Henry Lee Plage (February 19, 1915 – September 24, 2003) was an American naval officer best known for his role in the recovery of sailors from Task Force 38 during Typhoon Cobra.
Henry Lee Plage joined the Naval ROTC at Georgia Tech, where he majored in industrial management and swam competitively.
[1] In May 1944, Plage assumed his third command, the John C. Butler-class destroyer escort USS Tabberer, upon its commission in Houston.
Admiral William "Bull" Halsey inadvertently sailed TF 38 into a tropical cyclone on December 17, 1944.
A Tabberer radioman rigging an emergency antenna noticed a light that turned out to be a sailor from Hull on the night of the 18th.
[4] Plage led the Tabberer on anti-submarine and anti-mine patrols for the remainder of the war, supporting the invasions of Iwo Jima and Okinawa, and also rescuing four downed airmen.
A plaque in his memory can be found at Silver Springs Shore Presbyterian Church, where he and Marjorie were members.