Robert served as a Sergeant, U.S. Army Air Force during World War II.

Robert was a passenger on the merchant ship S.S. Jean Nicolet.

He resided in Guilford County, North Carolina prior to the war.

He enlisted in the Army Air Corps on November 10, 1941, prior to the war, at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. He was noted, at the time of his enlistment, as being employed as a Driver and also as Single, without dependents.

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.

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.

Robert was declared "Missing In Action" in this incident during the war.

He was awarded the Purple Heart.

Service # 34173610

Robert also has a "cenotaph" in the Summerfield United Methodist Church Cemetery, Summerfield, North Carolina with his parents.
" Click Here " for that record.

( Bio & Family Links by Russ Pickett )

Robert served as a Sergeant, U.S. Army Air Force during World War II.

Robert was a passenger on the merchant ship S.S. Jean Nicolet.

He resided in Guilford County, North Carolina prior to the war.

He enlisted in the Army Air Corps on November 10, 1941, prior to the war, at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. He was noted, at the time of his enlistment, as being employed as a Driver and also as Single, without dependents.

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.

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.

Robert was declared "Missing In Action" in this incident during the war.

He was awarded the Purple Heart.

Service # 34173610

Robert also has a "cenotaph" in the Summerfield United Methodist Church Cemetery, Summerfield, North Carolina with his parents.
" Click Here " for that record.

( Bio & Family Links by Russ Pickett )