This Military Service Page was created/owned by
Eugene Claude Ipox, Jr., TM1
to remember
Keehan, Robert James, CPO.
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Contact Info
Home Town Milwaukee
Date of Passing Sep 08, 2012
Location of Interment Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery (VA) - San Diego, California
KEEHAN, ROBERT JAMES Bob was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin July 25, 1923, to the late James Keehan and Agnes (Reedy) Keehan and passed away peacefully, September 8, 2012, at the age of 89 years in Escondido, California. In 1940 he left his beloved boyhood state and joined the United States Navy where he became a sailor in the submarine fleet. When World War II broke out, December 7, 1941, he was on the USS Sturgeon in Manila Harbor in the Philippine Islands. The USS Sturgeon was immediately dispatched on a war patrol to the area of Formosa. During the next three years the Sturgeon, operating out of Brisbane, Australia, played an important role in the history of the war in the Pacific Ocean where it ran eight war patrols and destroyed many Japanese ships. Late in 1944 he was reassigned to a new submarine, the USS Lizardfish, and served on two more war patrols. At the conclusion of World War II Bob remained in Hawaii where he distinguished himself as the star pitcher for the U.S. Navy's inter-service baseball team. Bob remained in the U.S. Navy until 1963 and retired as Chief Petty Officer engineering. Bob always expressed a deep respect for the commanding officers under which he served and his shipmates who prayed together as their submarine was being depth charged after an attack on enemy ships. Bob is survived by his sister Patricia Maultra and her husband Bud of EI Cajon, California and his many nieces, nephews and friends. He was preceded in death by his sister, Jean Seder of Milwaukee, Wisconsin and his beloved wife Julie Frodsham from Parker, Arizona. Bob and Julie lived in Escondido, traveled widely and had many close friends. He and Julie organized many reunions for his retired submarine shipmates. Services will be held at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery, October 24, 2012, at 11:00 a.m. In lieu of flowers please send donations to the Wounded Warrior Project.
Other Memories USS Blower (SS-325), a Balao-class submarine, was a ship of the United States Navy named for the blower, a fish of the Atlantic coast of the United States and the West Indies.
Blower (SS-325) was launched 23 April 1944 by Electric Boat Co., Groton, Conn.; sponsored by Mrs. Richard F. J. Johnson, wife of Commander Johnson, and commissioned 10 August 1944, Lieutenant Commander J. H. Campbell in command.
Blower arrived at Pearl Harbor 16 December 1944 and, after undergoing voyage repairs and training exercises got underway for her first war patrol 17 January 1945. She completed three war patrols before the termination of hostilities, all in the Java and South China Seas. All three patrols proved unprofitable for Blower and she arrived at Fremantle, Australia, from her last patrol 28 July 1945. Blower departed the Southwest Pacific in September 1945 and, after engaging in training exercises around the Marianas and Caroline Islands for several months, proceeded to the United States via Pearl Harbor, arriving at San Diego 29 January 1946.
From 1946 through 1949 Blower was attached to the Submarine Force, Pacific Fleet. She operated mainly along the west coast on scheduled torpedo exercises submerged sound school operations, and training programs. During the latter part of 1946 she made a cruise to Japan, via Pearl Harbor and the Marianas. Early in 1947 she participated in fleet operations near Pearl Harbor.
During August?September 1948 Blower operated in Alaskan waters with Carp (SS-338) patrolling along the contour of the Arctic ice pack in the Chukchi Sea, carrying out radar tracking and sonar exercises. Returning to San Diego,