Sidney Arthur Loe

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=9209053

Sidney was born August 15, 1916 in Sanish, ND; his parents were Henry and Ingeborg Loe. The family lived on a farm near Sanish until Ingeborg's death in 1927. After her death, Henry was unable to manage the farm and all of the children, so the children were sent to the Fargo Children's Home. Sidney lived in the children's home and various foster homes, until he was old enough to live on his own. He farmed with his brother, Torgny, and his father until 1938 or 1939, when he moved to Fargo.

Sidney enlisted with the Navy for four years on February 23, 1939. He went to visit all of his siblings, before reported to the Naval Training Station Great Lakes, Illinois, for training. On June 1, 1939, he reported aboard the battleship, USS Oklahoma, where he served until May 11, 1940. He transferred to Submarine School in New London, Connecticut, in July 1940. He graduated from Submarine and Diesel coursed in October and transferred to Receiving Station Philadelphia, PA, as a Fireman Second Class. There he was assigned to the submarine, USS S-1. His rank was changed to Fireman First Class, and he transferred back to Submarine Base New London, Connecticut, in connection with the fitting out of the USS Grunion. He became a permanent member of the crew at the Grunion's commissioning on April 11, 1942. Sidney went down with the Grunion on July 30, 1942 off the Aleutian Islands. The Grunion reportedly sank, when it was hit by a Japanese ship it had torpedoed. When the Grunion surfaced, after hitting the Japanese ship, a deck-mounted cannon on Japanese ship hit the conning tower as it surfaced, and the Grunion sank, killing the 70 men on board. He was declared killed in action on August 2, 1943. He was a Machinist's Mate, Second Class and was awarded a Purple Heart, as well as other medals. Sidney's family was devastated by his death. His brother, Torgny, joined the Army, after Sidney's submarine disappeared.

Sidney liked the Navy but missed his family. He wrote letters and sent postcards from various locations. He is remembered as a happy, loving person with a lot of ambition and great personality.

The family held a private service when they were notified of the Grunion's disappearance and Sidney's presumed death. Another memorial service was held at Riverview Cemetery northwest of New Town, ND, on June 22, 2002, to honor Sidney and his brother, Torgny. Bethel Lutheran Pastor Grant Patterson presided over the service and the New Town Legion Post Honor Guard performed a salute to the fallen veterans. Memorial markers for Sidney and Torgny were placed at the Riverview Cemetery, which overlooks the site of the former town of Sanish, where the Loe family farmed for several years.

At the USS Bowfin Submarine Museum and Park at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, there is a public memorial honoring the 52 American submarines and the more than 3,500 submariners, including Sidney Loe, lost during WWII. The park is adjacent to the USS Arizona Memorial Visitor Center. (Sidney's Honolulu memorial)

Note: there have been several articles related to the Grunion that mention Sidney, including one in the Bismarck Tribune, Sunday, January 21, 2007, titled "Search is on for lost submarine." There were also articles in the Minot Daily News and the Grand Forks Herald. The Associated Press picked up the story from the Minot Daily News. The USS Grunion was located near Kiska in 2007/2008. Information about the Grunion is at the www.csp.navy.mil/ww2boats/ grunion.htm website as well as the eternal patrol web site.