Biwerse, Denis, LCDR

Deceased
 
 Service Photo   Service Details
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Last Rank
Lieutenant Commander
Last Rating/NEC Group
Line Officer
Primary Unit
1941-1941, Commander Naval Base, Pearl Harbor, HI
Service Years
1934 - 1946
Lieutenant Commander Lieutenant Commander

 Last Photo   Personal Details 

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Home State
Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Year of Birth
1912
 
This Military Service Page was created/owned by Steven Loomis (SaigonShipyard), IC3 to remember Biwerse, Denis (Denny), LCDR.

If you knew or served with this Sailor and have additional information or photos to support this Page, please leave a message for the Page Administrator(s) HERE.
 
Contact Info
Home Town
Sheboygan WI
Last Address
Died: Rancho Mirage,
Riverside, California
Burial:
Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington, Virginia, USA
Plot: Sec: 70, Site: 728
Date of Passing
Oct 24, 1994
 
Location of Interment
Arlington National Cemetery (VLM) - Arlington, Virginia

 Official Badges 

WW II Honorable Discharge Pin US Navy Honorable Discharge


 Unofficial Badges 

Pearl Harbor Memorial Medallion Blue Star


 Military Associations and Other Affiliations
National Cemetery Administration (NCA)
  1994, National Cemetery Administration (NCA)


 Additional Information
Last Known Activity:

Commander Denis Harry Biwerse, USN

Survived attacks by Japanese aircraft, December 1937 and December 1941

USS Panay, December 1937
The youngest officer on board was Lieutenant Junior Grade Denis Harry Biwerse, communications officer, a 25-year-old Wisconsinite who was assigned to the USS Asheville, but was filling in on the Panay until a replacement arrived from the states.

LTjg Biwerse had stepped out onto the forward port deck and was hit by the first explosion. He was dazed and sat on the deck with his uniform completely blown off except for his shirt. The bomb caused massive damage to the Panay, knocking out the 3-inch bow gun, wrecking the pilot house, destroying the radio equipment, toppling the main mast, rupturing the main fuel line, damaging the sick bay, puncturing the fire room, and severely wounding several other crewmen.

After recovering, Biwerse destroyed confidential publications, sank the code book, gathered clothes and blankets, collected rations and fresh eggs, and took a Lewis machine gun and ammunition. He also released the steam in the boilers to avoid an explosion when the cold river water hit the engine room. Dazed and in shock, Biwerse was one of the last to abandon ship.
  Four years later, to the month, Lieutenant Biwerse was in Pearl Harbor.

He was later awarded $5,000 by the Japanese government for his wounds.

Pearl Harbor, December 1941.
Lieutenant Biwerse, and 11 other survivers of the attack on the USS Panay, witnessed the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.

From a hometown release, The Sheboygan Press, 3 September 1943: LCDR Biwerse is a veteran of Pearl Harbor and naval engagements in the South Pacific area. Since then he has been in the Solomons, the Indian ocean, Java sea and other points in the South Pacific.

Denis H. Biwerse, Sheboygan HS, class of 1929, Sheboygan Wisconsin.
A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis Maryland.

NTWS profiles of USS Panay crew members include:
RM2 Charles S. ADAMS:
http://navy.togetherweserved.com/profile/525799
Ens. (LCdr.) Denis H. BIWERSE: http://navy.togetherweserved.com/profile/525655
SK1 Charles Lee ENSMINGER:
http://navy.togetherweserved.com/profile/525837
LTjg (CDR) John W. GEIST:
http://navy.togetherweserved.com/profile/525659
LT (CAPT) Clark G. GRAZIER  (MC):
http://navy.togetherweserved.com/profile/525665
FN1c John L. HODGE:
http://navy.togetherweserved.com/profile/525870
GM2 (CWO3) John N. HENNESSY:
http://navy.togetherweserved.com/profile/525814
BT2 (CPO) Fon B. HUFFMAN:
http://navy.togetherweserved.com/profile/525570
SN1c Edgar W. G. HULSEBUS (KIA): http://navy.togetherweserved.com/profile/525825
QMC (WO) John H. LANG:
http://navy.togetherweserved.com/profile/523744
BMC Ernest R. MAHLMANN:
http://navy.togetherweserved.com/profile/525643


Denis Harry Biwerse, sometimes listed as Dennis or Benis. These may be errors from newspaper articles at the time of the sinking of the USS Panay.

Denis H. Biwerse was born on 27 May 1912. He died on 24 Oct 1994.  Denis graduated from Sheboygan (Wisconsin) High School in 1929. He attended Culver Military Academy and entered the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, Md., in 1930 and graduated in 1934.

   
Other Comments:

Newspapermap

 

   

  1958-1960, Claremont Graduate University
FromYear
1958
ToYear
1960

College
Claremont Graduate University

Major
Masters in mathematics
   
Patch
 Claremont Graduate University Details


Contact Phone Number
Not Specified

Contact Email
Not Specified

Year Established
Not Specified

Address
Not Specified

Website
Not Specified
   

Last Updated:Dec 21, 2011
   
Personal Memories

Other Memories
Predictors of several variables and their relative reliability for placement of students in junior college mathematics classes.

Claremont Graduate School, 1960 - 110 pages

   
My Photos From This College
No Available Photos

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