HOWARD J. ABBOTT, LT, USN

Howard Abbott '31

Date of birth: May 21, 1910

Date of death: June 20, 1941

Age: 31

Lucky Bag

From the 1931 Lucky Bag:

Howard Joseph Abbott

Osceola, Iowa

"Hal"

Having acquired sound and happy health in the wide lands of Iowa, Hal showed an early disposition to reach out for an education that would help him climb to some successful station in life. His enthusiastic spirit was directed toward the Naval Academy.

Hal is ever alert and interested in all that goes on about him. He derives an uncommon joy from living because he sees good in every thing. His good natured, pleasing humour, and his able fund of conversation make him a pleasant companion in any circle. An easy manner, polite and quiet demeanor, and ready jollity make up a personality that is well admired by those who know him. An aptitude for sports is built upon his force of action, for he plays a creditable game of basketball and golf.

Though somewhat reserved at times, Hal has moved about enough to acquire worldliness sufficient to act the part of a thorough gentleman. Here is a lad who appreciates the merry and more refined things of life and is conscientious in his undertakings.

Basketball 4; Reception Committee 2; Pep Committee M. P. O.

Howard Joseph Abbott

Osceola, Iowa

"Hal"

Having acquired sound and happy health in the wide lands of Iowa, Hal showed an early disposition to reach out for an education that would help him climb to some successful station in life. His enthusiastic spirit was directed toward the Naval Academy.

Hal is ever alert and interested in all that goes on about him. He derives an uncommon joy from living because he sees good in every thing. His good natured, pleasing humour, and his able fund of conversation make him a pleasant companion in any circle. An easy manner, polite and quiet demeanor, and ready jollity make up a personality that is well admired by those who know him. An aptitude for sports is built upon his force of action, for he plays a creditable game of basketball and golf.

Though somewhat reserved at times, Hal has moved about enough to acquire worldliness sufficient to act the part of a thorough gentleman. Here is a lad who appreciates the merry and more refined things of life and is conscientious in his undertakings.

Basketball 4; Reception Committee 2; Pep Committee M. P. O.

Loss

Howard was lost when USS O-9 (SS 70) sank during a test dive on June 20, 1941. He was the commanding officer, and had been since the boat was placed back into commission on April 14, 1941.

Other Information

From researcher Kathy Franz:

Howard graduated from Osceola high school in 1927.
He married Constance Kennedy of Philadelphia. They had two children, Stephanie, age 7, born in Shanghai, and Stephen, age 1, born in Oregon. Howard, his wife and Stephanie traveled from Manila to Seattle in May, 1935, and from Honolulu to Los Angeles in May, 1938.
In November, 1935, Howard was aboard the destroyer Perry when the ship rescued the passengers and crew from the wrecked steamer Silver Hazel in San Bernardino straits, Philippine islands.
In May, 1939, Howard reported to the bureau of navigation, navy department. In October, 1940, he transferred to the U.S.S. Spearfish.
From the Sioux City Journal, June 21, 1941:

…His father said that Howard was on the submersible used for the motion picture Submarine D-1, starring Pat O’Brien. He was responsible for providing the actor with the necessary sub lore. They became close friends during the three-month association…
The O-9, one of the oldest submarines and recently recommissioned after a decade of idleness, went into a deep trial dive at 7:56 o’clock, (E.S.T.) Friday morning. About two hours later a smoke bomb distress signal came to the surface.
A frantic search followed, but no sound came from the O-9, nor was any direct contact made, until the rescue ship Falcon, one of a dozen navy vessels which rushed to the scene, radioed shortly before 8 p.m.:
“Have picked up painted cork, pieces of O-9 deck grating, oil slick, air bubbles, depth 67 fathoms.”
The submarine previously had been reported at a depth of 370 feet, although it was built to stand only the pressure of a 200-foot depth. The Falcon’s report placed her at 402 feet.
An officer who returned from the scene reported that it appeared that the cork bits had come from the inside of the hull…

From The Gazette, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, July 13, 1941:

Congressman [Karl M.] LeCompte introduced a bill to provide for the erection of a memorial to the 33 men who went down to their deaths on the submarine O-9 off the coast of New Hampshire.
LeCompte’s special interest lies in the fact that the commander of the ill-fated pigboat, Lieut. Howard Abbott, grew up at Osceola in his congressional district and was the only son of one of the prominent families of southern Iowa.

Howard’s father Frank was former postmaster and retired publisher of the Osceola Sentinel. His mother Mildred first heard of the sinking on the radio. His sisters were Alice (Mrs. Ronald Easter) and Maurine (Mrs. Joe Cellman.)

He was survived by his wife and at least one child, a daughter who was married in 1954. He has a memory marker in Iowa.

There is a memorial to the officers and crew of USS O-9 (SS 70) in New Hampshire.

Photographs

From The Courier on June 22, 1941
From The Des Moines Register on June 21, 1941

Career

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

Under Instruction Marine Corps School Quantico 1939

Duty including Executive Officer USS Breese (DD-122) 1 Oct 1939 - 1 Jul 1940

Under Orders to assume Command USS Spearfish (SS-190) 1 Nov 1940 (orders cancelled)

Executive Officer USS Spearfish (SS-190) 2 Jan 1941 - 1 Apr 1941

Captain USS O-9 (SS-70) 14 Apr 1941 - 20 Jun 1941

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.