Benjamin W. Bonk

Rank: Seaman First Class

Branch: U.S. Navy

Serial: 08117935

Unit: USS Escolar (SS-294)

Entered the service from: New Jersey

Died: November 1944

Memorialized at: Tablets of the Missing, Manila American Cemetery, Manila, Philippines

Awards: Purple Heart

Seaman First Class Benjamin Wallace Bonk was born in 1924, the sixth child of Stanley and Stella Bonk. His father had come to America from Poland in 1906. In 1930 the family owned a home at 1148 Jackson Street, and his father was working as a solderer in a lamp factory. At some point the family also had lived at 1409 Mount Ephraim Avenue, Camden NJ. Benjamin Bonk attended the Henry L. Bonsall School on Mount Ephraim Avenue. The March 10, 1944 edition of the Camden Courier-Post reported that he lived at 1102 Morton Street in Camden.

Benjamin Bonk served in the US Navy in the submarine branch for 16 months. He had completed training at the submarine school at New London CT by March 10, 1944. During his time in the Navy, he was also stationed at Bainbridge MD, San Francisco CA, and Pearl Harbor.

Benjamin Bonk was killed while serving aboard the submarine USS Escolar, along with Radioman First Class Kenneth S. Campbell of Westmont NJ. He was survived by his parents, Stanley Bonk and Stella Bonk, of 5059 Russell Avenue, Pennsauken NJ, two brothers, Alexander and Stephen, and three sisters, Josephine, Eleanor, and Sophie.

Bonsall

“Father’s Night” was the feature of the meeting last Tuesday during which Mrs. Elizabeth Addis presided. Mrs. Kathryn Atkinson was program chairman. Barney Brown, zone chairman of men’s membership, spoke. There were musical features and playlets given by the boys of the school. Charles Miller delivered the essay written by Morton Kline on “Why Fathers Should be Interested in the P.T.A.” The following children participated: Herbert Obarski, Edward Boreck, Frank Schuda, Richard Sorbicki, Benny Bonk, Thomas Del Rossi, Alexander Sochacki, the Lyons brothers, Lloyd, Rudolph and James; Leonard Lewandowski, Robert Trace, Francis Dougherty, Edward Slupinski, Frank Tolkacz, Edward De Lecce, Charles Cooper, Joseph Garner, Richard Kimakovich, Fortune Frenoy, German Cooper, William Schuda, Edward Wnuk and Alfred Wassynger.

Built by the Cramp Shipbuilding Company of Philadelphia, PA and commissioned June 2, 1944 with Commander William J. Millican in command, the USS Escolar was a Balao-class submarine carrying a crew of 6 officers and 60 enlisted men.

USS Escolar (SS-294) had her final training for combat at Pearl Harbor, from which she put out for her first war patrol September 18 and proceeded to Midway to top off with fuel. There she joined USS Croaker (SS-246) and USS Perch (SS-313) and left on September 23 to conduct a coordinated patrol in the Yellow Sea north of 30°N. Commander Millican was in command of this coordinated attack group, designated “Millican’s Marauders.”

On September 30, when Escolar was estimated to be about north of the Bonin Islands, the following partial message was received from her: “This from ESCOLAR X attacked with deck gun boat similar to ex-Italian Peter George five OTYI ———.” Although no further transmissions were ever received by bases from Escolar, who was forced to break off the transmission and the engagement with the gunboat at that time, Croaker had stated that she suffered no damage and was in frequent communication with Perch and Croaker until October 17, 1944.

Perch reported that on October 17 she had received a message from Escolar stating that she was in position 33°44′N; 127°33′E, and was heading for 33°44′N; 129°06′E. Neither Perch nor Croaker could raise Escolar by radio after this transmission was received.

Had Escolar left her area on the scheduled date, she would have arrived at Midway about November 13, 1944. All attempts to contact Escolar failed and she was reported on November 27, 1944 as presumed lost. It is assumed that she was lost about October 17. Information supplied by the Japanese on anti-submarine attacks gives no clue as to the cause of her loss, but the Yellow Sea area is thought to have been mined. A course line plotted between the two positions given above does not cross any known Japanese mine lines, but positions of mines laid before April 1945 are not definitely located. The known minefields in Tsushima Strait were laid in April 1945. However, there were mines in the general area of Escolar’s predicted position, and the most likely explanation for her end is that she detonated a mine.