John A. Bole

John Archibald Bole, Jr.
John A. Bole
Born	March 28, 1906 Elmhurst, New York
Died	February 16, 1943 (aged 36) near New Britain
Allegiance	United States of America
Years of service	1924–1943
Rank	Lieutenant Commander, USN
Commands held	Amberjack (SS-219)
Awards	Navy Cross (posthumous)

John Archibald Bole, Jr. (born in Elmhurst, New York, 28 March 1906, died near New Britain, Territory of New Guinea, 16 February 1943), was a United States Navy officer. He graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1928. After serving in Tennessee (BB-43), he underwent submarine training. Bole subsequently served in a succession of submarines, taking command of S-21 in June 1940. Appointed Lieutenant Commander 2 January 1942, he became the commanding officer of Amberjack (SS-219) upon her commissioning in July 1942. After two offensive patrols in the Solomon Islands, the submarine departed Brisbane, Australia 26 January 1943 to prowl the shipping lanes around Rabaul. She sank a freighter 4 February and was last heard from 10 days later. Japanese records indicate Amberjack was probably sunk in an attack 16 February 1943 at about 5°05′S 152°37′E / 5.083°S 152.617°E. Lt. Comdr. Bole was awarded the Navy Cross for his outstanding performance as her commander.

Namesake

• In 1944, the destroyer USS John A. Bole (DD-755) was named in his honor.

References

This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.