Five Faculty Men Die in War; Abele Lost in Sea Action

Five members of the Harvard faculty have given their lives in the Second World War, the War Records Office at Lehman Hall announced last night. The list includes: Lieutenant Commander Mannert L. Abele, USN; Coloniel Philip Fox; Commander Lawrence J. McPeake, USN; Captain Sherwood Pickering, USN; Lieutenant Commander Hugh D. Black, USN.

A native of Quincy, Massachusetts, Lt. Comdr. Abele entered the Naval Academy in 1922, graduating in 1926 with the rank of ensign. After serving for 13 years in various Navy capacities, he was assigned to Harvard in 1939 to serve as assistant professor of Naval Science and Tactics, a post which he held through September, 1940.

After leaving Cambridge, Lt. Comdr. Abele took his place in the Submarine Service as skipper of the USS Grunion. in September, 1942, the ship was reported missing in action. A year later, with no word to the contrary received, he was "presumed lost in action." For his outstanding bravery in action, he received, posthumously, the Navy Cross and the Purple Heart Medal. He was also entitled to the American Defense Service Medal, the Fleet Clasp, and the Asiatic-Pacific Area Campaign Ribbon. In his honor, the government launched the destroyer USS Mannert L. Abele on April 23, 1944.