On Eternal Patrol - Researchers
Since 2005, eleven lost U.S. Navy World War II submarines have been found, and our database has been instrumental in informing the families of the final resting place of their loved ones.
These are the people who are currently contributing much of their time and effort to perpetuate the memory of men lost while in the service of the U.S. Submarine Force. To see a listing of others who have contributed greatly to this mission in the past, please see our Sources and Acknowledgements page.
Volunteers
Jim Baldwin lives in Utah, and is concentrating on the men of USS Scamp (SS-277) and USS Seawolf (SS-197).
The late Mary Bentz, niece of Carmine Anthony Parziale of USS Grunion, was one of the original "sub ladies" who were able to find at least one relative of each of the lost Grunion crew before the boat's Memorial Ceremony in 2008.
She and her husband Richard, along with John, Bruce, and Susan Abele, collaborated with author Peter F. Stevens in writing a book, Fatal Dive, on the Search for the Grunion, and she was also co-author of We Remember Them: A Biographical Supplement to Fatal Dive.
Please see this Tribute to Mary on the Search for the Grunion blog.
Jonathan Bryan, a Virginian who now lives in Massachusetts, has a special interest in Pre-WWII submarine losses.
Jim Converse has done extensive research on the men of many World War II submarines, including USS Barbel, USS Albacore, and USS Shark (SS-174).
Jim (left) is shown here with World War II submariner Nick Guigliardo, aboard USS Batfish in Muskogee, Oklahoma.
Robert H. (Rob) Downie is a retired Commander in the Navy Reserve. He has been passionately interested in World War II submarines since his childhood days near Detroit, where USS Tambor served as a pierside trainer.
Rob has proofread and added new information to our "Submarines Lost in World War II" section.
Gary Ghertner lives in Forest Park, Illinois. He is a retired computer programmer/analyst, (family) genealogical researcher and an avid photographer/blogger. His interest in submarines sprouted from having read Clay Blair’s Silent Victory (several times). Gary is researching men of the USS Trigger and USS Bonefish.
Loretta Hill, niece of Charlie Albert Wilson of USS Pompano, is our primary researcher for the men of her uncle's boat. She served fifty years in public school education as a teacher, high school principal and central office administrator. She retired in 2005.
Sharon (Scriven) Iwanick is a ten-year veteran genealogical researcher for lost submariners, particularly for the men of USS Wahoo. She has also worked on finding the families of the men lost on USS Grunion, USS Flier, and USS R-12, among others.
Steve Katona began his federal career at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard and is now retired in Milton, Delaware. His current research interest is the lost WWII boats with a connection to Delaware including USS Albacore, USS Herring and USS Kete. He also volunteers with the Naval History and Heritage Command where he has provided research support to the search for and identification of USS S-28, USS Escolar, and USS S-35.
Mary Mihovich recently retired as a reference librarian in USS Flier crew member Al Jacobson’s Michigan hometown. With a background in genealogy and a family connection to WWII in the Pacific, she became a researcher in the months leading up to the USS Flier Memorial Ceremony, held in Muskegon in 2010. She also assists in research regarding other WWII submariners, particularly those with a Michigan connection, as well as conducting extensive research into Post-WWII losses.
The late Vicki Nelson lived in Wisconsin, and was our primary researcher for the men of USS S-28 and of USS Herring. She diligently worked on the search for the families of the men of USS R-12, USS Scamp, USS Bullhead, and USS Grayback, as well as the men with ties to Wisconsin and Minnesota. She also researched the men who were lost on the submarines that were built in Manitowoc, Wisconsin - USS Golet, USS Kete, USS Lagarto, and USS Robalo.
Norm Rutan is a retired Police Detective, Air Force veteran, and genealogy researcher at the Lambert Castle Genealogy Library in Paterson, New Jersey. He is our primary researcher for the men of the submarine tender USS Canopus (AS-9).
Primary Contributors
The late Paul W. Wittmer - World War II submariner, author, and qualified researcher at the National Archives' Military Personnel Records Center in St. Louis, Missouri. In the first ten years of this site he contributed hundreds of photos and thousands of bits of information.
Dr. William W. Bower, with a long and distinguished career as a Mechanical Engineer, is now our primary researcher for data at the National Archives' Military Personnel Records Center in St. Louis, Missouri. His father, Lieutenant William W. Bower, Sr., was lost with the submarine USS Albacore (SS-218). Bill is presently working on the records of the men of his father's submarine, as well as on our special projects.
Staff
Charles R. Hinman - Director of Education - History, Pacific Fleet Submarine Museum (formerly known as USS Bowfin Submarine Museum & Park), Honolulu, Hawaii. Creator and manager of On Eternal Patrol. Serves as World War II Submarine Services Coordinator, assisting COMSUBPAC and the Naval History & Heritage Command with information and photos, and as a liaison between the Navy and the families of the lost submariners. He is the co-author with Paul W. Wittmer of the six volume work, United States Submarine Men Lost During Wolrd War II, Edition Five (2014), and with Dr. Douglas Campbell, The Submarine Has No Friends (2019).
Volunteers Needed
If you have a particular interest in submarines and/or genealogy, and would like to participate in this project by assisting us by searching for the relatives of the men we seek to honor, please contact us.
If you would like to submit a photo of a man who was lost on duty while serving in the U.S. Submarine Force, or have some information that you would like to contribute, please click on this link: How to Submit Photos and Information
Discrepancies in Numbers of Lost Submariners
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How to Submit Photos and Information
