ROBERT A. BONIN, LCDR, USN

Robert Bonin '36

Date of birth: March 27, 1913

Date of death: April 18, 1944

Age: 31

Lucky Bag

From the 1936 Lucky Bag:

Robert Alexander Bonin

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

"Alex"

BOB spent a year at Marquette in preparation for a career as a civil engineer. Realizing that the Navy was more to his liking he left the beer city and came to the Academy. Plebe year Alex started his uphill battle with the Dago department, but naturally savvy otherwise, he found ample time to devote to the achievement of a 2.5. Bob's deepest interest lies in professional subjects. If you want the straight dope on any of our ships, just ask Bob. In the spring Bob will be found at the rifle range shooting it out for the Nyvee. Other athletic interests turn to cross country. As a wife Bob is always obliging and anxious to help out in any way possible. He will make a fine addition to any ship's wardroom.

Class Cross Country 4, 3, 2; Indoor Rifle 4, 1; Outdoor Rifle 3, 1; Reception Committee 3, 2, 1; Pep Committee 1; Two Stripes

Robert Alexander Bonin

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

"Alex"

BOB spent a year at Marquette in preparation for a career as a civil engineer. Realizing that the Navy was more to his liking he left the beer city and came to the Academy. Plebe year Alex started his uphill battle with the Dago department, but naturally savvy otherwise, he found ample time to devote to the achievement of a 2.5. Bob's deepest interest lies in professional subjects. If you want the straight dope on any of our ships, just ask Bob. In the spring Bob will be found at the rifle range shooting it out for the Nyvee. Other athletic interests turn to cross country. As a wife Bob is always obliging and anxious to help out in any way possible. He will make a fine addition to any ship's wardroom.

Class Cross Country 4, 3, 2; Indoor Rifle 4, 1; Outdoor Rifle 3, 1; Reception Committee 3, 2, 1; Pep Committee 1; Two Stripes

Loss

Robert was lost when USS Gudgeon (SS 211) was sunk, likely on April 18, 1944, near the Maug Islands. He was the boat's commanding officer.

Other Information

From researcher Kathy Franz: "His father Michael was an auto mechanic, and his brother was Richard."

His wife was listed as next of kin. Robert has a memory marker in Wisconsin.

Photographs

Career

From the now-broken link http://www.fleetorganization.com/subcommandersclassyear3.html:

Under Instruction Submarine School New London Jul 1939 - Dec 1939

Communications Officer USS S-20 (SS-125) 1 Jul 1940 - 1 Nov 1940

Engineering Officer USS Grayling (SS-209) 1942 - 1943

Executive Officer USS Grayling (SS-209) 1 Apr 1943 - 1 Jul 1943

Staff Submarine Division Sixty Two 31 Aug 1943 - 2 Jan 1944

Captain USS Gudgeon (SS-211) Mar 1944 - Apr 1944

Ensign 4 Jun 1936

Lieutenant (j.g.) 4 Jun 1939

Lieutenant (T) 1 Jan 1942

Lieutenant 1 Mar 1942

Lieutenant Commander (T) 1 May 1943

Wartime Service

He had taken command of Gudgeon on March 5, 1944, barely a month before she was sunk.

Grayling, the boat in which he had his XO tour, was sunk in September 1943, a few months after he had left.

Silver Star

From Hall of Valor:

The President of the United States of America takes pride in presenting the Silver Star (Posthumously) to Lieutenant Commander Robert Alexander Bonin (NSN: 0-77035), United States Navy, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity as Engineer Officer and later as Executive Officer of the U.S.S. GRAYLING (SS-209), in action against enemy Japanese forces during five of the six hazardous War Patrols completed by that Submarine prior to 4 May 1943. Exercising sound judgment and superior technical knowledge, Lieutenant Commander Bonin rendered invaluable assistance to his ship throughout numerous offensive attacks and courageously supervised his depth-charge station during severe enemy countermeasures, thereby contributing materially to the success of the GRAYLING in sinking five hostile vessels totaling 26,007 tons. The splendid initiative and valiant devotion to duty displayed by Lieutenant Commander Bonin under extremely difficult conditions were an inspiration to his associates and was in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.
General Orders: Commander 7th Fleet: Serial 0384 (February 21, 1944)
Action Date: 1942 - 1943
Service: Navy
Rank: Lieutenant Commander
Division: U.S.S. Grayling (SS-209)

Other

Robert's wife was sponsor of USS Gudgeon (SS 567), launched in June 1952.

Navy Directories & Officer Registers

The "Register of Commissioned and Warrant Officers of the United States Navy and Marine Corps" was published annually from 1815 through at least the 1970s; it provided rank, command or station, and occasionally billet until the beginning of World War II when command/station was no longer included. Scanned copies were reviewed and data entered from the mid-1840s through 1922, when more-frequent Navy Directories were available.

The Navy Directory was a publication that provided information on the command, billet, and rank of every active and retired naval officer. Single editions have been found online from January 1915 and March 1918, and then from three to six editions per year from 1923 through 1940; the final edition is from April 1941.

The entries in both series of documents are sometimes cryptic and confusing. They are often inconsistent, even within an edition, with the name of commands; this is especially true for aviation squadrons in the 1920s and early 1930s.

Alumni listed at the same command may or may not have had significant interactions; they could have shared a stateroom or workspace, stood many hours of watch together… or, especially at the larger commands, they might not have known each other at all. The information provides the opportunity to draw connections that are otherwise invisible, though, and gives a fuller view of the professional experiences of these alumni in Memorial Hall.