USNR
US Navy
Archer Frederick Cram
Service No.: O-269546
Ship Assignment: USS LST-531
Archer Frederick Cram was born on 15 April 1921 in Akron, Summit County, Ohio, the son of Alton B. Cram and Levieve Cram (née Worster). He was raised in Ohio and entered military service from his home state.
Little is currently known about Archer’s early life, education or civilian occupation, but by the beginning of the 1940s he had embarked upon a naval career that would ultimately lead him to serve as a commissioned officer in the United States Naval Reserve.
His personal life was also changing during the war years. On 25 September 1943, Archer married Elizabeth Ann Scales in Hudson, Ohio. The newly married couple subsequently made their home at 780 East Main Street, Ravenna, Ohio.
Military Service
Cram enlisted in the United States Navy at Cleveland, Ohio, on 12 January 1941, entering service from Ohio. His original service number was 7001326
Following his training and subsequent advancement through the naval service, Cram became a commissioned Ensign in the United States Naval Reserve, receiving officer service number O-269546. As an officer in the Naval Reserve, he was part of the rapidly expanding force being prepared for the enormous amphibious operations required to liberate occupied Europe.
By the spring of 1944, Ensign Cram was serving aboard Landing Ship, Tank 531 (LST-531). LSTs were specifically designed to transport troops, vehicles and equipment and land them directly on an assault beach. They would play a central role in the forthcoming invasion of Normandy.
Exercise Tiger
In April 1944, LST-531 was assigned to Exercise Tiger, the large-scale rehearsal for the Allied invasion of Normandy. Conducted in and around Lyme Bay, off the Devon coast, the exercise was intended to reproduce the conditions that American forces would encounter during the actual invasion.
During the early hours of 28 April 1944, Convoy T-4, of which LST-531 was a part, came under attack from German E-boats (Schnellboote) that had crossed the English Channel from occupied France.
LST-531 was struck by two torpedoes and suffered catastrophic damage. The vessel sank rapidly, taking many of the men aboard with her.
Ensign Cram was among those who lost their lives. His body was never recovered, and he was subsequently commemorated as missing in action.
LST-531 was struck by two torpedoes, causing catastrophic damage. The ship caught fire and sank rapidly, leaving many of those aboard with little chance of escape.Honors and Memorials
Tablets of the Missing, Normandy American Cemetery at St. Laurent, France;
A cenotaph in Shady Grove Cemetery, Murphy, Cherokee County, North Carolina, provides his family and community with a place to honour his memory;
He is listed in the American Memorial Chapel Roll of Honour at St. Paul’s Cathedral, London.
For his service and sacrifice, Seaman First Class Willard Cecil Anderson was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart.
Legacy
Only nineteen years of age when he lost his life aboard LST-531, Anderson was among the youngest of the American sailors who perished during Exercise Tiger. Although he never lived to take part in the Normandy landings, his service formed an important part of the vast preparations that made Operation Overlord possible.
Today, Seaman First Class Willard Cecil Anderson is remembered with honour among the men of Exercise Tiger. His sacrifice, and that of his fellow servicemen, remains an enduring reminder that the road to victory in Europe demanded courage not only in battle, but also in the vital training and preparation that preceded D-Day.
