Richard served as a Ordinary Seaman, S.S. Jean Nicolet, U.S. Merchant Marine during World War II.

He resided in Kennewick, Washington prior to the war. He was the son of Carl Henry Kean ( 1902 - 1989 ) and Erma Claire Gillespie Kean ( 1904 - 1984 ) who resided on a farm just outside of Albany, Linn County, Oregon.

The S.S. Jean Nicolet, a Liberty ship built in Portland, Oregon, in October 1943, was operated for the War Shipping Administration by the Oliver J. Olson Company of San Francisco and under the command of " Captain David Martin Nilsson " of Oakland, California.

The S.S. Jean Nicolet departed from San Pedro, California, on May 12, 1944 enroute to Colombo, Ceylon. She first made one stop in Fremantle, Australia and then departed from there on June 21, 1944 to continue on to Ceylon.

On board was a complement of 100 men consisting of 41 merchant crew, 28 Naval Armed Guard, and 31 passengers. The passenger list was made up of six U.S. Army officers, 12 U.S. Army enlisted men, eight Navy technicians, four civilians, and one U.S. Army medical corpsman.

Approximately 700 miles south of Ceylon she was struck by two torpedoes fired from the Japanese submarine I-8. Because of the ship's listing the Master (Captain), David Martin Nilsson, ordered everyone to "abandon ship" which it is believed everyone did safely.

Japanese submarine I-8 surfaced and called to all of the survivors to come over to their submarine. The majority, but not all, did so. Those that didn't tried to swim away and some of them did indeed survive. Approximately " 75 " of the survivors then boarded the submarine.

Captain Nilsson, Gus Tilden (radio operator), and Francis J. O'Gara (War Shipping Administration Representative) were taken to the conning tower and shoved below deck. Of the three only "O'Gara" survived the ordeal and the war.

The crew were held in two different locations ~ some on the fore deck and others on the after deck behind the conning tower of the submarine. Those on the fore deck did not realize that those on the after deck were being "executed" and thrown over board. Many were led, one by one, from the fore deck to the after deck to suffer that fate.

Soon a Liberator aircraft was detected by the submarine's radar and the commander of the submarine decided that he need to submerge. About 30 of the survivors, with their hands tied, were still on deck when the submarine went down into the sea. Some of them survived ... and some didn't.

" Richard Leroy Kean's story "
When Richard climbed out of a lifeboat to the sub's deck, he was searched, had his life jacket removed, and his arms were bound behind his back. The Japanese sailor who was leading him forward suddenly turned with a bayonet in his hand and plunged it into " Kean's " stomach. As Kean doubled over with pain, he was struck in the head with a rifle butt and kicked over the side into the water.

He was posthumously awarded the " Mariner's Medal with a Combat Bar with a Star " and the " Mariner's Prisoner of War Medal " !

His brother, " Pfc. Kenneth Karl Kean " , also died of wounds fighting with the U.S. Marine Corps in the Marianas Islands just 20 days later during World War II and was buried at sea.

10 Merchant crewmen, 10 Naval Armed Guards, and 4 passengers, including "O'Gara", survived to tell the story of the S.S. Jean Nicolet which is published in the book " A Careless Word - A Needless Sinking " by Arthur R. Moore.

( Bio by: Russ Pickett )

Richard served as a Ordinary Seaman, S.S. Jean Nicolet, U.S. Merchant Marine during World War II.

He resided in Kennewick, Washington prior to the war. He was the son of Carl Henry Kean ( 1902 - 1989 ) and Erma Claire Gillespie Kean ( 1904 - 1984 ) who resided on a farm just outside of Albany, Linn County, Oregon.

The S.S. Jean Nicolet, a Liberty ship built in Portland, Oregon, in October 1943, was operated for the War Shipping Administration by the Oliver J. Olson Company of San Francisco and under the command of " Captain David Martin Nilsson " of Oakland, California.

The S.S. Jean Nicolet departed from San Pedro, California, on May 12, 1944 enroute to Colombo, Ceylon. She first made one stop in Fremantle, Australia and then departed from there on June 21, 1944 to continue on to Ceylon.

On board was a complement of 100 men consisting of 41 merchant crew, 28 Naval Armed Guard, and 31 passengers. The passenger list was made up of six U.S. Army officers, 12 U.S. Army enlisted men, eight Navy technicians, four civilians, and one U.S. Army medical corpsman.

Approximately 700 miles south of Ceylon she was struck by two torpedoes fired from the Japanese submarine I-8. Because of the ship's listing the Master (Captain), David Martin Nilsson, ordered everyone to "abandon ship" which it is believed everyone did safely.

Japanese submarine I-8 surfaced and called to all of the survivors to come over to their submarine. The majority, but not all, did so. Those that didn't tried to swim away and some of them did indeed survive. Approximately " 75 " of the survivors then boarded the submarine.

Captain Nilsson, Gus Tilden (radio operator), and Francis J. O'Gara (War Shipping Administration Representative) were taken to the conning tower and shoved below deck. Of the three only "O'Gara" survived the ordeal and the war.

The crew were held in two different locations ~ some on the fore deck and others on the after deck behind the conning tower of the submarine. Those on the fore deck did not realize that those on the after deck were being "executed" and thrown over board. Many were led, one by one, from the fore deck to the after deck to suffer that fate.

Soon a Liberator aircraft was detected by the submarine's radar and the commander of the submarine decided that he need to submerge. About 30 of the survivors, with their hands tied, were still on deck when the submarine went down into the sea. Some of them survived ... and some didn't.

" Richard Leroy Kean's story "
When Richard climbed out of a lifeboat to the sub's deck, he was searched, had his life jacket removed, and his arms were bound behind his back. The Japanese sailor who was leading him forward suddenly turned with a bayonet in his hand and plunged it into " Kean's " stomach. As Kean doubled over with pain, he was struck in the head with a rifle butt and kicked over the side into the water.

He was posthumously awarded the " Mariner's Medal with a Combat Bar with a Star " and the " Mariner's Prisoner of War Medal " !

His brother, " Pfc. Kenneth Karl Kean " , also died of wounds fighting with the U.S. Marine Corps in the Marianas Islands just 20 days later during World War II and was buried at sea.

10 Merchant crewmen, 10 Naval Armed Guards, and 4 passengers, including "O'Gara", survived to tell the story of the S.S. Jean Nicolet which is published in the book " A Careless Word - A Needless Sinking " by Arthur R. Moore.

( Bio by: Russ Pickett )