Leo was the son of Joseph Thomas and Julia Agnes (Butler) Hughes. His nine siblings were Joseph Henry, Mary Paula, Elizabeth, Helen, William Patrick, John Francis, Patricia Joanne, Rita and Margaret Hughes. Leo graduated from high school.

Technical Sargent Leo R. Hughes, US Army Air Corps (ASN:07033246), was a Crew Chief for P-40s assigned to the 16th Pursuit Squadron, 51st Pursuit Group. One of twelve enlisted Crew Chiefs and Armorers who boarded the seaplane tender USS Langley (AV-3) in Fremantle, Australia on 22 Feb 1942. They were accompanying 33 Pilots and P-40 aircraft to help the Dutch and other Allied forces defend Java against the Japanese offensive.

The Langley, normally crewed by about 500 men, departed Fremantle later that day and steamed toward the port of Tjilatjap on Java where she was scheduled to arrive on 28 Feb.

At 0700 on the morning of 27 Feb, Langley rendezvoused with her anti-submarine destroyer escorts USS Whipple (DD-217) and USS Edsall (DD-219) about 100 miles from her destination. Two hours later the Langley and her escorts were spotted by an enemy reconnaissance plane. Shortly before 1200, sixteen (16) Mitsubishi G4M "Betty" bombers of the Japanese 21st and 23rd Naval Air Flotillas and escorted by fifteen (15) A6M Reisen fighters began attacking Langley. She was about 70 miles from her destination. The Langley was initially successful in dodging the falling ordinance, but eventually she was hit by multiple bombs sustaining fatal damage. At 1332, Langley's CO, CDR Robert P. McConnell, concluded that the ship was lost and ordered her abandoned. Within thirty minutes all of the survivors had been plucked from the sea by Whipple (308 officers and men including TSgt Hughes) and Edsall (177 officers and men).

At 1428, Whipple fired nine 4-inch rounds into Langley's hull. She then fired one torpedo (exploded) into the port side and then one into the starboard side of Langley. The last torpedo exploded causing a large fire. Because of the danger of another air attack, the two destroyers cleared the area, however, no one actually saw the Langley slide beneath the waves.

On 28 February, the two destroyers rendezvoused with the fuel replenishment ship USS Pecos (AO-6) off Flying Fish Cove, Christmas Island some 250 miles southwest of Tjilatjap. Prior to the arrival of Pecos, Whipple transferred 32 pilots/airmen, including TSgt Hughes, to Edsall. A sudden attack by land based Japanese bombers forced Edsall and the other ships to head for the open sea and postpone survivor transfers to Pecos. The ships headed directly south into the Indian Ocean for the rest of 28 February in high winds and heavy seas. Early in the pre-dawn hours of 1 March, Whipple and Edsall transferred all the Langley survivors to Pecos.

There were now close to 700 personnel aboard the oiler. Whipple then set off for Cocos Islands as protection for the tanker Belita sent to meet her there. The Pecos, carrying a large number of survivors was ordered to Australia. Edsall had retained 32 USAAF pilots and twelve Army enlisted personnel from Langley needed to assemble and fly an additional 27 P-40E fighters shipped to Tjilatjap aboard the transport Sea Witch. Edsall was instructed to return these "fighter crews" to Tjilatjap. At 0830, she reversed course and headed back to the northeast for Java.

At noon that day, planes from Japanese aircraft carrier Soryu attacked Pecos and struck her again an hour later. Finally, in mid-afternoon, third and fourth strikes from carriers Hiryu and Akagi fatally wounded the Pecos. While under attack, Pecos radioed for help. After Pecos sank, Whipple returned to the scene intentionally arriving after dark. She eventually rescued 232 survivors. Many other survivors, although visible to crewmembers on board Whipple, had to be abandoned at sea because Whipple made sonar contact with what was believed to be several Japanese submarines. It was just too dangerous for her to remain in the area.

Edsall may have heard Pecos' call for help. Maybe she was following orders not to proceed to Java but steam south to Australia. In any case, Edsall reversed her northerly course and was never heard from again. Mr and Mrs Hughes were informed by the navy that their son, Technical Sgt Leo R. Hughes, a crew chief attached to the U.S.S. Langley was reported missing by the Navy Department on 4 April 1942. His remains were unrecoverable. He was presumed dead on 15 Dec 1945. He was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart, American Defense Service Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with one battle star and the World War II Victory Medal.

After WWII ended, an Allied War Crimes Tribunal was convened in Java in 1946. During the investigation it was learned from an eyewitness that allied POWs had been executed by the Japanese in early 1942. The witness provided the location of the massacre. The remains of six sailors were identified by their ID tags as members of the crew of USS Edsall (DD-219). Their remains were returned home for burial.

Because no known survivors lived to tell the Edsall's story after the war, the details surrounding the sinking of Edsall remained largely a mystery for more than a half century. Finally, after years of research, historians compiled a partial story of Edsall's last hours, but it was not until Japanese records and eyewitnesses became available that the full story became known.

It was an epic battle of heroic proportion involving the aging Edsall and one of the world's strongest naval forces of its day. After Edsall reversed her course on 01 Mar 1942 and steamed away from Java, she stumbled upon Admiral Nagumo's battle force, Kido Butai, that had been prowling the Indian Ocean in search of enemy shipping. Unfortunately, Edsall was spotted first. She was initially misidentified as a Marblehead class light cruiser. IJN battleships Hiei and Kirishima and heavy cruisers Tone and Chikuma were directed to attack Edsall with surface gunfire.

Edsall began evasive maneuvers, frustrating the Japanese for the next hour and half. Ducking in and out of her smoke screen and rain squalls, Edsall successfully avoided a fatal strike. However, because of the damage done previously to one of her propeller shafts, Edsall was unable to make top speed or maneuver fully. At one point Edsall turned and launched her torpedoes narrowly missing Chikuma. The Japanese ships fired 1400 rounds resulting in only one or two hits. The frustrated Admiral Nagumo called upon his carriers to finish off Edsall. She was attacked by dive-bombers from two Japanese carriers (Kaga, Soryu,) and possibly a third (Hiryu) before succumbing to their devastating attacks. The Edsall went down at 1731 hours, 430 miles south of Java.

It was learned in 1946 that at least six Edsall crew had survived the sinking. Many years later, however, Japanese eyewitnesses on board Chikuma confirmed that at least eight Edsall crewmen from a large number of survivors were fished out of the water and brought on board the Chikuma. The rest of the survivors were left to their fate in the water. Chikuma and the rest of the battle force arrived at Staring Bay anchorage, Celebes on 11 Mar 1942. Three dozen POWs, at least 8 from the Edsall (possibly five more may have been Army Air Force personnel) and the remainder from a Dutch ship, were turned over to the Japanese Special Naval Landing Forces based at Kendari where they were executed by beheading on 24 Mar 1942 near Kendari II airfield, Netherland East Indies.

The remains of five of the six confirmed Edsall survivors are buried in a common grave at the Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, Lemay, St. Louis, MO with five unknowns who were recovered near the Edsall five. Apparently several of the unknowns wore what looked like khaki uniforms. The grave of the sixth known Edsall crewman who survived and was executed was reburied at the request of his next of kin in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, HI.

bio#276 composed by Gerry Lawton (GML470)