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[[Category:Recipients of the Navy Cross]] |
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[[Category:American military personnel killed in World War II]] |
[[Category:American military personnel killed in World War II]] |
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[[Category:1904 births]] |
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Revision as of 13:15, 7 September 2009
Maynard W. Tolberg | |
|---|---|
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Service | United States Naval Reserve |
| Years of service | 1923–1927; 1942-1943 |
| Rank | Watertender Second Class |
| Unit | USS La Vallette (DD-448) |
| Battles / wars | World War II *Battle of Rennell Island |
| Awards | Navy Cross |
Maynard W. Tollberg (1904-1943) was a United States Navy sailor killed in action during World War II who received a posthumous Navy Cross for his actions.
Naval career
Tollberg was born at North Branch, Minnesota, on 17 February 1904. He enlisted in the United States Naval Reserve on 24 September 1923 and was honorably discharged on 15 September 1927.
After the beginning of World War II, Tollberg reenlisted on 23 June 1942 with the same rating. He was assigned duty on board the destroyer USS La Vallette (DD-448).
On the afternoon of 30 January 1943, during the second day of the Battle of Rennell Island, La Vallette was screening the damaged heavy cruiser USS Chicago (CA-29) when 11 Japanese torpedo planes attacked. La Vallette received a torpedo hit in her forward engine room which killed 22 members of the crew.
Watertender Second Class Tollberg, although fatally scalded by high-temperature steam, painfully climbed up the fire room ladder and emerged on the main deck through a hatch which had been blown open by the detonation. Despite severe pain and partial blindness, he expended his dying strength trying to close the control valve through which fuel oil was pouring into the fireroom below, where a number of his helpless shipmates were trapped. Tollberg then collapsed and soon died of his wounds.
Awards
Watertender Second Class Tollberg was awarded the Navy Cross posthumously.
Commemoration
The U.S. Navy destroyer escort USS Tollberg (DE-593) was named for Watertender Second Class Tollberg. She was converted during construction into the high-speed transport USS Tollberg (APD-103), and was in commission as such from 1945 to `1946.
References
This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.
