WWII Lieutenant that Made the Supreme Sacrifice for Our Freedom

Robert Quinn was born in New Haven, Connecticut on June 11, 1918. From the 1920 U.S. Census, we learn that his father William, 30, was an electrical contractor. Robert’s mother Mary, 26, had only Robert, a one-year-old, living at home at this time. The family lived on Howard Ave in New Haven.

Ten years later, the family had moved to 80 Sixth Street, still in New Haven. Robert, at 11, was in elementary school. Mother Mary’s mother, also Mary, 60, moved in with the family. This was recorded in the 1930 U.S. Census.

The 1940 U.S. Census finds the family still living at the same address. Robert, then 21, was in his third year at Yale. Grandma Mary and her sister Julia Hawkes, 65, were also at this address.

Having been a member of the Naval ROTC while at Yale, Robert spent two weeks from June 18 to July 5, 1939 aboard the destroyer USS Tucker (DD-374). He had an all expenses paid cruise from Port Angeles, Washington to Haines, Alaska, to Juneau and then to Ketchikan. While on this ship, the ROTC sailors got a good first hand feel what the real ocean was like.

After graduation from Yale in 1940, Quinn was commissioned as an Ensign. Next, he volunteered for the submarine service and was sent to New London, Connecticut for training in the fundamentals of living and working aboard a submarine. Upon completion of this duty, he joined the crew of the submarine USS S-44. He was promoted to Lieutenant, Junior Grade with a service number of O-85560.

History of the Submarine USS S-44 (SS-55): Compiled by Paul W. Wittmer and Charles R. Hinman, originally from: U.S. Submarine Losses World War II, NAVPERS 15,784, 1949 ISSUE

S-44′s keel was laid down on 19 February 1921 by the Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation's Fore River Shipyard in Quincy, Massachusetts. She was launched on 27 October 1923 and was commissioned on 16 February 1925.

Trials took S-44 into the new year, and on 7 January 1942, she got underway for Panama. Arriving on 16 January, she departed Balboa on 24 January with S-21, S-26, and S-28, to conduct a security patrol in the western approaches to the canal. Within a few hours, however, she was engaged in rescue operations for S-26, which had been rammed and sunk by submarine chaser PC-460.

During her first four patrols, all conducted in the Solomon Islands area, S-44 sank three ships and damaged a fourth. Her first patrol was conducted off the east coast of New Britain, and on 12 May 1942 she sank a small freighter. While covering the area west and south of Florida Island on her second patrol, S-44 sank the 1,051 ton converted gunboat KEIJO MARU on 21 July 1942. Her greatest satisfaction and an important contribution to the Allied War Cause came during her third war patrol, conducted off New Hanover. On 10 August 1942, S-44 hit the heavy cruiser KAKO with four torpedoes and sank her. This sinking was particularly opportune, as KAKO was one of the four Japanese heavy cruisers of Cruiser Division Six, which at the very time were returning from the first battle of Savo Island. The night before in that battle they had sunk four Allied heavy cruisers without losing any themselves or suffering more than moderate damage. On her fourth patrol, off New Georgia, S-44 damaged a destroyer type vessel.

On 26 September 1943, S-44 (LCDR Francis E. Brown) departed Attu to begin her fifth war patrol in the Kuriles. She was not heard from again by the shore bases, but the story given here is taken from statements made by her two surviving crewmen, Ernest A. Duva, CTM and Robert F. Whitemore, RM3c.

One day out of Attu S-44 was forced down by a plane which dropped several depth charges. Then nothing was seen until 2030 on the night of 7 October 1943, when radar contact was made on what was thought to be a small merchant ship. S-44 went in very close on the surface and started firing her deck gun, and immediately the destroyer they had underrated opened up with all guns.

About eight men got off the ship and into the water before she sank, but only two were picked up by the destroyer. They were taken to the Island of Paramushiru for several days and then to the (Japanese) Naval Interrogation Camp at Ofuna for a year. Finally, they were forced to work in the copper mines of Ashio until released by Allied forces at the close of the war.

Tragically Robert Quinn was one of the 49 sailors reported missing on October 7, 1943 in the ocean Off Paramushiru, Northern Kuriles (between Russia and Japan). Their bodies were never recovered. He and his shipmates were honored with a memorial at the Courts of the Missing in Honolulu. They were given a Purple Heart posthumously.

The U.S. Navy Casualties Books listed Robert’s father William as being notified of the sailor’s death. He was given a Gold Star flag to be placed in his window at their house at 80 6th Street in New Haven, Connecticut.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

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 fallen’s name and read his/her story.

Resources:

https://www.history.navy.mil/research/library/online-reading-room/title-list-alphabetically/u/united-states-submarine-losses/s-44-ss-155.html

https://www.oneternalpatrol.com/uss-s-44-155-loss.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_S-44

Photo and information courtesy of Paul W. Wittmer: https://www.oneternalpatrol.com/quinn-r-g.htm

1920 U.S. 1920 U.S. Census: https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/6641506:6061

1930 U.S. Census: https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/9793555:6224

1940 U.S. Census: https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/129051157:2442

U.S., School Yearbooks: https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/469192445:1265?tid=&pid=&queryId=f8e90e9e-6c50-4d71-aaff-dc8f11899948&_phsrc=hWQ172&_phstart=successSource

U.S., Navy Casualties Books: https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/123715:2324?tid=&pid=&queryId=af7e2b4a-ce40-4363-9696-d6e193fff6c1&_phsrc=hWQ169&_phstart=successSource

U.S., Select Military Registers: https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/5290677:2345?tid=&pid=&queryId=6aeba959-354e-4444-b7cf-627620edd2b4&_phsrc=hWQ181&_phstart=successSource

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/56119777/robert-groves-quinn

USS Tucker Navy WWII Muster Rolls: https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/20621844:1143?tid=&pid=&queryId=fecb23b7-b772-49d6-9024-3eff0aef4368&_phsrc=hWQ188&_phstart=successSource

SBTS: New Haven, Connecticut

Robert G Quinn