Robert Eugene Johnson (1925 - 1963)

Born 20 Jun 1925 in Junction City, Ohio, USA

Died 10 Apr 1963 at age 37 in At Sea

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Biography

• Crewman (Chief Torpedoman's Mate) aboard the USS Thresher, a submarine that sank during deep-diving tests off the coast of Massachusetts.
  • Thresher was the first nuclear submarine lost at sea and only one of four lost with more than 100 people aboard.^[1]
  • Several memorials have been dedicated to honor the lost aboard the Thresher and several with specific crewmen honored - including a memorial at Arlington to the whole crew dedicated in Sept 2019.

• 1942 Enlisted, US Navy
  • Served aboard the USS Denebola (AF 56) [or possibly the Denebola (AD-12)]^[2], Torsk (SS 423), Staff of commander, Submarine Squadron 4; Grenadier (SS 525), Paddle (SS 263), Gar (SS 206), Trout (SS 566)
• 27 Feb 1961 Assigned to the USS Thresher (SS 593) - was the first to qualify for this class of ship^[2], first "Chief of Boat"^[2] serving as executive petty officer for enlisted persons
• Awards: Good Conduct Medal, World War II Victory Medal, American Campaign Medal, Navy Occupation Medal (Asia Clasp), European African and Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, Submarine Combat Pin, plus several letters of commendation

• s/o Mrs. Marie N. Johnson^[2]
  • Bro/o Mrs. Betty Harmon^[2]
• m. Rizalina^[2]

Images

• Headshot

Sources

1. ↑ Wikipedia: USS Thresher, accessed 3 Oct 2020.
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5} USS Thresher: Ship Roster, accessed 9 Oct 2020.

• "Lost Nukes of the Cold War." Drain the Oceans. (Season 2 Episode 6). National Geographic. 29 July 2019.
• "In Memoriam." Memorial Service Programme for the loss of the USS Thresher. 1963. Navsource.org. Accessed 3 Oct 2020.
• USS Thresher Naval History & Heritage Command - Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS); See: Men Who Perished in the Loss of Thresher (SSN-593) on 10 April 1963