Carl was born November 5, 1925 in Lafayette, OH. He had a sister named Marcella.
The family removed to Lima, OH in 1931. In 1943, Carl graduated from South high school in Lima, Allen Co., OH.
He registered for the draft in Lima on November 5, 1943 when he was 18 years old. He was living in Lima at the same address as his father, Walter.
Carl was employed by the Westinghouse Electric Mfg. Company in his hometown of Lima.
Carl enlisted in the Navy on January 19, 1944 at Toledo, OH. On January 26, 1944 he arrived at Great Lakes, IL., for basic training. While training there he was advanced to S2c (Seaman second class) on March 29, 1944.
On April 8, 1944, Carl was transferred from Great Lakes to COM5 Norfolk, VA. He was noted as V6S. He received additional training in aviation, likely in maintenance.
After training in Norfolk, Arnold boarded USS Storm King for the receiving station at Pearl Harbor, T.H. He arrived May 1, 1944 and was transferred four days later to COMAIRPAC (Commander Air Pacific) for assignment.
On May 12, 1944, Carl was received aboard USS Indianapolis CA-35 from Carrier Aircraft Service Unit on authority from COMAIRPAC.
On board Indianapolis he was a crew member of the Aviation Unit VCS-4. His rate remained S2c.
By September 1, 1944, his rate advanced to S1c. The specific job he performed with the aviation unit is unknown.
Indy returned to the war zone and from Sept 12-15th where she bombarded Peleliu Island, Palau Islands. She participated in other bombardments off and on for the remainder of month then returned to Pearl Harbor. Fifty percent of the ship's officers and crew were granted shore leave, their first since 25 May 1944. Carl was one of the lucky men.
She departed Pearl on Oct 15th and arrived at the Naval Yard, Mare Island, CA, on Oct 19th. Arnold was granted a 15-day leave and returned home to Lima on Oct. 23, 1944.
The following information was extracted from a newspaper article from information provided by James Arnold Frederick, Arnold's nephew. James inherited a journal written by Arnold while on board the ship.
"On March 8-11, 1945, they went to the island of Ulithi for a few days of recreation. After that they boarded the USS Indianapolis and met up with Task Force 58 and proceeded to Kyushu, a southern island of Japan. Here they made air raids on Japan between March 18 and 21. After this the task force proceeded to Okinawa."
While participating in the bombardment of Okinawa on March 31, 1945, a suicide plane dived on the USS Indianapolis. "The ship’s 20 millimeter cannons hit the plane but not before it dropped a bomb that hit the fantail on the port side. The stern of the ship almost went underwater. Carl was working on one of the ship’s catapult planes when the attack began. He heard the firing and jumped out of his plane. The concussion knocked the adjoining catapult plane upside down and fell on the plane he had been working on. A good friend of Carl’s, Jim Farrell, was in the other plane and fell out and was injured badly. A friend named Shea was in the plane when it hit the quarterdeck and he fell out, dislocating his shoulder." Nine men were killed and a total of twenty injured.
"On April 7, 1945, the ship, though crippled, left Okinawa and made it back to Guam. Here the crew took a shore leave and went to a Red Cross Canteen where they could eat some good food and listen to a good Marine swing band. While at Guam, Carl was able to visit his friend Jim Farrell at the hospital on the island. He had a broken arm and some internal injuries."
"During the month of May 1945, while the ship was in dry dock for repairs, Carl came home to Lima on leave. He visited with the family and while home he had his picture taken holding me. I was 3 months old."
"When Carl went back to San Francisco to report for duty after the ship was repaired he left his white uniform, a flight suit and numerous other objects and mementos at home. We now have these objects in our possession."
"Carl’s friend Farrell wasn’t on the ship when it went down because of his injuries. He still lives in California today. After the war both Havins and Farrell made visits to Lima to see my grandparents and my mother, Marcella Frederick Davis. Havins and Farrell were true friends."
"Carl was an aviation machinist mate petty officer third class* at the time of his death and was 19 years and 8 months old. His parents received his Purple Heart posthumously."
His name is inscribed on the Tablets of the Missing in the Manila American Cemetery, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig, Philippines.
Carl, you are not forgotten.
*The records of the ship for July 1945 were lost in the sinking. The "Final Sailing List" was constructed after the sinking of the ship from previous crew lists and testimony of survivors. A separate list for the "Aviation Detail" was compiled and Carl is listed as a Seaman 1st class. It is very possible that he was advanced to Aviation Machinist Mate 3rd class after June 30th, the date of the last crew list was submitted to the Navy.
In the photo, above right, Carl is wearing a "Aircrew Insignia" above two ribbons on the left chest of his uniform. This pin was primarily an enlisted award that was created on 18 May 1943. The criteria for the pin was published in the Bureau of Naval Personnel (BUPERS) Circular Letter 90-43. BuPers Circular Letter Numbers 173-43 of 8 September 1943, 22-44 of 29 January 1944 and both made modifications to the qualifications.
Carl's qualifications for this insignia are not known. A copy of Carl's personnel file is not available to this researcher. It is needed to fully understand this award and to determine if he was advanced to AMM3c.
Source CreditsThe Lima News, OH, Sunday, March 31, 1946, p. 3
USN, Official Records, Muster Roll and Report of Changes of USS Indianapolis 1944-1945
Report of Changes, Great Lakes Training Center, IL for March 31, 1944
Report of Changes, RS Pearl Harbor, month of May 1944.
Murphy, Mary Lou, (Ed.), (2008), Lost At Sea But Not Forgotten by USS Indianapolis Families. Printing Partners, Indianapolis, IN. (Copyright 2025 by Project888.org, granted from Mary Lou Murphy and Printing Partners).
BuPers Circular Letter Number 395-44, dated 30 December 1944; citing the Aircrew Insignia.
The Lima News, (OH), Nov 10, 2019, "In memory of an uncle lost at sea".
Editor’s note: James Arnold Frederick ...... He shared this tribute to his uncle Carl Lloyd Arnold, who served in the U.S. Navy during World War II on the USS Indianapolis CA-35. He was lost at sea.
https://www.limaohio.com/uncategorized/2019/11/10/in-memory-of-an-uncle-lost-at-sea/
Rank / Rating: S1-Seaman First Class
