ROBERT O. BAUSH, LCDR, USN

Robert Baush '08

Date of birth: October 23, 1885

Date of death: February 14, 1918

Age: 32

Lucky Bag

From the 1908 Lucky Bag:

ROBERT OLIVER BAUSH

Somerset, Pennsylvania

"Bobbie"

A jolly fat little Dutchman, quiet and reserved except when talking about Somerset. Submits to a lot of running in a good-natured way. Tries to reduce his weight by cutting out meats, butter, etc., and then filling up on rich desserts. Used to be a fusser before he lost his heart on second class leave. Likes to rhino a bit, and when he thinks he's ill-treated assumes a forlorn, woebegone look that is surely heart-touching. Buys a new pipe every time he goes ashore, as well as a few fragrant (?) Havanas. A good little fellow, well liked by all who know him.

ROBERT OLIVER BAUSH

Somerset, Pennsylvania

"Bobbie"

A jolly fat little Dutchman, quiet and reserved except when talking about Somerset. Submits to a lot of running in a good-natured way. Tries to reduce his weight by cutting out meats, butter, etc., and then filling up on rich desserts. Used to be a fusser before he lost his heart on second class leave. Likes to rhino a bit, and when he thinks he's ill-treated assumes a forlorn, woebegone look that is surely heart-touching. Buys a new pipe every time he goes ashore, as well as a few fragrant (?) Havanas. A good little fellow, well liked by all who know him.

Loss

Robert was lost on February 14, 1918 when he died following an "accidental fall" while aboard USS Utah (Battleship No. 31) while the ship was in Norfolk.

Other Information

From researcher Kathy Franz:

Robert graduated from the local high school in 1904. He was nominated to the Naval Academy by Congressman Allen F. Cooper.
In the Somerset census of April, 19, 1910, Robert was living with his mother, siblings, grandmother Mary Knepper, and grand uncle James Pugh. In the census of June 25, 1910, he was on USS New York.
Robert reported to the Naval Academy as an instructor on October 1, 1914. He took a post-graduate course in naval engineering and received a Master of Science in Engineering from Columbia University in 1916.
Per The Republic on February 21, 1918: “Lt.-Com. Baush gave his life not only in the service of his country, but in the performance of an act of heroism by which he saved the lives of two seamen at the cost of his own. . . . His ship was engaged in an “all hands” maneuver and owing to the Lt.-Commander's particular duties he was in immediate charge of the engineer's force on deck. Seeing two of the crew standing in a position where they were in imminent danger of being instantly killed, he dashed between the men and pushed them to safety. But in so doing he lost his balance and fell 40 feet before landing upon a steel deck, dying some hours later as a result of his injuries.”
Robert married Lucille Belt of Dallas, Texas, in September 1915. Her brother was Lt.-Commander Haller Belt, a classmate of Robert at Annapolis.
Robert's uncles were both graduates of the Naval Academy: Captain Chester M. Knepper, Class of 1884, and Orlo Knepper, Class of 1895.

He was survived by his wife, mother, sister, and brother; he is buried in Pennsylvania.

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.