OTTO F. KOLB, JR., LT, USN

Otto Kolb, Jr. '36

Date of birth: June 3, 1914

Date of death: February 28, 1942

Age: 27

Lucky Bag

From the 1936 Lucky Bag:

Otto Ferdinand Kolb, Jr.

Savannah, Georgia

"Otto"

At any place other than the Naval Academy Otto would be referred to as the life of the party. Without his smooth line and pleasing personality no bull session is complete. Before he entered the Academy he found an outlet for his oversupply of words announcing in a radio station, but since no such opportunities are offered here he has changed his pastimes to writing letters and amateur photography. Academics are the least of his worries, but he does not mind working when anything has to be done. He has that peculiar ability of being able to make friends with any and every one and this combined with his friendly manner has obtained for him a position of esteem among his classmates. May his success continue.

Football Manager 4, 3, 2; Baseball 4; Reception Committee; Glee Club 4, 3, 2, 1; Masqueraders 2; Reef Points 2, 1; Lucky Bag Class History Editor; Star 3, 2, 1; Three Stripes

Otto Ferdinand Kolb, Jr.

Savannah, Georgia

"Otto"

At any place other than the Naval Academy Otto would be referred to as the life of the party. Without his smooth line and pleasing personality no bull session is complete. Before he entered the Academy he found an outlet for his oversupply of words announcing in a radio station, but since no such opportunities are offered here he has changed his pastimes to writing letters and amateur photography. Academics are the least of his worries, but he does not mind working when anything has to be done. He has that peculiar ability of being able to make friends with any and every one and this combined with his friendly manner has obtained for him a position of esteem among his classmates. May his success continue.

Football Manager 4, 3, 2; Baseball 4; Reception Committee; Glee Club 4, 3, 2, 1; Masqueraders 2; Reef Points 2, 1; Lucky Bag Class History Editor; Star 3, 2, 1; Three Stripes

Loss

Otto was lost when HNLMS De Ruyter was sunk by a Japanese aerial torpedo during the Battle of the Java Sea February 28, 1942. He was aboard as a liaison officer for the (Dutch) commander of the Allied Striking Force. Previously, he had served aboard USS Houston (CA 30) until assigned to the staff on January 1, 1942.

Another American aboard, a signalman, was quoted in the Pittsburgh Press on March 27, 1942 that Otto and a British liaison officer survived the sinking and were in a lifeboat.

Other Information

From researcher Kathy Franz: In 1930, Otto was a radio operator at a receiving station in Savannah. He attended the Marion Institute 1931-1932. His parents were Otto, Sr., and Annie Mary. His brother Karl W. was in the Marines for 26 years and retired as a Colonel.

His wife was listed as next of kin. She remarried after the war.

Otto is remembered at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial; he has another Find A Grave page here.

Navy Cross

From Hall of Valor:

The President of the United States of America takes pride in presenting the Navy Cross (Posthumously) to Lieutenant Otto Ferdinand Kolb, Jr. (NSN: 0-77161), United States Navy, for extraordinary heroism and distinguished service in the line of his profession while serving as Liaison Officer with the Commander Allied Striking Force, serving on Her Majesty's ship De RUYTER, in the defense of Java during the period 1 January 1942 to 27 February 1942. Lieutenant Kolb acted to establish and effect communications between the vessels of the Allied Forces and rendered valuable service in maintaining those communications under most difficult conditions during hotly contested action with enemy Japanese forces. The conduct of Lieutenant Kolb throughout this action reflects great credit upon himself, and was in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.
Action Date: January 1 - February 27, 1942
Service: Navy
Rank: Lieutenant
Division: H.M.S. De Ruyter

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.