FRANCIS E. BROWN, LCDR, USN

Francis Brown '33

Date of birth: May 22, 1911

Date of death: October 7, 1943

Age: 32

Lucky Bag

From the 1933 Lucky Bag:

FRANCIS ELWOOD BROWN

Reno, Nevada

"Snozzle" "Cactus" "Frankie"

Reno, the biggest little city in the world delved into its bag of surprises and produced quite a live offspring. After a year at the State University, the urge to spread the gospel that Nevada was a land of he-men overcame him, and he forged forth to convert his fellow men to that belief. The Academy seemed fruitful ground so here he came, and thereby we gained an insight of a man of the West.

An active life has claimed him; but he has had time to open a few books and has been a "star man." Cosmo, Redbook, and Colliers are his standbys, and to them can be attributed his successful philosophy of life, "Live and let live." Always cheerful and ready to lend a helping hand. Life's ambition seems to be to command his own pigboat. During the four years that we've known him, he's been a fine roommate and a man we feel sure will go a long way in his chosen profession. We'll miss him at the parting of the ways; but, whenever our paths cross, he'll be assured of a hearty welcome. Good luck, boy, we hope you get your sub.

Log Staff 3, 2, 1; Reef Points Staff 3, 2, 1; Star 3, 2, 1; 1 P. O.

FRANCIS ELWOOD BROWN

Reno, Nevada

"Snozzle" "Cactus" "Frankie"

Reno, the biggest little city in the world delved into its bag of surprises and produced quite a live offspring. After a year at the State University, the urge to spread the gospel that Nevada was a land of he-men overcame him, and he forged forth to convert his fellow men to that belief. The Academy seemed fruitful ground so here he came, and thereby we gained an insight of a man of the West.

An active life has claimed him; but he has had time to open a few books and has been a "star man." Cosmo, Redbook, and Colliers are his standbys, and to them can be attributed his successful philosophy of life, "Live and let live." Always cheerful and ready to lend a helping hand. Life's ambition seems to be to command his own pigboat. During the four years that we've known him, he's been a fine roommate and a man we feel sure will go a long way in his chosen profession. We'll miss him at the parting of the ways; but, whenever our paths cross, he'll be assured of a hearty welcome. Good luck, boy, we hope you get your sub.

Log Staff 3, 2, 1; Reef Points Staff 3, 2, 1; Star 3, 2, 1; 1 P. O.

Loss

Francis was lost when USS S-44 (SS 155) was sunk by a Japanese escort ship on October 7, 1943 near the Kuril islands. He was the commanding officer.

Other Information

From researcher Kathy Franz:

In his youth, Francis went by Frank. At Reno High School, he played basketball. At Nevada State, he was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon. He was appointed to the Naval Academy in 1929 by Sen. Tasker L. Oddie.
His father Albert was a farmer and stockman who died in 1934. At the time, Francis was on the USS Texas. Francis’ mother was Emma, and he had seven siblings: Leland, Dorris, Vivian, Beatrice, Irvin, Orrin, and Ethel. His grandfather Peleg Brown left Rhode Island in 1856, purchased cattle in Kentucky and drove them to the Washoe Valley in 1857.

Frank earned third place on the honor roll of 432 graduating students.

From the 1953 edition of the book "Double Three Roundup," published by the class of 1933:

After graduation Frank served consecutively in the TEXAS and UPSHUR until January 1936, when he reported to the Submarine Base at New London for submarine training. His first sub duty was in the NAUTILUS, then the S-32, and, from April 1938 until May 1941, the SEAL. Upon being detached from the SEAL he reported to the staff of Commander Submarines, Asiatic Fleet. In early 1942 Frank became skipper of the S-39 and remained in that duty until the S-39 was lost on 16 August after striking a submerged reef off Rossel Island, Louisiade Archipelago. All hands were saved.
Frank assumed command of the S-44 on 19 October, 1942, and for several months was engaged in operations off New Georgia before shifting to the Northern Pacific. On 26 September 1943, the S-44 left Attu to begin a war patrol in the Kuriles. On the night of 7 October radar contact was made on what was thought to be a small merchant ship, but which turned out to be a Jap destroyer. Before the S-44 could submerge the destroyer scored several hits and the S-44 sank. About eight men got off the submarine but only two were picked up by the destroyer. Frank went down with his ship. He was later awarded the Purple Heart Medal and Army Distinguished Unit Badge.
Frank was survived by his widow, the former Juanita Lewis, and a son, Stephen. Juanita has since remarried, and as Mrs. Juanita E. Coverdale, is living at 2112 E. First Street in Long Beach, California.

His wife was listed as next of kin. He was also survived by seven brothers and sisters. He has a memory marker in Reno, Nevada, and he is also listed at the Courts of the Missing in Hawaii.

Photographs

Career

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

Engineering Officer USS Seal (SS-183) 1 Jul 1939 - 1 Nov 1940

Executive Officer USS Seal (SS-183) 2 Jan 1941 - 1 Apr 1941

Staff Submarine Division Fifteen

Assistant Maintenance Officer Commander Submarines Asiatic Fleet 10 Dec 1941

Captain USS S-39 (SS-144) 31 Mar 1942 - 15 Aug 1942

Captain USS S-43 (SS-154) 12 Sep 1942 - 16 Oct 1942

Captain USS S-44 (SS-155) 31 Oct 1942 - 7 Oct 1943

Lieutenant (j.g.) 1 Jun 1936

Lieutenant 1 Jul 1940

Lieutenant Commander (T) 1 Oct 1942

Wartime Service

Francis was commanding officer of USS S-39 (SS 144) from March 31, 1942 until August 15, 1942 when that boat went aground while on her 5th war patrol and was lost. The entire crew was saved before the boat was broken up on the rocks of Rossel Island.

For one month had command of S-43 (SS-154) before taking command of S-44 (SS-155) on October 31, 1942. He took the boat from the Pacific back to the east coast of the US for overhaul, returning to the war zone in September, 1943 (per the now-broken link http://www.fleetorganization.com/subcommanders.html). The fifth and final war patrol began September 26, 1943 from Attu Island, and ended with its destruction by the IJN destroyer Ishigaki (as recounted by two surviving crew members).

The NavSource.org site contains a ComSubPac Report taken from statements made by her two surviving crewmen, E.A. Duva, CTM, and W.F. Whitemore, RM3c, describing the first 4 war patrols of S-44 in the Solomons Islands area and the brief final patrol of the boat in the Kuril Islands near Attu (note: the source, however, is a broken link to ComSubPac):

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.
The Captain ordered, “Taker her down!” The diving alarm was sounded, but the ship did not submerge, for reasons not made clear in the statements of the survivors. Meanwhile, the destroyer had scored a hit below the water line in the control room, one in the conning tower, and one in the forward battery. The order was given to abandon ship, and a pillowcase was waved from the forward room hatch, in the hope that the enemy would cease firing, but they did not. The destroyer scored several more hits.

Francis is the only skipper to have lost two boats in World War II.

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.