Del Davis
Ballplayers Wounded in Combat
| Date and Place of Birth: | circa 1920 Laurel Run, PA |
| Date and Place of Death: | Unknown |
| Baseball Experience: | Minor League |
| Position: | Catcher |
| Rank: | Coxswain |
| Military Unit: | US Navy |
| Area Served: | Atlantic and Pacific Theater of Operations |
Delbert B. Davis, the son of David and May Davis, was born in Laurel
Run, Pennsylvania, in 1920. His older brother, John "Red" Davis, began a
professional baseball career as an infielder with the Cardinals'
organization in 1935, and Del signed as a catcher with the New York
Yankees in 1940, joining the Easton Yankees of the Class D Eastern Shore
League in July of that year. Del Davis played 17 games with Easton and
batted .143, while Red, in his sixth season in the minors was with the
Houston Buffs of the Texas League.
In 1941, Del was with the Akron Yankees for spring training and was
assigned to the Amsterdam Rugmakers of the Class C Canadian-American
League at the start of the season. He played 24 games and was batting
.227, when he was sent to the Butler Yankees of the Class D Penn State
Association in July. Del played 27 games and batted .292. Meanwhile,
Red, had made it to The Show. He joined the New York Giants in September
and made his debut on the 9th, appearing in 21 games for the season
ended.
In early 1942, the brothers entered military service. Del joined the
Navy, while Red joined the Army Air Force. Del Davis attained the rank
of coxswain and was on one of the ships that convoyed troops to North
Africa during the latter part of 1942. The following year, he
transferred to the light cruiser USS Birmingham, which served in the
Pacific Theater.
On October 24, 1944 - during the Battle of Leyte Gulf - the light
carrier USS Princeton, was attacked by a Japanese dive bomber, causing a
huge explosion. The USS Birmingham was in the vicinity and was one of
four ships that came to the Princeton's rescue. At 15:24, on the same
day, with the Birmingham alongside rescuing crew members, a second and
larger explosion shook the Princeton. The Birmingham suffered extensive
damage to her superstructure and considerable casualties. Two hundred
and thirty-nine men died, 408 were wounded. Among them was Coxswain
Delbert Davis.
Severely wounded, Davis was taken to safety aboard the hospital ship USS
Samaritan. He never fully recovered from his injuries and was disabled
for life.
Red Davis, who served in India during the war, returned to baseball in
1949, as a manager. His career as a minor league skipper spanned 27
years.
Date Added January 7, 2018
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