Source Information

Ancestry.com. U.S., World War II Military Personnel Missing In Action or Lost At Sea, 1941-1946 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2007.
Original data: Department of Defense. Prisoner of War/Missing Personnel Office. < http://www.dtic.mil/dpmo/WWII_MIA/MIA_MAIN.HTM > accessed July 2007.

About U.S., World War II Military Personnel Missing In Action or Lost At Sea, 1941-1946

This database contains a listing of U.S. soldiers, sailors, marines, and civilians (presumably mainly military employees and contractors) who have been reported by the U.S. government as Missing in Action (MIA) or Buried at Sea from World War II.

The “Buried at Sea” category includes individuals aboard ships that sank due to enemy action and whose bodies were never recovered. Thus, very few persons categorized as “Buried at Sea” actually received a formal burial service. For this reason, Ancestry has chosen to instead use the term “Lost at Sea.”

Information listed in this database includes:

  • Name of military personnel

  • Date of loss

  • Branch of service

  • Rank

  • Service Number

  • Status – either “Lost at Sea” or “Missing in Action”