Joseph Louis Coradetti was the son of immigrant parents from Italy, that settled in Courtdale, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. Joseph was born on September 14,1924 to Emidio (Dominick) and Bernadine (Nucci) Coradetti in Courtdale. His father worked as a coal miner to support their family. Joseph was the middle child between William, Ann, Carrie, and Dolores.

Joseph attended St. John Parochial School then Luzerne High School, graduating in 1942. After he graduated school, he was employed at the Hilsher Paper Box Company. At the age of 18, Joseph registered for the U.S. Draft in December 42’ in Courtdale, Pennsylvania.

Joseph Louis Coradetti enlisted with the Navy Reserves on May 10,1943 and was sent to Sampson, New York for his basic training. He was given the service #8210357. He was assigned to the USS Terror (CM-5) later that year and boarded the ship on July 20,1943. The USS Terror (CM-5) was docked in the Atlantic and was preparing to be transferred to the Pacific. It was the only ship in the Navy’s fleet that was specifically built as a mine laying ship during WWII.

At the end of the year, in September, while the USS Terror (CM-5) remained on the Atlantic coast, she was loaded with mines in advance of sailing to the Pacific. She rendezvoused with Task Unit 29.2.5 in Norfolk, Virginia and set sail on October 2nd for the Canal Zone to the Pacific and anchored in the San Francisco Bay on October 19th. By November 9,1943, the USS Terror arrived at Funafuti, Tuvalu in the Pacific.

The USS Terror (CM-5) and her crew performed many different functions from transporting supplies, mines, and bombs to the Marshalls and Mariana Islands, to minesweeping, and accepting casualties to medically treat and evacuate to an Army hospital in Saipan, to dual duty of tender and flagship.

During the early months of 1945, the USS Terror remained involved in aiding other ships in the area to fend off the attacks by the Japanese. They were warned to watch for suicide boats, swimmers, and planes and continually fired in return at the advancing Japanese planes that wouldn’t relent. The attacks were so constant that it forced the crew of the USS Terror to station special night sentries on deck and in boats to intercept any intruders.

In March, Joseph L. Coradetti was promoted in rank to Seaman First Class.

May 1,1945, just minutes before 04:00, while the USS Terror was anchored at Kerama Retto, she was attacked by a Japanese kamikaze with two bombs on board, that steered right into the ship’s port beam, and banked sharply around the stern to come in from the starboard quarter and hit at the communication tower. The plane came in so fast that only one of the USS Terror’s guns was able to fire. One bomb from the plane exploded on impact. The second bomb penetrated the main deck and exploded. The aircraft’s engine tore through the ship’s bulkheads and landed in the wardroom and caught fire which burned for two hours before it was extinguished. Some of the crew jumped overboard, while others ran toward the danger to help those that were injured.

At the end of the disaster 41 crew members, including Seaman First Class Joseph L. Coradetti were killed, 7 were missing, and 123 were wounded.

Seaman Joseph Coradetti, aboard the USS Terror (CM-5) saw action in Tarawa, Makin, Majuro, Roi, Kwajalein, Eniwetok, Tinian, Guam, Saipan, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa from November until that fateful day on May 1,1945.

S1c Joseph L. Coradetti was brought home to rest in the Gettysburg National Cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. He is at rest in Section 2, Grave 648 since he was repatriated April 6,1949 from his temporary interment spot at the Zamami Shima Cemetery in Okinawa, Ryukyu, Retto.

There is also a memorial for the Fallen crew of USS Terror (CM-5) in Jefferson City, Missouri.

In Japan, the Fallen are also remembered at the Peace Park Memorial in Okinawa, Japan.

Thank you, Seaman First Class Joseph L. Coradetti, for your service and sacrifice to our great country!

You are an American HERO that we will remember!

Sources:

USS Terror (CM-5) - Wikipedia

03 Aug 1945, Page 3 - Wilkes-Barre Times Leader, the Evening News at Newspapers.com

Video (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov)

1930 United States Federal Census - Ancestry.com

1940 United States Federal Census - Ancestry.com

U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947 - Ancestry.com

U.S., World War II Navy Muster Rolls, 1938-1949 - Ancestry.com

U.S., Navy Casualties Books, 1776-1941 - Ancestry.com

Pennsylvania, U.S., Veterans Burial Cards, 1777-2012 - Ancestry.com

U.S., National Cemetery Interment Control Forms, 1928-1962 - Ancestry.com

Pennsylvania, U.S., Veteran Compensation Application Files, WWII, 1950-1966 - Ancestry.com

joseph louis coradetti - Ancestry.com

SMN Joseph Louis Coradetti (1924-1945) - Find a Grave Memorial

Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, U.S., Gettysburg National Cemetery, 1863-2009 - Ancestry.com

Jefferson City, Missouri, U.S., Jefferson City National Cemetery, 1861-2010 - Ancestry.com