ERNEST A. WEICHERT, LTJG, USN
Ernest Weichert '99
Ernest Augustus Weichert was admitted to the Naval Academy from Connecticut on September 6, 1895.
Lucky Bag
From the 1899 Lucky Bag:
Weichert, Ernest Augustus
"Wishert"
Choir (4), (3), (2), (1). Leader, Choir (1). Y. M. C. A., Naval Academy Crew (3). Three Stripes (2'). Hustlers (1).
Weichert, Ernest Augustus
"Wishert"
Choir (4), (3), (2), (1). Leader, Choir (1). Y. M. C. A., Naval Academy Crew (3). Three Stripes (2'). Hustlers (1).
Loss
Ernest was lost on April 13, 1904 when the port 12" gun in the aft turret aboard Missouri (Battleship No. 11) flared backwards, ignited three propellant charges, and started a fire. Thirty-five others were also lost. He was stationed aboard the cruiser Cleveland but was aboard Missouri as a gun umpire.
Other Information
From researcher Kathy Franz:
His father John Frederick, a hat finisher who probably worked for the famous Danbury Hatters. His mother was Johanah. His brother was Rudolph who became a land and oil lease agent in Texas. His sisters were Susan, a nurse, Lottie, a music teacher, and Anna, a high school teacher.
Ernest played baseball and football at Danbury High School.
In May 1895, Ernest won the appointment to the Naval Academy given by Congressman E. J. Hill.
A memorial to Ernest was placed in the Danbury high school where he was an alumnus.
Ernest is buried in Connecticut.
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.
January 1900
January 1901
January 1902
January 1903
January 1904
Memorial
Ernest's classmates erected a plaque in his honor in Memorial Hall.
Related Articles
William Davidson '95, Thomas Ward, Jr. '03, and William Neumann '03 were also lost in this incident.
Memorial Hall Error
The Register of Commissioned and Warrant Officers of the United States Navy and Marine Corps of 1905 and Ernest's headstone have his rank as Lieutenant (j.g.); Memorial Hall lists him as an Ensign.
The "category" links below lead to lists of related Honorees; use them to explore further the service and sacrifice of alumni in Memorial Hall.
