Frederick Lois Riefkohl
Frederick Lois Riefkohl | |
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Rear Admiral Frederick Lois Riefkohl[
Early years
Riefkohl (birth name: Luis Federico Riefkohl Jaimieson[note 1]), was born and raised in Maunabo, Puerto Rico, his father was Luis A. Riefkohl y Sandoz,[note 2] a Puerto Rican native and his mother and Julia Ana Jamieson (or Jamielson), a native of Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands.[1][2][3] His paternal grandfather was Otto Riefkohl, a native of Germany and his paternal grandmother was Luisa Sandoz, a native of Switzerland who had immigrated to Puerto Rico in the mid-1800s.[4] His older brother was Rudolph W. Riefkohl, who during World War I played an instrumental role in helping the people of Poland overcome the 1919 typhus epidemic. Rudolph eventually became a Colonel in the United States Army Corps of Engineers. His other siblings were his sisters, Helen, Emily and Louise Riefkohl.[5][6][7]
During his formative years, Luis Federico Riefkohl received his primary and secondary education in various places. These included the towns of
During
Pre-World War II
Riefkohl was reassigned to the Fifteenth Naval District, Balboa, Canal Zone as District Communication Officer. From 1920 to 1923, he served in various ships and in different administrative positions, among which were Squadron Radio Officer for Destroyer Squadron 3, Atlantic Fleet; Aide and Force Radio Officer on the Staff of Commander Destroyer Force, Atlantic Fleet and Executive Officer of the USS Preble en route to the Asiatic Station. From August 1922 until October 1923, Riefkohl served as Aide and Flag Secretary and Fleet Radio and Communication Officer to the Commander in Chief of the Asiatic Fleet.[8][10]
From July 1926 to August 1928, he assumed the command of the destroyer USS Corry. He returned to the Brooklyn Navy Yard in New York City, after a naval tour which included the ports of Port-au-Prince, Haiti; Guantanamo Bay, Cuba; San Juan, Puerto Rico; and St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. He served as Executive Officer of the USS Kittery until June 1929. Riefkohl served as Chief of Staff to the governor of the Virgin Islands until April 30, 1931, when he was named Commandant of the islands Naval Station. He continued to serve in various ships until he was placed in charge of the Navy Motion Picture Exchange, Brooklyn Navy Yard, New York, during his senior year at the Naval War College. From January 1935 to December 1936 he served as an adviser to the Argentine Navy Department at Buenos Aires, Argentina.[8] From July 19, 1939 until April 4, 1941, Riefkohl served as War Plans Officer on the staff of the Commandant Fifteenth Naval District, Balboa, Canal Zone.[8][10]
World War II
Riefkohl assumed command of the USS Vincennes on April 23, 1941. The USS Vincennes was in the Atlantic Ocean when the U.S. entered World War II and escorted the aircraft carrier USS Hornet to the Pacific. The Vincennes was among the cruiser escorts for Hornet and USS Enterprise which were involved with the Doolittle Raids on Tokyo and which later participated in the Battle of Midway.[6][10][11]
Riefkohl's ship participated in Guadalcanal operation and was assigned to the Fire Support Group, LOVE (with Transport Group XRAY) under the command of Rear Admiral
On August 9, 1942, Rear Admiral Crutchley and his flagship went to meet Rear Admiral Richmond K Turner, in command of the amphibious force, without notifying Riefkohl.[10][11]
The Japanese Admiral Gunichi Mikawa of the Japanese Navy decided to make a surprise attack on the American ships, leading to the Battle of Savo Island. He first destroyed an Australian cruiser, then damaged the USS Chicago before going after the USS Vincennes. Riefkohl was summoned up to the bridge and believed that a minor skirmish was taking place with a ship. When the Japanese ships turned on their searchlights, Riefkohl mistook them for the American ships from the Southern Force and asked them over the radio to turn off their lights because enemy vessels might be near. The Japanese answered the message with a fusillade of shells and torpedoes.[6][11]
Riefkohl ordered a starboard turn, but the torpedoes hit and exploded, destroying both engine rooms. The USS Vincennes fired back and may have hit the Kinugasa, a Japanese cruiser. The Vincennes received 85 direct hits and Riefkohl ordered his men to abandon the ship. The sailors manned the life rafts and the Vincennes rolled over and sank with 342 men still aboard. Riefkohl was presented a Purple Heart for the wounds which he received.[6][11][12]
HMAS Canberra, USS Vincennes, USS Quincy, and USS Astoria sank and the USS Chicago was badly damaged in the battle. However, despite their losses they had successfully screened the amphibious ships that were still unloading to the east.[6]
Rear Admiral Riefkohl wrote in an epitaph: "The magnificent Vincennes, which we were all so proud of, and which I had the honor to command since April 23, 1941, rolled over and then sank at about 0250, August 9, 1942, about 2½ miles east of Savo Island ... Solomons Group, in some 500 fathoms of water."[13]
Later years
Riefkohl never commanded a United States Naval vessel again. In October 1942, he reported to the Office of the US Attache, American Embassy, Mexico City in Mexico, and joined the staff of the Commander, Mexican Forces, Region Gulf of Mexico, at Vera Cruz, as Liaison Officer for the US Commander, Gulf Sea Frontier. Throughout the remaining war years, Riefkohl served in different administrative positions, among them District Intelligence Officer, Eighth Naval District, with headquarters at New Orleans, Louisiana.[8]
Rear Admiral Frederick Lois Riefkohl later served as the Chief of Staff to the governor of the
In 2019 Frederick Lois Riefkohl was posthumously inducted to the Puerto Rico Veterans Hall of Fame.[16]
Riefkohl, Frederick L.Lieutenant, U.S. NavyArmed Guard, U.S.S. PhiladelphiaDate of Action: August 2, 1917Citation:The Navy Cross is awarded to Lieutenant Frederick L. Riefkohl, U.S. Navy, for distinguished service in the line of his profession as Commander of the Armed Guard of the U.S.S. Philadelphia, and in an engagement with an enemy submarine. On August 2, 1917, a periscope was sighted, and then a torpedo passed under the stern of the ship. A shot was fired, which struck close to the submarine, which then disappeared.[9]
Awards and recognitions
Among Rear Admiral Frederick Lois Riefkohl's decorations and medals were the following:
1st Row | Navy Cross
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Navy Distinguished Service Medal | |||||||
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2nd Row | Purple Heart | Mexican Campaign Medal
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World War I Victory Medal with Armed Guard Clasp | ||||||
3rd Row | American Defense Service Medal with bronze "A" Device |
American Campaign Medal | European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal
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4th Row | Service stars
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World War II Victory Medal
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Mexican Medal of Naval Merit |
See also
- Hispanic Admirals in the United States Navy
- List of Puerto Ricans
- Puerto Ricans in World War I
- Puerto Ricans in World War II
- List of Puerto Rican military personnel
- German immigration to Puerto Rico
- Puerto Rican recipients of the Navy Cross
- Hispanics in the United States Navy
- Hispanics in the United States Naval Academy
Notes
References
- ^ Julia Ana Jamieson - mentioned in the record of Rudolfo Otto Guillermo Riefkohl (Frederick's brother)
- ^ Julia Jamielson de Riefkohl - Puerto Rico, Civil Registration
- ^ Frederick L Riefkohl - United States Census, 1920
- ^ Luis A Riefkohl Y Sandoz - Puerto Rico, Civil Registration
- ^ a b "Descendants of Otto Julius Riefkohl". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2006-10-17.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Puerto Rican War Heroes
- ^ ISBN 978-1497421837
- ^ a b c d e "Naval History". Archived from the original on 2011-05-05. Retrieved 2011-05-11.
- ^ a b Riefkohl's Navy Cross citation Archived September 26, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ ISBN 978-1466595804
- ^ ISBN 978-0393080643
- ^ "Puerto Rico L-Archives". Archived from the original on 2012-02-07. Retrieved 2006-10-19.
- ^ "World War II Plus 55". Archived from the original on 2007-05-19.
- ISBN 84-7888-138-7
- ^ "United States Naval Academy Cemetery & Columbarium" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-02-07. Retrieved 2006-10-18.
- ^ "Salón de la Fama".
Further reading
- Puertorriquenos Who Served With Guts, Glory, and Honor. Fighting to Defend a Nation Not Completely Their Own; by : Greg Boudonck; ISBN 978-1497421837
- The Future of the Enterprise; by Marius S. Vassiliou and David S. Alberts; ISBN 978-1466595804
- The Conquering Tide: War in the Pacific Islands, 1942-1944; By Ian W. Toll; ISBN 978-0393080643