FRASER S. KNIGHT, LCDR, USN

Fraser Knight '40

Date of birth: April 17, 1917

Date of death: June 18, 1945

Age: 28

Lucky Bag

From the 1940 Lucky Bag:

FRASER SINCLAIR KNIGHT

Miami, Florida

Fraser

Florida and the Capitol City alike lay claim to this tall, blond specimen of agreeable manhood. Fraser, the man who has never been known to hurry, has truthfully philosophized, "You have rushed all your life, and I have taken my time, and here we are in the exact same spot." Crew has claimed the "Colonel's" energies these four years, but it is of the long fairways and sparkling greens that he fondly dreams. The best of roommates and of friends, with a supreme sense of humor accompanied by a ready wit, we confidently send him on his way amid our sincere hopes of a lifetime of "Good shooting!"

Football 4; Crew 4, 2; Golf 3, 1.

FRASER SINCLAIR KNIGHT

Miami, Florida

Fraser

Florida and the Capitol City alike lay claim to this tall, blond specimen of agreeable manhood. Fraser, the man who has never been known to hurry, has truthfully philosophized, "You have rushed all your life, and I have taken my time, and here we are in the exact same spot." Crew has claimed the "Colonel's" energies these four years, but it is of the long fairways and sparkling greens that he fondly dreams. The best of roommates and of friends, with a supreme sense of humor accompanied by a ready wit, we confidently send him on his way amid our sincere hopes of a lifetime of "Good shooting!"

Football 4; Crew 4, 2; Golf 3, 1.

Loss

Fraser was lost when USS Bonefish (SS 223) was sunk by Japanese surface forces in Toyama Wan on June 18, 1945.

Other Information

From researcher Kathy Franz:

Fraser graduated from Miami Edison High School and was a football star. He was nominated to the Naval Academy by Rep. J. Mark Wilcox.
Fraser married Eleanor Barron in 1943. Their son Fraser Sinclair Knight was born October 13, 1945, in Moore, North Carolina. They lived with her parents in Southern Pines, North Carolina.
Fraser’s father Floyd L. Knight was founding member of the law firm Knight, Pace & Paine. In 1936, the family lived in Washington, D. C., where his father worked in the office of the comptroller of currency. His father died on January 3, 1937. His mother Ruth remarried Dr. W. Murray Hollyday. She died in 1965.

The deck log of USS Salt Lake City (CA 25) “Detached Knight, Fraser S., Lt. to proceed and report to C. O. Submarine Base, New London, Conn. for temporary duty under instruction in submarines.” on May 9, 1943.

Fraser has a memory marker in Arlington National Cemetery; he is also listed at the Courts of the Missing in Hawaii. His wife was listed as next of kin.

Photographs

From the Lucky Bag

Silver Star

From Hall of Valor:

(Citation Needed) - SYNOPSIS: Lieutenant Commander Fraser S. Knight (NSN: 0-85289), United States Navy, was awarded the Silver Star (Posthumously) for gallantry in action as Assistant Approach Officer of the U.S.S. BONEFISH (SS-223), during the SIXTH War Patrol of that vessel in enemy Japanese controlled waters of the Pacific, from 5 September to 8 November 19445. Lieutenant Commander Knight materially assisted his commanding officer in sinking three enemy ships totaling 22,000 tons and damaged two additional vessels totaling 8.900 tons.
General Orders: Bureau of Naval Personnel Information Bulletin No. 368 (October 1947)
Action Date: September 5 - November 8, 1944
Rank: Lieutenant Commander

His headstone in Arlington National Cemetery also cites him as a recipient of the Bronze Star.

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.