (Capt.

Kimura)

45-02-11

Individual Deceased

Personnel File of an officer

aboard, via E. M.

Rucks (more)

COMMENTS ABOUT TROOP REPLACEMENT DEPOTS-LANDING SHIP, TANKER

Pvt Ireneo Canales, Jr was assigned from the USA to New Guinea to a replacement company within a Replacement Depot. The Depots acted as clearinghouses for soldiers being sent to the front lines. Soldiers fresh from the United States were matched with companies in need of their specific training skills (though often basic infantry training was all that was called for). The replacement soldiers were designated a company for the duration of their travel and then reassigned upon arrival to their new divisions. Pvt Ireneo Canales, Jr would have been assigned to an Infantry Division if he’d reach the destination of Leyte. This situation made it difficult to research since Depots were not part of a Battalion, Regiment, or Division where unit movement and musters are maintained as part of that Unit. After the war replacement depots were done away with!

Landing Ship, Tank. The Landing Ship, Tank (LST) was designed to carry tanks in amphibious landings (thus the name LST — “landing ship, tank). Navy sailors joked that the initials stood for “large slow target”. Though not designed as troop carriers, LSTs were pressed into service to ferry both men and supplies during the war. One month into the conflict replacements were sorely needed and the LST had to be put into service for not only the movement of materiel/supplies but also for troops.

IRENEO CANALES, JR’s HIGH SCHOOL DAYS

14. Caption El Cenizo 1944: Our hide beater.

19. Caption El Cenizo 1944: Is the Annual getting the both of you down?

9. Caption El Cenizo 1944: Your hair needs combing.

10. Caption El Cenizo 1944: Don’t crowd her Gante.

El Cenizo 1944

El Cenizo 1944 Autograph Page of Mrs A.N. Saenz annual

1944 El Cenizo