Jerome Baglien Was a WWII Hero That Helped Preserve Our Freedom

Jerome Baglien was born in Hillsboro, Traill County, North Dakota on December 4, 1923. From the 1930 U.S. Census, we learn that Jerome’s father, also Jerome, 37, worked as a laborer doing odd jobs. His mother, Amelia, 34, had four children living at home at this time; Marian, 15, Mercedes, 13, Jean, 11 and Jerome 6. The family lived Hillsboro.

Ten years later the 1940 census has the family is still living in Hillsboro. Father Jerome was now a carpenter in the building trades. In addition, Donna Mae Dow, a niece, 11 years old, also lived with the family. Young Jerome was in his second year of high school at 16.

Jerome enlisted in the Navy on January 31, 1942 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. After basic training, he went to communications school to learn about Navy radio operations. Baglien was then assigned to the carrier USS Suwannee (ACV-27) on September 24, 1942.

On November 8, 1942, the Suwannee arrived off the coast of Morocco and, for the next few days, her Grumman F4F Wildcats maintained combat and anti-submarine air patrols, while her Grumman TBF Avengers joined Ranger's in bombing missions. During the Naval Battle of Casablanca from 8–11 November, Suwannee sent up 255 air sorties and lost only five planes, three in combat and two to operational problems. On 11 November, off Fedhala Roads, her anti-submarine patrol sank what was reported to be a German U-boat, but which was later determined to have been one of the three French submarines which sortied from Casablanca on the day of the assault. She was the first escort carrier to score against the enemy undersea menace, and she helped to prove the usefulness of her type in anti-submarine warfare.

Suwannee remained in North African waters until mid-November, then sailed, via Bermuda, for Norfolk. She arrived back at Hampton Roads on 24 November and stayed until 5 December, when she got underway for the South Pacific.

The auxiliary carrier transited the Panama Canal on 11–12 December and arrived at New Caledonia on 4 January 1943. For the next seven months, she provided air escort for transports and supply ships replenishing and bolstering the marines on Guadalcanal, as well as for the forces occupying other islands in the Solomons group. During that span of time, she visited Guadalcanal, Efate and Espiritu Santo in addition to New Caledonia.

The US Navy Muster Rolls listed Baglien as joining the crew of the submarine USS Snapper (SS-185) on July 2, 1943. He participated in his first war patrol into the Southwest pacific. Upon successful completion, he was promoted to Radioman Third Class with a Navy Service Number of 638 05 62.

Next, he mustered aboard the ill-fated submarine USS Sculpin (SS-191) on October 31, 1943.

From the website - https://www.history.navy.mil/research/library/research by Kathy Franz:

The Sculpin departed Pearl Harbor on November 5, 1943 for her Ninth War patrol. Commanding officer Cromwell coordinated with three other submarines; Searaven, Apogon and Spearfish. Captain Connaway, also aboard the Sculpin, was in charge of the four submarine wolfpack. Rather than direct the operations from behind a desk, Connaway wanted to be in the action where he could react to different situations and orders were passed by low frequency radio.

On the night of 18 November, SCULPIN made a radar contact on a fast convoy, and made an end around at full power. Submerging on the enemy track for a dawn attack, SCULPIN began what promised to be a successful approach. However, she was detected in the attack phase, and the convoy zigged toward her, forcing her deep. There was no depth charge attack at this time. About an hour later, the ship surfaced to begin another end around, but immediately dived again, having surfaced 6,000 yards from a destroyer, which was lagging the convoy. Depth charging started as soon as she dived again.

Early in the ensuing attack a string of depth charges did the ship minor damage. Lt. G. E. Brown, the only officer survivor, was relieved as diving officer to make an inspection and found her fundamentally sound. At this time the submarine had succeed in shaking the enemy, but before Brown returned to the control room the ship had broached when the diving officer had tried to bring her to periscope depth and the depth gauge had stuck at 125 feet. The depth charge attack was renewed at once.

About noon on 19 November, a close string of 18 depth charges threw SCULPIN, already at deep depth, badly out of control. The pressure hull was distorted, she was leaking, steering and diving plane gear were damaged and she was badly out of trim. Commander Connaway decided to surface and to fight clear. The ship was surfaced and went to gun action. During the battle Commander Connaway and the Gunnery Officer were on the bridge, and the Executive Officer was in the conning tower. When the destroyer placed a shell through the main induction, and one or more through the conning tower, these officers, and several men were killed. Lt. Brown succeeded to command. He decided to scuttle the ship and gave the order, "all hands abandon ship." After giving the order the last time, the ship was dived at emergency speed by opening all vents. About 12 men rode the ship down, including Captain Cromwell and one other officer, both of whom refused to leave it. Captain Cromwell, being familiar with plans for our operations in the Gilberts and other areas, stayed with the ship to ensure that the enemy could not gain any of the information he possessed. For this action, ComSubPac recommended that he be given the Congressional Medal of Honor. In all, 42 men were taken prisoner by the Japanese destroyer.

The group of 38 enlisted men and 3 officers were taken to Truk where they were questioned for ten days. Then they were loaded on two carriers (21 on one, 20 on the other) and started for Japan. Enroute to its destination, the carrier CHUYO, carrying 21 SCULPIN survivors, was torpedoed and sunk by SAILFISH on 31 December 1943, and only one American escaped.

At Ofuna, the 21 survivors were repeatedly questioned, and they learned they were in an unofficial Navy prison camp. They were released from the camp a few at a time when the enemy became convinced that they could get no information from them, and were sent to work in the copper mines of Ashio. There they were allowed to register as prisoners of war, and received at least enough food to live on, although not enough to maintain health properly. They remained at Ashio until released by American forces on 4 September 1945.

Jerome Baglien was one of the 19 sailors killed aboard the Japanese carrier Chuyo. He is memorialized at the American Memorial Cemetery (Courts of the Missing) in Honolulu. He was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart Medal and was entitled to the American Defense Service Medal, Fleet Clasp; the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with two operations stars; and the World War II Victory Medal.

63 of 84 of USS Sculpin sailors died on November 19, 1943. The list is as follows:

19 Survived sinking, but died when Chuyo was sunk by the American Submarine USS Sailfish.

6 killed by gunfire from Japanese destroyer

1 (William Henry Welsh) died while in a Japanese prisoner of war camp

37 died in the sinking of the USS Sculpin.

21 returned to the United States, having survived the harsh conditions of the Japanese work camps.

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This story is part of the Stories Behind the Stars project ( www.storiesbehindthestars.org). This is a national effort of volunteers to write the stories of all 400,000+ of the US WWII here on Fold3. Can you help write these stories? Related to this, there will be a smart phone app that will allow people to visit any war memorial or cemetery, scan the Baglien's name and read his/her story.

Resources:

https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/museums/nmusn/explore/photography/ships-us/ships-usn-s/uss-sculpin-ss-191.html

https://www.history.navy.mil/research/library/research

Researched by Kathy Franz

Photo and information courtesy of Paul W. Wittmer.

U.S., World War II and Korean Conflict Veterans Interred Overseas

1930 & 1940 U.S. Census

US Navy Muster Rolls

Jerome W Baglien