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Dahlia Ford (Dee Dee), RM3
to remember
Ramirez de Arellano, Marion, CAPT USN(Ret).
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Contact Info
Home Town Mayaquez
Last Address Andrews Air Force Base, Washington, D.C.
Date of Passing May 15, 1980
Location of Interment Arlington National Cemetery (VLM) - Arlington, Virginia
Ramirez de Arellano was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, the capital of the island. When he was just a child, his parents moved for a short period of time to Athens, Georgia where he began grade school. The family soon returned to the island and both his parents found employment as professors at the University of Puerto Rico. Ramirez de Arellano continued his education in Puerto Rico and after he graduated from high school, he attended the University of Puerto Rico for two years.
Upon his graduation, he was commissioned an Ensign and assigned to the USS Ranger, the first ship of the United States Navy to be designed and built from the keel up as an aircraft carrier. He served aboard as Gunnery Officer from 1935 to 1937. From 1937 to 1938, he attended Submarine School at Groton, Connecticut.
In 1938, Ramirez de Arellano was assigned as Division Officer of the USS Pickerel, a Porpoise-class submarine. The Pickerel was training near the Philippines when on December 8, 1941 the islands were attacked by Japan. The Pickerel was ordered to patrol the coast of the islands and on her second war patrol she sank the Kanko Maru, a Japanese vessel, in the Gulf of Davao off Mindanao. He participated in five war patrols with the Pickerel and led the effort to rescue five Navy pilots and one enlisted gunner off Wake Island. He also contributed to the sinking of two Japanese freighters and damaging a third. For his actions, he was awarded a Silver Star Medal and a Legion of Merit Medal.
In April 1944, Ramirez de Arellano as named Commanding Officer of the USS Balao, thus becoming the first Hispanic submarine commanding officer.[1] He participated in his ship's war patrols 5, 6 and 7. On July 5, 1944, Ramirez de Arellano led the rescue of three downed Navy pilots in the Palau area. On December 4, 1944, the Balao departed from Pearl Harbor to patrol in the Yellow Sea. The Balao engaged and sunk the Japanese cargo ship Daigo Maru on January 8, 1945. Ramirez de Arellano was awarded a Bronze Star with Combat V and a Letter of Commendation.
In February 1945, Ramirez de Arellano worked with submarine relief crews in Submarine Division 202 and he served as Commander of Submarine Division 16.
In May 1946, Ramirez de Arellano was named Commanding Officer of Submarine Base, Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. With the exception of his other two ship commands, the USS Lindenwald (1952-1954) and of the USS Thomaston (1954-1955), Ramirez de Arellano held various administrative and teaching positions among them Assistant to War Plans Officer, Caribbean Sea Frontier, 10th Naval District (1947-1949) and in the Department of Languages, U.S/ Naval Academy (1949-1952). He was War Plans Officer, Joint U.S. Military Group in Madrid, Spain from May 1955 to June 1957 and the Deputy Director of the Inter-American Defense Board in Washington, D.C. from July 1957 to July 1961. On July 1, 1961, Captain Ramirez de Arellano retired from the Navy.
World War II
After a brief stint at the Navy Yard on Mare Island, he was reassigned to the USS Skate, a Balao class submarine. He participated in the Skates first three war patrols and was awarded a second Silver Star Medal for his contributions in the sinking the Japanese light cruiser Agano, on his third patrol. The Agano had survived a previous torpedo attack by submarine USS Scamp.
Captain Marion Frederic Ramirez de Arellano (August 5, 1913-May 15, 1980), born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, was a submarine commander in the United States Navy who was the first Hispanic submarine commanding officer. He was awarded two Silver Star Medals, the Legion of Merit, and a Bronze Star Medal for his actions against the Japanese Imperial Navy during World War II.
Early years
Ramirez de Arellano was born in San Juan, the capital of Puerto Rico. When he was just a child, his parents moved for a short period of time to Athens, Georgia where he began grade school. The family soon returned to the island and both his parents found employment as professors at the University of Puerto Rico. Ramirez de Arellano continued his education in Puerto Rico and after he graduated from high school, he attended the University of Puerto Rico for two years.
USS Balao, October 25, 1944
In 1938, Ramirez de Arellano was assigned as Division Officer of the USS Pickerel, a Porpoise-class submarine. The Pickerel was training near the Philippines when on December 8, 1941 the islands were attacked by Japan. The Pickerel was ordered to patrol the coast of the islands and on her second war patrol she sank the Kanko Maru, a Japanese vessel, in the Gulf of Davao off Mindanao. He participated in five war patrols with the Pickerel and led the effort to rescue five Navy pilots and one enlisted gunner off Wake Island. He also contributed to the sinking of two Japanese freighters and damaging a third. For his actions, he was awarded a Silver Star Medal and a Legion of
Merit Medal.
In April 1944, Ramirez de Arellano as named Commanding Officer of the USS Balao, thus becoming the first Hispanic submarine commander. He participated in his ship's war patrols 5, 6 and 7. On July 5, 1944, Ramirez de Arellano led the rescue of three downed Navy pilots in the Palau area. On December 4, 1944, the Balao departed from Pearl Harbor to patrol in the Yellow Sea. The Balao engaged and sunk the Japanese cargo ship Daigo Maru on January 8, 1945. Ramirez de Arellano was awarded a Bronze Star Medal with Combat V and a Letter of Commendation. In February 1945, Ramirez de Arellano worked with submarine relief crews in Submarine Division 202 and he served as Commander of Submarine Division 16.
Post-World War II
In May 1946, Ramirez de Arellano was named Commanding Officer of Submarine Base, St. Thomas, Virgin Islands. With the exception of his other two ship commands, the USS Lindenwald (1952-1954) and of the USS Thomaston (1954-1955), Ramirez de Arellano held various administrative and teaching positions among them Assistant to War Plans Officer, Caribbean Sea Frontier, 10th Naval District (1947-1949) and in the Department of Languages, U.S/ Naval Academy (1949-1952). He was War Plans Officer, Joint U.S. Military Group in Madrid, Spain from May 1955 to June 1957 and the Deputy Director of the Inter-American Defense Board in Washington, DC from July 1957 to July 1961. On July 1, 1961, Captain Ramirez de Arellano retired from the Navy.
Personal
Ramirez de Arellano was married to Isabel Judson Mysie with whom he had three sons. He died on May 15, 1980 at Andrews Air Force Base near Washington, D.C.
Awards and decorations
Among Ramirez de Arellano's military decorations were the following:
Silver Star Medal with a Gold Star in lieu of a second Silver Star Medal
Bronze Star Medal
Legion of Merit
Navy Distinguished Service Medal
American Defense Service Medal
Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal
World War II Victory Medal
Badges
Submarine Officers Warfare insignia
World War II/Asiatic-Pacific Theater/Surrender of Japan, End of WWII
From Month/Year
August / 1945
To Month/Year
August / 1945
Description The surrender of the Empire of Japan was announced by Imperial Japan on August 15 and formally signed on September 2, 1945, bringing the hostilities of World War II to a close. By the end of July 1945, the Imperial Japanese Navy was incapable of conducting major operations and an Allied invasion of Japan was imminent. Together with the United Kingdom and China, the United States called for the unconditional surrender of the Japanese armed forces in the Potsdam Declaration on July 26, 1945—the alternative being "prompt and utter destruction". While publicly stating their intent to fight on to the bitter end, Japan's leaders (the Supreme Council for the Direction of the War, also known as the "Big Six") were privately making entreaties to the still-neutral Soviet Union to mediate peace on terms more favorable to the Japanese. Meanwhile, the Soviets were preparing to attack Japanese forces in Manchuria and Korea (in addition to southern Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands) in fulfillment of promises they had secretly made to the United States and the United Kingdom at the Tehran and Yalta Conferences.