Monday Maritime Matters

Related reading: Sunday Ship History: U.S. Navy in Africa and Fred Fry’s Maritime Monday 97.
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CDR David Connole, USNCommander Connole made his mark on US Naval history as a submariner and the skipper of USS TRIGGER (SS-237) in WWII. As with many heroes of the submarine force, CDR David Connole and his crew were lost at sea due to enemy action on March 26th, 1945. It was the TRIGGER’s 12th and last war patrol. A more detailed story of the TRIGGER’s war record is found in Submarine!” by Edward Beach. CDR Connole was awarded two Silver Stars for his wartime record.Who was David Connole? Here is what I could find:

The Connole family name is Irish with David Connole’s grandfather, Anthony, immigrating from County Clare, Ireland in the mid-1800’s LO Carroilton, Illinois. David R. Connole was born on September 8, 1912 in Madison, ILas the first son of Henry Connole and Mary Rickart Connole. He did well in school and also became an Eagle Scout. After attending llinois College for two years, he gained entrance to the U.S. Naval Academy in 1932 and graduated in 1936. For the next three years, he served aboard the cruiser USS Boise then entered Submarine School.

From December 1939 to August 1943, Commander Connole served aboard the submarine USS Pompano which was involved in numerous war patrols in the Pacific. He then became executive officer of the USS Cuttlefish. In 1944, he took command of the USS Sennet and in 1945, he became the commanding officer of the USS Trigger. The U.S.S. Trigger was lost in battle off the coast of Japan in March, 1945.

Commander Connole was awarded two Silver Star medals, the Bronze Star medal and the U.S.S. Trigger earned the Presidential Unit Citation for three war patrols.

Vida Wimbrow was born on June 8, 1917 and raised in Annapolis, Maryland. She and David met in 1935 and were married in 1938. This young Navy couple lived in New London, Connecticut, San Francisco, California and Honolulu, Hawaii. During the war years, Vida lived in Annapolis. Their only son, Rickart Alan Connole, was born in September, 1944. David last saw his son at Rick’s christening in November, 1944.

In 1949, Vida married Captain Roy S. Benson who, by coincidence, commanded the U.S.S. Trigger in 1942 and was an instructor of navigation to David Connole at the Naval Academy.

Commissioned on August 30th, 1969, the USS CONNOLE (DE-1056) (Later FF-1056) was the ship that honors the memory of CDR Connole. The CONNOLE served in the Atlantic Fleet, and was decommissioned on August 30th, 1992 and transferred to the Greek Navy as the HHMS Ipiros (F-456), being decommissioned in that navy in 2003.A cruise book for the 1981 Med cruise was found here. Photos of the commanding officers from 1969 to 1992 were located here.

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Posted by xformed on February 11, 2008.

Categories: Navy

About Chaotic Synaptic Activity

I’ve traveled extensively, both as a child and in my professional career. I have a global view of the world and the situations we currently face as a nation. Between some practical experiences, lots of reading and some time sitting in classrooms/lecture halls, I have opinions that I will share here.more →