Schaap, Marion John QM1
620 88 66

Chandler Minn.

Sept. 10. 1945

Capt. Charles B McVay

Dear Captian:

It is with a deep regret, I am writing you this letter, In the loss of your ship and all those that were with you.
May the Lord give you Grace and Comfort you. As he rules everything. and nothing happens by Chane.
And dear Captian, as we also have a Son on that Ship, Marion J. Schaap, Q.M.1/c
We would like to know, if you know, what happen to him. When the Ship was struck. As Good as we know he worked with you at times. for he said, when he was home, we have a wonderful captian.
And I persume it was you.
When Marion was home, he said problly he was getting a tranferr, and we feel so sorry that he did not get it. But I soppose it had to be that way.
Let us hear from you sometime if it could be done.
Thanking you in advance for your troubles.

Very truly yours
John Schaap Jr.

Our address is
John Schaap Jr
Chandler, Minnesota

Pers-8249-LK
SCHAAP, Marion John, QMlc, USNR, 620 88 66

October 31, 1945

My dear Mrs. Schaap,

Your letter of September 10th concerning your son, Marion John Schaap, Quartermaster first class, United States Naval Reserve, has just reached me here in the Bureau of Naval Personnel where I have been on temporary duty since my return from Guam the middle of last month.

I regret that I have no information other than that contained in my letter of September 28th which I trust reached you after your letter to me was written.

It is difficult I know for you to understand why we can not furnish more information. However, when it is realized the ship sank in the middle of the night in a very short time and that no records whatsoever were saved that may explain our difficulty in piecing together a coherent story.

I knew your son well as he spent a great deal of time on the bridge where I lived when the ship was at sea. He was a fine sailorman and spent most of his spare hours studying so as to be ready for the next higher rating. He was advanced to Quartermaster first class while I had command of the INDIANAPOLIS which is an indication of how well he had done his work on the ship.

May I again express my heartfelt sympathy.

Very sincerely,

CHAS. B. MCVAY, III
Captain, U. S. Navy

Mr. John Schaap, Jr.
Chandler, Minnesota