DOB/DOD: March 12, 1907 (Norwalk, CT) – February 21, 1945; 37 years old
MARITAL STATUS: Married Violet Rowland Durand (1903-1974) in 1931 in Boston, Massachusetts
LOCAL ADDRESS: French Street, Watertown
ENLISTMENT: Initially enlisted in 1927
SERVICE NUMBER: 2069255
SHIP ASSIGNED TO: USS Hocking (APA-121)
STATUS: MISSING IN ACTION
FAMILY: Born to Frederick (1887-1933) and Harriett Meade Gilbert (1887-1966). Oldest of 10 children. Siblings are Bruce (1911-1978), Justina Gilbert Burton (1915-1989), Margaret Gilbert Grasso (1917-1994), Pauline Gilbert Klein (1919-2004), Elizabeth “Libby” Gilbert Sundwall and Pratt (1922-2000), Harriet Gilbert Wilson (1923-1945), twins Richard (1925-2008) and Russell (1925-2013), and Catherine Gilbert Rebman (1926-2007).
OTHER: Frederick moved from Norwalk to Watertown in his teens and then to Boston. He enlisted in the Navy in 1927 in New Haven and began his career as a fireman. He would continue to reenlist and later become a Machinist’s Mate. He maintained and repaired equipment for the ships he served on. Between 1940 and 1945, Frederick served on at least six different ships. Between 1940 and 1943, he sailed with the USS Winslow (DD-359), a Porter-class destroyer, and the APC-4, used for coastal transport. In 1944, he sailed with the ATR-53 and ATR-52, both rescue tugs for other disabled ships. Later, in 1944 and into 1945, he sailed with the USS Hocking (APA-121), a Haskell-class attack transport ship, and the USS Sentry (AM-299), an Admirable-class minesweeper. 1, 2
Photo from Ancestry.com. Used with permission.
From hazegray.org: After her arrival at Pearl Harbor on 10 December, the USS Hocking embarked Marines and took part in amphibious exercises and rehearsal preparatory to the Iwo Jima invasion, destined to be one of the most important and hard-fought of the war. She joined the vast armada of transports on 27 January 1945 en route to Eniwetok and, after a stopover at that island base, arrived at Iwo Jima on 19 February. There, Hocking debarked her troops and unloaded equipment in the early waves of the assault. She then anchored offshore, received casualties, and departed on 27 February for Saipan, where she arrived on 2 March.
CMM Gilbert died of nephritis aboard the USS Hocking. Nephritis is a condition in which the tissues in the kidney become inflamed and have problems filtering waste from the blood. Nephritis may be caused by infection, inflammatory conditions (such as lupus), certain genetic conditions, and other diseases or conditions. Cause of death is listed on this Report Of Change from the USS Hocking on February 27, 1945: 4
Buried at Sea. Honored at the Honolulu Memorial, Courts of the Missing, Court 3, 2177 Puowaina Drive, Honolulu, Hawaii. Photo from FindAGrave.com. 3,5
1 – 1930 census https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/6224/
2 – 1940 census https://www.ancestry.com/cs/1940-census
3 – https://findagrave.com
4 – https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1143/
5 – https://abmc.gov