CONDE L. RAGUET, LCDR, USN

Conde Raguet '38

Date of birth: October 25, 1915

Date of death: February 4, 1945

Age: 29

Lucky Bag

From the 1938 Lucky Bag:

CONDÉ LEROY RAGUET

Washington, D.C.

Count, Raggy

The Count, who has been a Navy man all his life, has now completed his four years here, and the first step in his naval career has ended. From the good material received, when he entered a short four years ago, the Academy has built an officer and a gentleman who will live up to the highest ideals and traditions of the service. For four years he has been a loyal and helpful classmate, always ready to assist his more wooden classmates, or even drag blind for them if asked. As an incurable snake he always dragged. Never a member of the radiator squad, he was always engaged in some form of athletics. Having known him as a classmate I envy the men who have him for a shipmate.

Lacrosse 4, 3, 2, 1; Soccer 3, 2, 1; Log 3, 2, 1; Quarter Deck 4, 3, 2, 1; Reception Committee 2, 1; Boat Club 3, 2, 1; Press Gang 2, 1; Lieutenant Commander.

CONDÉ LEROY RAGUET

Washington, D.C.

Count, Raggy

The Count, who has been a Navy man all his life, has now completed his four years here, and the first step in his naval career has ended. From the good material received, when he entered a short four years ago, the Academy has built an officer and a gentleman who will live up to the highest ideals and traditions of the service. For four years he has been a loyal and helpful classmate, always ready to assist his more wooden classmates, or even drag blind for them if asked. As an incurable snake he always dragged. Never a member of the radiator squad, he was always engaged in some form of athletics. Having known him as a classmate I envy the men who have him for a shipmate.

Lacrosse 4, 3, 2, 1; Soccer 3, 2, 1; Log 3, 2, 1; Quarter Deck 4, 3, 2, 1; Reception Committee 2, 1; Boat Club 3, 2, 1; Press Gang 2, 1; Lieutenant Commander.

Loss

Conde was lost when USS Barbel (SS 316) was sunk by Japanese aircraft off Palawan on February 4, 1945.

Other Information

From researcher Kathy Franz:

Conde was born in Ancon, Canal Zone [Panama.]
Conde graduated from Western High School in 1932. Nickname: “Count” He participated in Cog (an honor society for those with high grades in mechanical drawing) and the Rifle Team. “Young fellows will be young fellows.” – Bickerstaff.
His father was Navy Commander Edward Cook Raguet (’09). His mother was Helen, and his sister was Helen Frances. In 1935 they lived in Eustis, Florida.
His grandfather was Conde Gallagher Raguet who died in 1934. His grandmother died in 1933, and she was preceded in death by a son Conde LeRoy Raguet in 1912.

Unable to find a citation for his Bronze Star mentioned.

His parents were listed as next of kin. His father, Captain Edward Cook Raguet, was a 1909 graduate and commanding officer of USS Idaho (BB 42) from 1941 to 1943.

Conde is remembered at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial.

Career

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

Duty USS Idaho (BB-42) 1 Jul 1939 - 1 Oct 1939

Communication Duty Staff Commander Battle Force 1 Jul 1940 - 1 Nov 1940

Duty USS Sargo (SS-188) Jun 1942

Executive Officer USS Sargo (SS-188) 1 Jul 1943 - 30 Nov 1943

Executive Officer USS Blackfin (SS-322) 4 Jul 1944 - 20 Dec 1944

Captain USS Barbel (SS-316) 27 Dec 1944 - Feb 1945

Ensign 2 Jun 1938

Lieutenant (j.g.) 2 Jun 1941

Lieutenant (T) 15 Jun 1942

Lieutenant Commander (T) 1 Mar 1944

Photographs

From his high school yearbook
From his high school yearbook

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.