S1 Gerald M. Rollins
Oct. 30, 1922 - Jan. 11, 1944

US NAVY WORLD WAR II
Seaman 1st Class, Gerald M. Rollins MIA/KIA
Hometown: England, Arkansas
Ship: USS Argonaut (APS-1), (SS-166)
Service # 3469766
Awards: Purple Heart
Captain: Lieutenant Commander John R. Pierce MIA/KIA

Mission: Patrol Duty
Mission Date: 10-Jan-43
Location: Near Rabaul
Cause: Sunk by surface attack and depth charges
Crew: of 102 MIA/KIA

The ship and crew lost January 10 1943 the crew declared officially KIA on January 11 1944.

Argonaut arrived back in Pearl Harbor from the Makin Island raid on 26 August 1942. Her hull classification symbol was changed from SM-1 to APS-1 (transport submarine) on 22 September. She was never formally designated SS-166, but that hull number was reserved for her. Her base of operations was transferred to Brisbane, Queensland, later in the year. In December, she departed Brisbane under Lieutenant Commander John R. Pierce to patrol the hazardous area between New Britain and Bougainville Island, south of Bismarck Archipelago. On 2 January 1943, Argonaut sank the Japanese gunboat Ebon Maru in the Bismarck Sea. On 10 January, Argonaut spotted a convoy of five freighters and their escorting destroyers--Maikaze, Isokaze, and Hamakaze--returning to Rabaul from Lae. By chance, an army aircraft--which was out of bombs--was flying overhead and witnessed Argonaut's attack. A crewman on board the plane saw one destroyer hit by a torpedo, and the destroyers promptly counterattacking. Argonaut's bow suddenly broke the water at an unusual angle. It was apparent that a depth charge had severely damaged the submarine. The destroyers continued circling Argonaut, pumping shells into her; she slipped below the waves and was never heard from again. 102 officers and men went down with her, the worst loss of life for a wartime submarine.