I was surprised to be told that a memorial plaque commemorating all submariners lost in World War II could not be placed at Arlington, but that each family could request a regulation stone for the hillside of the missing, so I presented plans for one to my mother and my aunt, listing my father as a torpedoman's mate first class. My aunt said, "He was made chief before he was killed." My mother argued that he was killed first, though he was supposed to have been made chief. My aunt pulled me aside and said, "Don't put up the stone until you can prove that he was promoted to chief."
The
search that ensued led to many other marvelous discoveries. I attended
a World War II Submarine Veterans convention and could not get enough
of what these wonderful men were willing to take time to tell me about
submarine life! I learned that my father had been part of a group called
"Spritz's Navy," that underwent rigorous and exacting training to become
submariners, in Groton, Connecticut, in early 1940. Only one in ten men
who applied were accepted for this training, and one-third of those were
quietly "let go" before training was completed. I bought a roster and
was astounded to learn that Triton's original deck logs are at the National
Archives. Reading them was fascinating, and I copied every page, plus
the muster rolls, war patrol reports, action reports, and all of the message
traffic that I could find. I began to learn more than I had ever thought
possible, from men whose names were found in the deck logs. John Deane,
the Connecticut State Commander of the Submarine Veterans of World War
II, and his wife Vivian, provided a wonderful last photo of Triton's crew.
Mr. Willard Devling, a Triton crewmember, who gave up his place on that fateful sixth war patrol to another who asked the favor, remembers my dad's on-deck promotion to chief petty officer and seeing him wearing his chief's hat, on board the submarine moored in Brisbane, Australia, prior to the last patrol. Mr. Devling also told me of helping celebrate the promotion by ceremoniously throwing my father into the Brisbane River, a common practice among submariners of the day.
Captain George Whiting, my father's boss on board Triton for the first three patrols, responding to a letter I'd written, said he'd lived next to and felt very close to my dad for 2 1/2 years. He told me of my dad's ability and place in battle, saying "Mac was the first loader on the deck gun crew that sank the first enemy ship by gunfire from a U.S. submarine in World War II. I was very proud of that gun crew." Captain Whiting later honored us by speaking of my father at the Arlington ceremony.
 Torpedoman Lloyd Charles McKenzie with his daughters Jeanine and Gayle |
These dear gentlemen not only brought my father alive for me, but listening to them, plus reading the Archives records and books about submarines in World War II, made me aware of the intensity with which these men served and the extent to which they sacrificed. It has been an astounding revelation!
These were marvelous surprises, and more have surfaced as I've followed other leads in my ongoing search. We learned of and attended the ceremonies by Submarine Veterans of World War II, September 1995, in Groton, Connecticut, to dedicate the Submarine Wall of Honor listing each submariner lost in World War II. The wall is a block from where we lived on Spicer Avenue in 1940, while my father was training to become a submariner - it was the first time we'd returned in over 55 years.
In essence, these and many other wonderful submariner veterans, and the research that I have been privileged to do, have given my father to me, and I feel a great sense of pride and gladness. Also appreciated very much is the involvement of our present-day Submarine Force in maintaining and honoring its heritage. In April 1996, the Submarine Warfare Division at the Pentagon, the Submarine Veterans of World War II, and the U.S. Naval Submarine League provided a very meaningful ceremony for the dedication of my father's memorial stone at Arlington National Cemetery, at which time a chief's shadow box was presented to our family by the U.S. Naval Submarine League. I am so amazed by and proud of our Submarine Force today and the service it has given through the years.
In-depth
research of message traffic for the sixth patrol revealed Triton's being
praised for having sunk four of a convoy of five Japanese cargo ships
and damaged the fifth over a two-day period, before her own loss. Early
in the patrol, Triton tells of making an emergency dive to avoid her own
circular-run torpedo. According to information found in John Alden's study
and book, U.S. Submarine Attacks During World War II, Triton sank
a total of nineteen Japanese vessels and damaged seven, during the first
fifteen months of World War II. Those sunk included enemy tankers, transports,
a destroyer, and a submarine.
Finally, in 1994, we inherited letters my father wrote to his parents and sisters. In one of the last, he wrote of how he missed all of us. He told his family not to worry, with one of his last sentences being, "This war is a hard and dirty life, but when it's over, nothing will ever be too difficult again."
Jeanine
McKenzie Allen
Class of 1962
Editor's Note...
We would like to express sincere appreciation to Sonalysts, Inc. and Hugh Lauter Levin and Associates, for granting us permission to reprint Jeanine McKenzie Allen's article, "Finding My Father," that appears on pp. 135-137 of the book, United States Submarines (ISBN 0-88363-103-2). Special thanks to Commander David R. Hinkle, USN, (Ret.) Editor-in-Chief at Sonalysts, Inc., and James O. Muschett, Project Editor for Hugh Lauter Levin and Associates.
Recently published to commemorate the first 100 years of the U.S. Navy's Submarine Force, United States Submarines, is the product of three years' work sponsored by The Naval Submarine League, a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of naval submarine history and traditions. The book is now available at Costco, Barnes & Noble, Borders, and online at amazon.com and other web sites. Additionally, a first edition of the book has been graciously donated to the Longwood University library by Jeanine McKenzie Allen.
- Editor