Press Release | March 12, 2025

USS West Virginia Sailor Accounted For From World War II (Luker, R.)

WASHINGTON  –  

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced today that Navy Fireman 3rd Class (F3c) Royle B. Luker, 17, killed during World War II, was accounted for on May 29, 2024.

On Dec. 7, 1941, Luker was assigned to the battleship USS West Virginia, which was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, when the ship was attacked by Japanese aircraft. The USS West Virginia sustained multiple torpedo hits, but timely counter-flooding measures taken by the crew prevented it from capsizing, and it came to rest on the shallow harbor floor. The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths of 106 crewmen, including Luker.

This is an initial release. The complete accounting of Luker’s case will be published once the family receives their full briefing.