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Charles Arthur Tabberer was born on 18 December 1915 in Kansas City, Kan. He enlisted in the U.S. Naval Reserve on 12 October 1939 and after elimination flight training at
Kansas City was appointed an aviation cadet on 11 January 1940. Following flight instruction at Naval Air Station Pensacola and NAS Miami, Florida, Tabberer was designated a naval aviator
on 01 November 1940. He was commissioned an ensign in the U.S. Naval Reserve on 12 December 1940, and after further training with the Fleet Air Detachment at NAS San Diego, Calif., he received
orders to join Fighting Squadron 5 (VF-5) which then formed part of the USS Yorktown (CV 5) Air Group. He reported to VF-5 on 21 January 1941, and made the cruise with the carrier
when she was reassigned to the Atlantic Fleet in the spring of 1941, and transitioned with the squadron from the Grumman F3F to the Grumman F4F Wildcat during 1941. Promoted to lieutenant (junior
grade) on 29 May 1942, Tabberer and his squadron were ultimately assigned to USS Saratoga (CV 3) for the invasion of Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands.
On 07 August 1942, Lt.(jg) Tabberer was one of the eight VF-5 pilots who engaged a force of land attack planes and their fighter escort (the latter equipped with Mitsubishi A6M2 Type 0 fighters
of the crack Tainan Air Group), vastly superior in strength, as it attacked the U.S. invasion force off Guadalcanal. Despite the altitude disadvantage, VF-5's two Wildcat-equipped sections
gallantly waded into the fray, suffering grievous losses at the hands of the more experienced enemy. Lt.(jg) Tabberer was last seen dogfighting a Zero. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying
Cross, posthumously.
USS Tabberer (DE 418) (1944-1960) was the first ship to be named in his honor.
(Photo courtesy of Pierre Lagacé, and his WordPress web site Remembering VF(N)-101) |
Mike Smolinski
Clifton, N.J.
Archive Manager
DE / FF / LCS Archive
Navsource |
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undated wartime image |
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Two undated wartime images of Tabberer (DE 418) underway. |
Tim Rizzuto
Ship's Superintendent
DE Historical Museum
USS Slater at Albany, N.Y. |
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Tabberer, refuelling from an unidentified U.S. warship. During the great typhoon of December 1944, Tabberer, with her radio and radar
knocked-out, was thought to have been lost. But she was busy at the unbelievable feat of picking up 55 survivors from the USS Hull.
(Photo taken from "United States Destroyer Operations in World War 11", by Theodore Roscoe |
Bob Hurst
Worksop, Nottinghamshire,
England, United Kingdom |
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undated postwar image |
Nick Tiberio
Shelton, Conn. |
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undated: location unknown - Port and starboard bow views of Tabberer (DE 418) underway.
(U.S. Navy photo #NH 73660 and #NH 73661 courtesy of Ted DiCecco, Avondale, Pa., from the Naval History and Heritage Command)
| Mike Green
Port Angeles, Wash. |
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undated postwar image (These three photos were from Tom's father, Henry Chester Latour, who served in the Navy from 1953 to 1958. Part of that time was spent
in Tabberer) |
Thomas Latour |
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Shipmates at work, |
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and now it looks like the work is done. |
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undated postwar image |
Gerhard L. Mueller-Debus |
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An undated view of Tabberer (DE 418) in the Inactive Ship Basin at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard.
(Photo from the collection of the late Ted Stone) |
Tim Rizzuto
Ship's Superintendent
DE Historical Museum
USS Slater at Albany, N.Y. |
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Winter 1972 - Spring 1973: Philadelphia, Pa. - A view of the Inactive Ship Basin at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard. Looking south from the Langley Ave.
side, we see Whitehall (PC-856) and another unidentified PC alongside the the Intrepid Ave. quay. Further
to the right, at the Constitution Ave. quay we see Oswald (DE 767),
Melvin R. Nawman (DE 416), Tabberer,
Coffman (DE 191), Rizzi (DE 537), and
Edward H. Allen (DE 531). |
Jim Cunliffe
Frederica, Del. |
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Winter 1972 - Spring 1973: Philadelphia, Pa. - A closer view from the corner of Intrepid Ave. and S. 16th St. Again we see Oswald (DE 767),
Melvin R. Nawman (DE 416), Tabberer, and Coffman (DE 191). In this view we also see an unidentified decommissioned AGSS and
Raymond (DE 341). |
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25 May 1973: Philadelphia, Pa. - A mothballed auxiliary submarine and destroyer escorts at the Inactive Ship Facility of the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard. From left to right;
Angler (IXSS 240), Raymond (DE 341), Oswald (DE 767), Melvin R. Nawman (DE 416), Tabberer (DE 418), and Coffman
(DE 191).
Note from Rick Davis: "Back in May 1973, Martin Holbrook (INRO Photo Collection), invited me for a tour of Philadelphia Naval Shipyard Mothball Fleet. Martin had been making trips to Philly
and other mothball sites for years and was one of the “old-timers” that had been taking photos of USN ships since before WWII in the New York City area. Anyway, when he picked me up in his
van, there were two other gents. One was Ted Stone (I thought the other one was Paul Silverstone, but when I had a chance to ask him a few years ago if it was, he said he didn’t recall a
photo trip to PhilNSY). Martin had enough “pull” that we were provided with an Admiral’s Gig! I had my brand-new Nikon F2 35-mm camera. Martin and Ted had larger format cameras. I felt
like a rank amateur and a kid in a candy store. I have seen some of the same photos of subjects that we all took photos from the same boat, show-up elsewhere. We were all excited that USS
Sigsbee (DD 502) was on the outside of a nest this trip. Martin had been trying to get good views of her for years. Ex-USS Gherardi (DD 637) ... built at PhilNY ...
was outside the reserve basin ready to be towed away for scrapping. We got photos of her as well". |
Rick E. Davis
Springfield, Oh. |
