Rank and Name, Lieutenant Commander Mannert Lincoln Abele.

Unit/Placed in on, USS Grunion (SS-216) Submarine, United States Navy.

Mannert is born in 1903 in Massachusetts.

Father, Franciscus I. Abele.

Mother, Addie (Tupper) Abele.

Mannert enlisted the service in Massachuchsetts with service number # 0-060162.

Mannert was KIA when the Sub was attacked by the armed Japanese Freighter Kano Maru near the Harbor Entrance from Kiska on July 30, 1942, Lieutenant Commander Mannert L. Abele is honored with a  Second Nicaraguan Campaign Medal, Submarine Warfare Insignia, American Defense Medal with bronze star, Distinguished Marksmanship Ribbon,  Purple Heart, The Navy Cross, Combat Action Ribbon, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with star and the WWII Victory Medal.

Mannert is buried/mentioned at Honolulu Memorial Honolulu, Honolulu County, Hawaii, USA.

Courts of the Missing.

Mannert also has a Memorial Grave at Arlington National Cemetery.

Thanks to http://www.navsource.org/archives/01/45a.htm Jean Louis Vijgen, ABMC,  https://abmc.gov Info P.O.W.

Wes Injerd, Dwight Rider: http://www.mansell.com/pow-index.html

NavyLog, http://navylog.navymemorial.org Philippine Scouts Heritage Society, Sean Conjenos, http://www.philippine-scouts.org/

Familysearch.com, https://www.familysearch.org Navy Marines Info Geoffrey Roecker, https://missingmarines.com/ Medals Info, http://www.honorstates.org Website, https://hendrikswebdesign.nl/ 

TLCDR Mannert Lincoln Abele (SS) USN enlisted in the Navy August 12, 1920 and was appointed to the Naval Academy in June, l 1922. He was commissioned an Ensign June 3, 1926 and after the normal assignments to surface sea duty, entered training at Submarine School at New London in 1929. Prior to World War II, he commanded R-13 and S-31. On April 11, 1942 he assumed command of the USS Grunion SS-216 when she was commissioned. For the first war patrol she was assigned to the Western Aleutian Islands. On station, Grunion sunk two Japanese 300 ton Patrol Boats and heavily damaged a third. After severe depth charge attacks she was ordered to leave the Kiska Island area and report to a safe anchorage at Dutch Harbor. She never arrived, and was eventually reported missing and presumed lost.

Her fate remained a mystery for many years until LCDR Abele’s sons underwrote a search in the outer Aleutian Islands, were they discovered Grunion at a depth of 3,000 feet off Kiska Island.

According to one report, a confrontation with the Armed Japanese Freighter, IJN Kano Maru off Kiska Island took place and Grunion attacked with torpedoes. IJN Kano Maru was said to have lost electric power and communications capability after a torpedo strike damaged the starboard engine room. A  second strike below the bridge was a dud as were two other torpedo strikes. The IJN Kano Maru then counter-attacked the surfaced submarine with a deck gun and sank the Grunion.

The IJN Kano Maru, damaged in the exchange of weapons, was later sunk by aircraft on September 15, 1942.

The USS Mannert L. Abele DD-733 is named for LCDR Abele.

NAVY CROSS CITATION

The President of the United States of America takes pride in presenting the Navy Cross (Posthumously) to Lieutenant Commander Mannert Lincoln Abele USN, for extraordinary heroism in the line of his profession as Commanding Officer of the U.S.S. Grunion SS-216, during its First War patrol, in Alaskan Waters. Lieutenant Commander Abele conducted an aggressive and successful submarine war patrol from 30 June 1942 to 24 July 1942. He pressed home all attacks in such a skillful and resolute manner that he attacked and sank in one day, three enemy destroyers of the Towlekju Class. Despite severe anti-submarine measures, Lieutenant Commander Abele brought his ship safely through these counter attacks but was subsequently lost from an unknown cause. His courage and devotion to duty were in keeping with the highest traditions of the Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country.

Submitted by Doug Bewall RMCM USN Ret.

Sources:

Naval historical Center, Washington D.C.

Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships

The Destroyer History Foundation website

PacificWrecks.com (1995-2012)