The Waterbury Democrat., 1941-11-04
97 Officers, Men Lost
 Aboard Reuben James
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of kin of the known dead and of the rescued. 1t was understood that telegramS were also being sent to the next Of kin of the missing, say ing that little hope could be held out for them.
 The department kept officials of It's press section and reporters at the Navy Building until after midnight, apparently postponing the fatal aIl- nouncement as long as possible.
 Carried Big Complement
 The announcement disclosed that the Reuben James carried Q crew of l42 men, 22 more than the usual complement of ship of her class.
 The cautious wording of the Ilavy's Reuben James announcement indicated that the missing men would not be declared dead until their bodies had been recovered or sufncient time had passed to make any hope that they survive foolish. The Reuben James was sent to the bottom last Thursday night. The de- partment apparently waited until early today, hoping that some, If not all, of the s6 missing had been pick cd up by ships in the convoy the Reuben James was protecting, which would report when they reached 0 place where they could use their radios safely. This did not material ise, though the possibility that some still live fingers.
 The missing include the Reuben James, commanding ofilcer and the six other officers.
 If none of the missing men are heard from again, the American toll of the sea war stands ct l27.
 Seven Americans perished on tor- pedoed American-owned merchant ships.
 Eleven naval men were killed by the torpedo that crashed through the side of the destroyer Kearney October 1T.
 No Story Of Rescues
 The navy still has not revealed how the rescues were effected, nor has 1t told any details of the at- tack. It was presumed, however, that the Reuben James sank quick ly since she was an old-type des- troyer with much thiner armor plate than that carried by more modern warships. She was 2i years old and of the same class As the 50 destroy CTS this country traded to Great Britain Q year ago.
 1nasmuch as the sinking occurred ct night, the general impression Is that in the resulting confusion -- with merchant ships and other war; craft in the convoy scattering for safety-further rescues would be ex- tremely difncult.
 Eleven Die On Bomber
 Eleven naval, officers and enlisted men and an army officer were killed in the crash of the navy patrol bomber. No details were given of this tragedy. The Navy Department an- aouncement said the plane had been missing since mid-mornlng Sunday and that the wreckage and the bodies have now been found, ct 0 place unspecifled.
 The secrecy shielding the details Of the crash stirred speculation as to whether the bomber was operat- ing in the Atlantic patrol and whe- ther 1t was brought down by "enemy action" by mechanical defect, or by weather or other "act of God"
 Since President Roosevelt's Shoot- ofl-sight orders apply to the air arm as well as surface units, some spec. ulation ranged to the extreme that the bomber might have fallen vIc- tim to the anti-aircraft fire of Q U-boat or surface raider 1t might have been tracking.
 Tending to strengthen the impress sion that the bomber was on patrol duty, equipped for fighting, was the disclosure that three of the victims were radio operators and two were ordnance" men.