Manning Kimmel
Encyclopedia
Manning Marius Kimmel was a United States Navy
submarine
officer in World War II
and the son of Admiral Husband E. Kimmel
. He served as both junior and Executive Officer on several submarines, and finally assumed command of USS Robalo
as a Lieutenant Commander. Kimmel was reportedly killed when Robalo was sunk off the island of Palawan
. However, the specific circumstances surrounding his death remain unclear.
, who would eventually become the commander of the Pacific Fleet
at the time of the attacked by the Japanese
at Pearl Harbor
, Hawaii
.
The younger Kimmel followed his father's footsteps and entered the United States Naval Academy
, graduating in June 1935. Ensign Kimmel's first assignment was aboard the battleship USS Mississippi
. He subsequently went to Groton
, Connecticut
in 1938 for submarine training. Upon completion of his training, Kimmel was assigned as a junior officer aboard the submarine S-39
and served aboard her until the middle of 1941.
The now Lieutenant Kimmel was transferred to the new Gato-class
submarine USS Drum
(SS-228). At the outbreak of hostilities, Drum operated off the east coast of Honshū
where Kimmel had his first formal experience with combat. At the end of 1942, Kimmel became Executive Officer
of Drum.
In 1943, Kimmel became Executive Officer aboard a new Gato-class submarine, USS Raton
(SS-270) and served in that role until 1944.
In May 1944, Admiral Ralph Waldo Christie
, commander of submarine operations out of Perth
-Fremantle
, relieved Steven Ambruster of command of the Gato-class submarine USS Robalo
(SS-273) and selected Lieutenant Commander Kimmel to be her new skipper.
Kimmel took Robalo to the South China Sea
to operate against tanker traffic trying to supply the Japanese fleet at Tawi Tawi. During one attack against a target, Robalo was attacked by a Japanese plane. Bombs from the plane severely damaged the submarine's periscopes, damaged her conning tower, and wrecked her radar. When diving to escape the aircraft, the main induction flooded and the boat plunged towards the bottom until Kimmel stopped her descent at 350 feet. Despite the damage, Kimmel insisted the Robalo remain on patrol.
Admiral Christie was concerned that Kimmel was being overly aggressive, and submarine commander Herber "Tex" McLean commented on Robalo's patrol, "Anybody else would have come home long before. I worried that Kimmel was a little too anxious to put the name of Kimmel high in Navy annals." But not only was Kimmel the son of the former commander of the Pacific Fleet, he was also the nephew of Admiral Thomas C. Kinkaid
, so Christie took no action.
Repairs, however, were eventually made, and when they were complete, Kimmel was ordered to take Robalo to Indochina
via the Balabac Strait
, separating Palawan
and Borneo
. Christie had received reports of Japanese minefields in the Balabac Strait, but a number of submarines, including Robalo on her first patrol, successfully transited the body of water. Kimmel had received information about the minefields and was given instructions how to safely navigate the area.
On July 3, 1944, Robalo received an Ultra
communiqué, and attempted to intercept a Fuso-class battleship
. Kimmel sent off a contact report, which was the last message ever received from him. On the night of July 26, while on the surface, Robalo apparently strayed off course, struck a mine and sank. An unknown number of survivors, possibly as many as seven, managed to make it ashore on Palawan
. But before they could make contact with Filipino
guerrillas
, they were captured by Japanese forces.
The prisoners were taken to Puerto Princesa prison camp where, a few days later, one of the survivors dropped a note out of a cell window. The note was retrieved by a U.S. Army
prisoner
who was on a work detail. The note was eventually smuggled to the wife of a guerrilla leader. Her husband, Dr. Mendosa, then forwarded the information to Admiral Christie. Ultimately, none of the crew members survived; some or all of them may have been murdered by the Japanese or perished while being transported to a different location.
It has been proposed that some of the Robalo survivors were taken aboard one or more destroyers sometime around August 15. However these ships, possibly the Yūnagi
and Asakaze, were subsequently sunk by American submarines before they could reach their destinations. Asakaze was sunk on August 23, 1944 off Cape Bilinao, Luzon
by USS Haddo (SS-255)
, and Yūnagi was sunk August 25, 1944 off N.W. Luzon by the USS Picuda (SS-382)
.
Admiral Christie informed the Kimmel family at the time that Manning had gone down with his ship. However, Christie confided after the war that he had received intelligence that gave a different account of Kimmel's death, an account which he intentionally withheld for the sake of the family.
According to this alternative account, Kimmel survived the sinking. However, a few days after the crew was captured, some American aircraft attacked Japanese installations on Palawan. The Japanese reportedly flew into a rage at the attack, pushed Kimmel and several other Robalo crew members into a ditch, doused them with gasoline, and set them afire. (The Palawan Massacre of US POWS by the Japanese did occur in this fashion in Puerto Princesa City
-- but that happened December 14, 1944, not July 1944.)
After Admiral Christie received the report of Manning Kimmel's death, he had Kimmel's brother, Thomas, pulled from combat duty.
In later years, Admiral Kimmel had a third son, Manning M. Kimmel III. In 1994 Manning III's two sons, South Carolina broadcaster Manning Kimmel IV (b. 1948) and his brother Thomas appeared before a Senate subcommittee, attempting to have Admiral Kimmel's four-star rank restored and be exonerated for accusations of mismanagement of the naval response to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. As of 2009 their efforts to restore Admiral Kimmel's rank have been unsuccessful.
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
officer in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and the son of Admiral Husband E. Kimmel
Husband E. Kimmel
Husband Edward Kimmel was a four-star admiral in the United States Navy. He served as Commander-in-chief, U.S. Pacific Fleet at the time of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Because of the attack, he was removed from office and was reduced to his permanent two-star rank of rear admiral...
. He served as both junior and Executive Officer on several submarines, and finally assumed command of USS Robalo
USS Robalo (SS-273)
USS Robalo , a Gato-class submarine, was the only ship of the United States Navy to be named for the róbalo or common snook. Her keel was laid down on 24 October 1942 by the Manitowoc Shipbuilding Company at Manitowoc, Wisconsin. She was launched on 9 May 1943, sponsored by Mrs. E.S...
as a Lieutenant Commander. Kimmel was reportedly killed when Robalo was sunk off the island of Palawan
Palawan
Palawan is an island province of the Philippines located in the MIMAROPA region or Region 4. Its capital is Puerto Princesa City, and it is the largest province in the country in terms of total area of jurisdiction. The islands of Palawan stretch from Mindoro in the northeast to Borneo in the...
. However, the specific circumstances surrounding his death remain unclear.
Biography
Manning Kimmel was born in Washington, D.C. on April 22, 1913. His father was Admiral Husband E. KimmelHusband E. Kimmel
Husband Edward Kimmel was a four-star admiral in the United States Navy. He served as Commander-in-chief, U.S. Pacific Fleet at the time of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Because of the attack, he was removed from office and was reduced to his permanent two-star rank of rear admiral...
, who would eventually become the commander of the Pacific Fleet
United States Pacific Fleet
The United States Pacific Fleet is a Pacific Ocean theater-level component command of the United States Navy that provides naval resources under the operational control of the United States Pacific Command. Its home port is at Pearl Harbor Naval Base, Hawaii. It is commanded by Admiral Patrick M...
at the time of the attacked by the Japanese
Attack on Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of December 7, 1941...
at Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...
, Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
.
The younger Kimmel followed his father's footsteps and entered the United States Naval Academy
United States Naval Academy
The United States Naval Academy is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located in Annapolis, Maryland, United States...
, graduating in June 1935. Ensign Kimmel's first assignment was aboard the battleship USS Mississippi
USS Mississippi (BB-41)
USS Mississippi , a , was the third ship of the United States Navy named in honor of the 20th state, and the second battleship to carry the name. Commissioned in 1917, too late to serve in World War I, she served extensively in the Pacific in World War II, for which she earned eight battle stars...
. He subsequently went to Groton
Groton, Connecticut
Groton is a town located on the Thames River in New London County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 39,907 at the 2000 census....
, Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
in 1938 for submarine training. Upon completion of his training, Kimmel was assigned as a junior officer aboard the submarine S-39
USS S-39 (SS-144)
USS S-39 was a United States NavyS-class submarine that saw combat in the Pacific Ocean during World War II. She was accidentally run aground on her fifth war time patrol and was subsequently abandoned....
and served aboard her until the middle of 1941.
The now Lieutenant Kimmel was transferred to the new Gato-class
Gato class submarine
The United States Navy Gato class submarine formed the core of the submarine service that was largely responsible for the destruction of the Japanese merchant marine and a large portion of the Imperial Japanese Navy in World War II...
submarine USS Drum
USS Drum (SS-228)
USS Drum is a Gato-class submarine of the United States Navy, the first Navy ship named after the drum, any of various types of fish capable of making a drumming sound. Drum is presently on display as a museum ship in Mobile, Alabama, at Battleship Memorial Park.Drum was laid down on 11 September...
(SS-228). At the outbreak of hostilities, Drum operated off the east coast of Honshū
Honshu
is the largest island of Japan. The nation's main island, it is south of Hokkaido across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyushu across the Kanmon Strait...
where Kimmel had his first formal experience with combat. At the end of 1942, Kimmel became Executive Officer
Executive officer
An executive officer is generally a person responsible for running an organization, although the exact nature of the role varies depending on the organization.-Administrative law:...
of Drum.
In 1943, Kimmel became Executive Officer aboard a new Gato-class submarine, USS Raton
USS Raton (SS-270)
USS Raton , a , was a ship of the United States Navy named for the raton, a polynemoid fish inhabiting semitropical waters off the Pacific coast of America....
(SS-270) and served in that role until 1944.
In May 1944, Admiral Ralph Waldo Christie
Ralph Waldo Christie
Ralph Waldo Christie was an admiral in the United States Navy who played a pivotal role in the development of torpedo technologies...
, commander of submarine operations out of Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
-Fremantle
Fremantle, Western Australia
Fremantle is a city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle was the first area settled by the Swan River colonists in 1829...
, relieved Steven Ambruster of command of the Gato-class submarine USS Robalo
USS Robalo (SS-273)
USS Robalo , a Gato-class submarine, was the only ship of the United States Navy to be named for the róbalo or common snook. Her keel was laid down on 24 October 1942 by the Manitowoc Shipbuilding Company at Manitowoc, Wisconsin. She was launched on 9 May 1943, sponsored by Mrs. E.S...
(SS-273) and selected Lieutenant Commander Kimmel to be her new skipper.
Kimmel took Robalo to the South China Sea
South China Sea
The South China Sea is a marginal sea that is part of the Pacific Ocean, encompassing an area from the Singapore and Malacca Straits to the Strait of Taiwan of around...
to operate against tanker traffic trying to supply the Japanese fleet at Tawi Tawi. During one attack against a target, Robalo was attacked by a Japanese plane. Bombs from the plane severely damaged the submarine's periscopes, damaged her conning tower, and wrecked her radar. When diving to escape the aircraft, the main induction flooded and the boat plunged towards the bottom until Kimmel stopped her descent at 350 feet. Despite the damage, Kimmel insisted the Robalo remain on patrol.
Admiral Christie was concerned that Kimmel was being overly aggressive, and submarine commander Herber "Tex" McLean commented on Robalo's patrol, "Anybody else would have come home long before. I worried that Kimmel was a little too anxious to put the name of Kimmel high in Navy annals." But not only was Kimmel the son of the former commander of the Pacific Fleet, he was also the nephew of Admiral Thomas C. Kinkaid
Thomas C. Kinkaid
Thomas Cassin Kinkaid was an admiral in the United States Navy during World War II. He built a reputation as a "fighting admiral" in the aircraft carrier battles of 1942 and commanded the Allied forces in the Aleutian Islands Campaign...
, so Christie took no action.
Repairs, however, were eventually made, and when they were complete, Kimmel was ordered to take Robalo to Indochina
Indochina
The Indochinese peninsula, is a region in Southeast Asia. It lies roughly southwest of China, and east of India. The name has its origins in the French, Indochine, as a combination of the names of "China" and "India", and was adopted when French colonizers in Vietnam began expanding their territory...
via the Balabac Strait
Balabac Strait
Balabac Strait is a strait in the South China Sea, at . It separates the Balabac island , Philippines from the Banggi Island north of Borneo that are a part of Malaysia's Sabah state....
, separating Palawan
Palawan
Palawan is an island province of the Philippines located in the MIMAROPA region or Region 4. Its capital is Puerto Princesa City, and it is the largest province in the country in terms of total area of jurisdiction. The islands of Palawan stretch from Mindoro in the northeast to Borneo in the...
and Borneo
Borneo
Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is located north of Java Island, Indonesia, at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia....
. Christie had received reports of Japanese minefields in the Balabac Strait, but a number of submarines, including Robalo on her first patrol, successfully transited the body of water. Kimmel had received information about the minefields and was given instructions how to safely navigate the area.
On July 3, 1944, Robalo received an Ultra
Ultra
Ultra was the designation adopted by British military intelligence in June 1941 for wartime signals intelligence obtained by "breaking" high-level encrypted enemy radio and teleprinter communications at the Government Code and Cypher School at Bletchley Park. "Ultra" eventually became the standard...
communiqué, and attempted to intercept a Fuso-class battleship
Japanese battleship Fuso
The Japanese battleship Fusō , was a part of the Imperial Japanese Navy, the lead ship of the Fusō-class. She was laid down by the Kure Kaigun Koshō on 11 March 1912, launched on 28 March 1914 and completed on 18 November 1915...
. Kimmel sent off a contact report, which was the last message ever received from him. On the night of July 26, while on the surface, Robalo apparently strayed off course, struck a mine and sank. An unknown number of survivors, possibly as many as seven, managed to make it ashore on Palawan
Palawan
Palawan is an island province of the Philippines located in the MIMAROPA region or Region 4. Its capital is Puerto Princesa City, and it is the largest province in the country in terms of total area of jurisdiction. The islands of Palawan stretch from Mindoro in the northeast to Borneo in the...
. But before they could make contact with Filipino
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
guerrillas
Guerrilla warfare
Guerrilla warfare is a form of irregular warfare and refers to conflicts in which a small group of combatants including, but not limited to, armed civilians use military tactics, such as ambushes, sabotage, raids, the element of surprise, and extraordinary mobility to harass a larger and...
, they were captured by Japanese forces.
The prisoners were taken to Puerto Princesa prison camp where, a few days later, one of the survivors dropped a note out of a cell window. The note was retrieved by a U.S. Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
prisoner
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
who was on a work detail. The note was eventually smuggled to the wife of a guerrilla leader. Her husband, Dr. Mendosa, then forwarded the information to Admiral Christie. Ultimately, none of the crew members survived; some or all of them may have been murdered by the Japanese or perished while being transported to a different location.
It has been proposed that some of the Robalo survivors were taken aboard one or more destroyers sometime around August 15. However these ships, possibly the Yūnagi
Japanese destroyer Yunagi (1924)
was the ninth and final vessel of the Kamikaze-class destroyers built for the Imperial Japanese Navy following World War I. Advanced for their time, these ships served as first-line destroyers through the 1930s, but were considered obsolescent by the start of the Pacific War.-History:Construction...
and Asakaze, were subsequently sunk by American submarines before they could reach their destinations. Asakaze was sunk on August 23, 1944 off Cape Bilinao, Luzon
Luzon
Luzon is the largest island in the Philippines. It is located in the northernmost region of the archipelago, and is also the name for one of the three primary island groups in the country centered on the Island of Luzon...
by USS Haddo (SS-255)
USS Haddo (SS-255)
, a Gato-class submarine, was the first ship of the United States Navy to be named for the haddo, a pink salmon fish prevalent on the Pacific coast of the United States and Canada....
, and Yūnagi was sunk August 25, 1944 off N.W. Luzon by the USS Picuda (SS-382)
USS Picuda (SS-382)
USS Picuda , a Balao-class submarine, was originally named Obispo, making her the only ship of the United States Navy to be named for the obispo, a spotted sting ray.-Construction and launching:...
.
Admiral Christie informed the Kimmel family at the time that Manning had gone down with his ship. However, Christie confided after the war that he had received intelligence that gave a different account of Kimmel's death, an account which he intentionally withheld for the sake of the family.
According to this alternative account, Kimmel survived the sinking. However, a few days after the crew was captured, some American aircraft attacked Japanese installations on Palawan. The Japanese reportedly flew into a rage at the attack, pushed Kimmel and several other Robalo crew members into a ditch, doused them with gasoline, and set them afire. (The Palawan Massacre of US POWS by the Japanese did occur in this fashion in Puerto Princesa City
Puerto Princesa City
The City of Puerto Princesa is a city located on the western provincial island of Palawan, one of 80 provinces which make up the Philippines...
-- but that happened December 14, 1944, not July 1944.)
After Admiral Christie received the report of Manning Kimmel's death, he had Kimmel's brother, Thomas, pulled from combat duty.
In later years, Admiral Kimmel had a third son, Manning M. Kimmel III. In 1994 Manning III's two sons, South Carolina broadcaster Manning Kimmel IV (b. 1948) and his brother Thomas appeared before a Senate subcommittee, attempting to have Admiral Kimmel's four-star rank restored and be exonerated for accusations of mismanagement of the naval response to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. As of 2009 their efforts to restore Admiral Kimmel's rank have been unsuccessful.
External links
- US People--Kimmel, Manning M., Lieutenant Commander, USN at www.history.navy.mil