Tuttle, Robert C.

Description

Robert Caryl Tuttle was born on December 9, 1916, in Kellogg, Idaho, to Georgia Florence Holland, age 19, and Caryl Stillman Tuttle, age 28. In Rye his family lived at 34 Meade Place.

Robert was a Rye High School Graduate, Class of 1935 and the Alabama Polytechnic Institute. Before entering service he was with the American Cyaside Company of Wallingford CT.

During World War II, 26 years old Robert served in the U.S. Navy starting on May 4, 1943.

Robert received his commission as an Ensign In the U S Naval Reserve at the United States Navel Academy in Annapolis, MD.

He served as Chief Engineer on a destroyer and saw action at Bougainville. He was overseas nine
months and covered about 70,000
miles, touching strategic island points
in the South Pacific.

He received a months leave in July 1944 and then reported to Annapolis, Md.. for advanced training. Robert married Miriam Elizabeth Field in New Jersey on January 19, 1945, when he was stationed at Annapolis.

He then was assigned as a Lt. JG on The Destroyer USS Davison which was converted to a minesweeper late in the war.

On 8 June 1945, the Davison reported to Charleston, South Carolina, for conversion to a high-speed minesweeper. She was reclassified DMS-37, 23 June, and her crew was trained in mine-sweeping exercises in Chesapeake Bay until 27 August.

She then sailed from Norfolk for the western Pacific, arriving at Okinawa on 15 October. She swept mines in the Yellow Sea, remaining in the Far East on occupation duty until 11 March 1946 when she left Yokosuka for San Francisco, arriving the last day of the month.

After his discharge Robert returned home and started a family. In 1950 he was living in Middlesex, CT an he and Miriam had two sons. Robert’s engineering background would eventually lead to work in California. He and his family settled in Sunnyvale.

Robert Caryl Tuttle died on May 17, 2003, in Sunnyvale, California, at the age of 86.

LIEUTENANT JG DESTROYER, MINESWEEPER. ENGINEER OFFICER – SOLOMON ISLANDS.

Rye High School Graduate, class of 1935