ALBERT M. BONTIER, CDR, USN

Albert Bontier '35

Date of birth: October 14, 1913

Date of death: October 3, 1944

Age: 30

Lucky Bag

From the 1935 Lucky Bag:

ALBERT M. BONTIER

Joplin, Missouri

"Al"

PRESENTING—the better half. Well built, blond, 2nd platoon. A Missouri man, he does have to be shown. He is ruled by his head and mistrusts his heart. He demands odds in his favor. He is sufficiently sophisticated to appreciate certain little formalities as a prelude to pleasure, yet he has a boyish enthusiasm which is the symbol of his personality and his "ace in the hole." Girls, as a rule, cause him to lose his customary "savoir faire," but he never lacks for their mail (the femmes will know what this means.) He is proficient enough with slip-stick, pistol, sextant, and his line to write his own answers to life.

Plebe Rifle. 2 Stripes.

ALBERT M. BONTIER

Joplin, Missouri

"Al"

PRESENTING—the better half. Well built, blond, 2nd platoon. A Missouri man, he does have to be shown. He is ruled by his head and mistrusts his heart. He demands odds in his favor. He is sufficiently sophisticated to appreciate certain little formalities as a prelude to pleasure, yet he has a boyish enthusiasm which is the symbol of his personality and his "ace in the hole." Girls, as a rule, cause him to lose his customary "savoir faire," but he never lacks for their mail (the femmes will know what this means.) He is proficient enough with slip-stick, pistol, sextant, and his line to write his own answers to life.

Plebe Rifle. 2 Stripes.

Loss

Albert was lost when USS Seawolf (SS 197) was probably sunk by friendly fire from USS Richard M. Rowell off Morotai (in the South Pacific) on October 3, 1944. He was the boat's commanding officer; it was his second war patrol as CO of Seawolf.

Other Information

From researcher Kathy Franz:

Born in Caney, Kansas, he went by the name Marion while in school. He played Mr. Park in a three-act drama, “That Girl,” presented by the Epworth League of the Byers Avenue Methodist Episcopal church in Joplin on July 19, 1929.
He graduated in 1930 from Joplin High school. He was business manager of the yearbook; a Herculean; vice president of the Hi-Y club, a first lieutenant in the R.O.T.C.; member of the Ancient Order of Alchemists and an honor student. “The Poor Nut” holds the Joplimo together for he’s the perfect business manager. He’s the president of Quill and Scroll and another happy Herculean. R.O.T.C. rifle team.
He was also survived by his father Albert, a junior high school principal, mother Clara, sister Clyda, and a daughter Patricia Ruth.

His wife was listed as next of kin. She was the sponsor of USS Salmon (SS 573) in 1956.

Career

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

Duty USS Holland (AS-3) 1 Jul 1939 - 1 Oct 1939

Under Instruction Submarine School New London Jan 1940 - Jun 1940

Gunnery Officer USS S-23 (SS-128) Jul 1940 - 1 Apr 1941

Gunnery & Torpedo Officer USS Spearfish (SS-190) Dec 1941 - Dec 1942 (5 war patrols)

Duty including Relief Crew Commander Submarine Division Twenty Two Jul 1943 - Oct 1943

Executive Officer USS Sculpin (SS-191) 1 Apr 1943 - 1 Jul 1943 (1 war patrol)

Captain USS Razorback (SS-394) 3 Apr 1944 - 5 Jun 1944

Captain USS Seawolf (SS-197) 30 Jun 1944 - 3 Oct 1944

Lieutenant (j.g.) 6 Jun 1938

Lieutenant 8 Dec 1941

Lieutenant Commander (T) 1 May 1943

Commander (T) 1 Mar 1944

He placed USS Razorback (SS 394) in commission on April 3, 1944, but was removed from command after the boat grounded during trials. Roughly three weeks later he was given command of Seawolf.

Photographs

From his high school yearbook in 1930.
From his high school yearbook in 1930.

Silver Star

From Hall of Valor:

The President of the United States of America takes pride in presenting the Silver Star (Posthumously) to Lieutenant Albert Marion Bontier (NSN: 0-74825), United States Navy, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action in the performance of his duties as Assistant Approach Officer in the U.S.S. SPEARFISH (SS-190), during the THIRD War Patrol of that Submarine in the Southwest Pacific Area from 27 March 1942 to 20 May 1942. His excellent judgment and thorough knowledge of attack problems assisted his Commanding Officer in conducting attacks which resulted in the sinking of two enemy ships, totaling 10,000 tons. In addition, he assisted considerably in completing a special mission where many military and naval personnel were rescued from an island fortress under constant enemy attack. His coolness and high devotion to duty contributed directly to the success of his vessel in evading severe enemy countermeasures. His conduct throughout was an inspiration to all with whom he served, and was in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.
General Orders: Commander in Chief, Pacific: Serial 01090 (June 11, 1946)
Action Date: March 27 - May 20, 1942
Service: Navy
Rank: Lieutenant
Division: U.S.S. Spearfish (SS-190)

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.