USS Indianapolis CA-35
Lost At Sea

Name: Eugene Clifford BATSON
Rank / Rating: S2-Seaman Second Class
Service #: 956 60 90
DOB: Jan 05, 1919
From: Kansas City, KS
Parents: J. Noah and Florence Batson
Went Aboard: Dec 30, 1944
Age When Ship Went Down: 26 years, 6 months, 25 days
Spouse: Harriet Batson
Children:
Grandchildren:
Bio Submitted By: Carl Fahnestock (Admin)
Date Posted: Jul 30, 2025

Eugene Clifford Batson, S1c-Seaman First Class was one of 879 crew members of USS Indianapolis (CA-35) who “Lost Their Lives At Sea” as a direct casualty of the July 30, 1945 sinking of USS Indianapolis. All of these 879 men plus 9 others who also lost their lives at sea as a direct outcome of a March 31, 1945 kamikaze attack in Okinawa, have been recorded as having been “Lost at Sea” (LAS) while aboard USS Indianapolis (CA-35) in 1945. Seventy-six years after the ship’s sinking (in 2021), a thorough investigation of available historic records culminated in the identification of thirteen (13) sailors on that fateful last voyage whose names were subsequently placed on an “Accounted For” list. Eugene Clifford Batson was one of these thirteen (13) sailors who was “Buried At Sea”. The Chief Rick Stone and Family Charitable Foundation researchers “poured through dozens of books and articles published on the sinking of USS Indianapolis, analyzed all of the seven recovery ship’s Deck Logs, recovery ship’s War Diaries, and the recovery ship’s commanding officer’s After Action Reports. In addition, Foundation investigators obtained the 'Individual Deceased Personnel Files’ and other documents from the National Archives to determine possible biometric matches to unknown sailors recovered at the sinking site.”(1) While each of these 13 sailors “Lost Their Lives At Sea”, they were each “Buried at Sea”. The 13 men who by clear and convincing evidence gathered at the time of the Rescue and Recovery process resulted in their being “Buried at Sea” are: George Stanley Abbott, S1- Seaman First Class Eugene Clifford Batson, S2- Seaman Second Class William Alexander Haynes, S1- Seaman First Class Albert Raymond Kelly, S2- Seaman Second Class Albert Davis Lundgren, S1- Seaman First Class Ollie McHone, F1- Fireman First Class George David Payne, S2- Seaman Second Class Alvin Wilder Rahn, SK3- Storekeeper Third Class Jose Antonio Saenz, SC3- Ship’s Cook Third Class Joseph Mason Strain, S2- Seaman Second Class Angelo Anthony Sudano, SSML3- Ship’s Service Man (Laundryman) Third Class Floyd Ralph Wolfe, GM3- Gunner’s Mate Third Class Charles Byrd Sparks, COX- Coxswain Burial at Sea Eugene was one of the three crew members picked up and identified by USS Madison Friday August 3, 1945. It not being possible to bring Eugene aboard for the official Burial at Sea Ceremony he was placed in a sea bag, weighted with two 5" shells and "committed to the deep" by his fellow seamen at 11 degrees 47 minutes north Latitude, 131 degrees 22 minutes East.