AUGUST F. WEINEL, LCDR, USN

August Weinel '36

Date of birth: October 6, 1914

Date of death: September 28, 1943

Age: 28

Lucky Bag

From the 1936 Lucky Bag:

August Fredrick Weinel

Columbia, Illinois

"Gus"

Whatever he sets his will to is done, for Gus is above all strong in decision and capable in carrying out a plan. He has only to decide what move to make and a keen and ingenious mind not only makes the decision but never fails to see it completed. To soften the firmness of his natural executive ability, Gus displays on occasion that over-smile that indicates the presence of a certain feminine hand in the morning mail. The extent of his appreciation is broad—from the business statistics of the New York Times to the daily comic strip of the Chester Bumwad. For one month only in his second class year Gus marched to Ordnance with the second section. Gus sighs at the sight of an oar and he has persevered at crew for four years.

Soccer 2; Crew 4, 3, 2, 1. N.A.; Business Manager Lucky Bag; Class Crest Committee; Five Stripes

He graduated first in the Class of 1936.

August Fredrick Weinel

Columbia, Illinois

"Gus"

Whatever he sets his will to is done, for Gus is above all strong in decision and capable in carrying out a plan. He has only to decide what move to make and a keen and ingenious mind not only makes the decision but never fails to see it completed. To soften the firmness of his natural executive ability, Gus displays on occasion that over-smile that indicates the presence of a certain feminine hand in the morning mail. The extent of his appreciation is broad—from the business statistics of the New York Times to the daily comic strip of the Chester Bumwad. For one month only in his second class year Gus marched to Ordnance with the second section. Gus sighs at the sight of an oar and he has persevered at crew for four years.

Soccer 2; Crew 4, 3, 2, 1. N.A.; Business Manager Lucky Bag; Class Crest Committee; Five Stripes

He graduated first in the Class of 1936.

Loss

August was lost when USS Cisco (SS 290) was sunk, likely on September 28, 1943 by Japanese ships and aircraft. He was the boat's executive officer.

Other Information

From researcher Kathy Franz:

August graduated in 1931 from Dupo Community High School as class treasurer. Member of the Debate Team and public speaking course. He willed his scholarship and laziness to Orville Habermehl.

From the St. Louis Globe-Democrat on May 30, 1943:

Before the war is over three young men – two from the East Side and one from St. Louis – who were only midshipmen in the United States Naval Academy in the middle and late ‘30s are likely to become full-fledged skippers of their own submarines … They are David Connole '36 of Madison, August F. Weinel of Columbia and William P. Gruner Jr. of this city. …
Commander Weinel, also a Lieutenant and executive officer on his several cruises, had a great deal to do with the sinking of eight enemy vessels in the Pacific … He was a classmate of Connole at Annapolis, was most impressed when his crew was the first in the war to blast a Tokyo ship to pieces off the shore of Japan itself. What’s more, their particular target on the enemy craft was the Japanese flag – and they made their shot through the Rising Sun emblem itself.
He saw his first service at sea on the cruiser Indianapolis. His first voyage was with President Roosevelt a passenger when the chief executive went to South America. He was an Ensign then. Later, he attended a submarine school.
The Monroe County man received what he calls his first “baptism of fire” when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. His ship was coming in to port when the first enemy blows were dealt and, ordered to sea immediately, the crew was the first to patrol the coast off Japan.
Weinel is married and has two children. They now reside at Portsmouth, N. H. His father is Fred W. Weinel, retail lumber dealer at Columbia.

His wife was listed as next of kin.

August is remembered at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial.

Photographs

From his high school yearbook
From St. Louis Globe Democrat on May 30, 1943
From The Portsmouth Herald on April 10, 1943

Silver Star

From Hall of Valor:

The President of the United States of America takes pride in presenting the Silver Star to Commander August Frederick Weinel (NSN: 0-77206), United States Navy, for gallantry and intrepidity in action against the enemy as Diving Officer of the U.S.S. POLLACK (SS-180) during FOUR highly successful War Patrols of that Submarine in enemy controlled waters during World War II. On one occasion, while acting as Officer-of-the-Deck during a night surface attack his calm and courageous assistance to the Commanding Officer was directly responsible for the complete destruction of a valuable enemy ship. His conduct throughout these patrols was in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.
General Orders: Commander in Chief Pacific: Serial 32
Action Date: World War II
Service: Navy
Rank: Commander
Company: Diving Officer
Division: U.S.S. Pollack (SS-180)

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.