WWII · Battle Death Record
Howard Gilmore
Commander, U.S. Navy · Alabama
Medal of Honor
Personnel File — Core Information
- Name
- Howard Gilmore
- Entered the Service From
- Alabama
- Rank
- Commander
- Service
- U.S. Navy
- Unit / Regiment
- USS Growler (SS-215)
- War
- WWII
- Date of Death
- February 7, 1943
- Awards
- Medal of Honor, Navy Cross, Purple Heart
- Burial / Memorial
- Manila American Cemetery and Memorial, Taguig, Metro Manila, Philippines
- Grave
- Walls of the Missing
Their story
As commanding officer of the submarine USS Growler during her fourth war patrol off the Solomon Islands on February 7, 1943, Gilmore maneuvered to ram an attacking Japanese gunboat that was closing to ram the surfaced submarine. Wounded by machine-gun fire and unable to reach safety below, he ordered "Take her down!", sacrificing his own life so the Growler could dive and escape. His remains were never recovered.
Compiled from American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) and National Archives (NARA) records and public sources.
This record is one of more than 200,000 in our historical archive. Some information may have been corrupted or lost over decades of data conversion. Corrections are welcome — please contact the archive.