Today in Wheeling History: December 24--Wheeling Central Catholic graduate and Army Private First Class John Joseph Killeen perished along with 762 other American soldiers when the SS Leopoldville was torpedoed and sunk on Christmas Eve off the coast of France (1944).
John Joseph Killeen was born August 1, 1921, in Wheeling, West Virginia, to Joseph Eugene and Clara Schiffer Killeen. He grew up in Wheeling and graduated from Wheeling Central Catholic High School. Before entering military service, Killeen was an active member of the Wheeling community.
Private First Class Killeen served in the 262nd Infantry Regiment, 66th Infantry Division, U.S. Army during World War II. On Christmas Eve 1944, he was aboard the Belgian troopship SS Leopoldville, which was transporting over 2,000 American soldiers from Southampton, England, to Cherbourg, France, as reinforcements for the Battle of the Bulge. Just 5.5 miles from their destination, the ship was torpedoed by German submarine U-486. Due to poor communication, inadequate lifeboats, and crew abandonment, 763 American soldiers perished in the frigid waters of the English Channel.
PFC Killeen, age 23, was among those lost. Though the ship sank on Christmas Eve, his official date of death is listed as December 25, 1944. His body was never recovered from the Channel. He was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart for his sacrifice. Killeen is memorialized on the Tablets of the Missing at Normandy American Cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer, France. The Leopoldville disaster remained classified until 1996, with survivors ordered not to discuss the tragedy.
To learn more: Archiving Wheeling (https://tinyurl.com/2j52zs36), Find a Grave (https://tinyurl.com/4ak4yhz2), Mémoire & Database (https://tinyurl.com/5n64ku8t), Leopoldville Troopship Disaster (https://tinyurl.com/2rrjbe6m), Ancestry (https://tinyurl.com/mthfj853), Wikipedia (https://tinyurl.com/ytwtcb37)
Photo credits: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV; Archives of the Diocese of Wheeling Charleston, Find a Grave, Wikimedia Commons
John Joseph Killeen was born August 1, 1921, in Wheeling, West Virginia, to Joseph Eugene and Clara Schiffer Killeen. He grew up in Wheeling and graduated from Wheeling Central Catholic High School. Before entering military service, Killeen was an active member of the Wheeling community.
Private First Class Killeen served in the 262nd Infantry Regiment, 66th Infantry Division, U.S. Army during World War II. On Christmas Eve 1944, he was aboard the Belgian troopship SS Leopoldville, which was transporting over 2,000 American soldiers from Southampton, England, to Cherbourg, France, as reinforcements for the Battle of the Bulge. Just 5.5 miles from their destination, the ship was torpedoed by German submarine U-486. Due to poor communication, inadequate lifeboats, and crew abandonment, 763 American soldiers perished in the frigid waters of the English Channel.
PFC Killeen, age 23, was among those lost. Though the ship sank on Christmas Eve, his official date of death is listed as December 25, 1944. His body was never recovered from the Channel. He was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart for his sacrifice. Killeen is memorialized on the Tablets of the Missing at Normandy American Cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer, France. The Leopoldville disaster remained classified until 1996, with survivors ordered not to discuss the tragedy.
To learn more: Archiving Wheeling (https://tinyurl.com/2j52zs36), Find a Grave (https://tinyurl.com/4ak4yhz2), Mémoire & Database (https://tinyurl.com/5n64ku8t), Leopoldville Troopship Disaster (https://tinyurl.com/2rrjbe6m), Ancestry (https://tinyurl.com/mthfj853), Wikipedia (https://tinyurl.com/ytwtcb37)
Photo credits: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV; Archives of the Diocese of Wheeling Charleston, Find a Grave, Wikimedia Commons
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