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| Lt. j.g. Robert Patten served on the battleship USS Colorado until the Battle of Tinian. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/83854325 |
Robert Alexander Patten never had a chance to reach 100 years old today. Instead, he sacrificed his life for our freedom.
Robert was born on August 3, 1920 in Tacoma, Washington. His parents Robert A. Patten and Florestine (La Chappelle) Patten were born in Wisconsin and Washington, respectively. His father worked as secretary for a lumber company and later as an equipment engineer for the state of Washington. Robert had one younger sister. In 1940, he was living with his mother in Parkland, Washington and was a college student.
He graduated from Washington State College in Pullman, Washington in May 1942 with a degree in Physics, and then enlisted in the US Naval Reserve. He was commissioned as a Lieutenant junior grade in October 1942. When Lt. j.g. Patten joined the crew of the battleship USS Colorado (BB-45) on 24 April 1944, the ship’s log indicates he was received from Radar School #128. With his Physics degree, it’s possible Lt. Patten had previously been an administrator or instructor at one of the Navy’s schools for training technicians to operate the various shipboard radar systems used in the fleet.
Colorado was in port at Puget Sound, Washington in April 1944 refitting after having supported amphibious landings at Kwajalein and Eniwetok. On 30 April 1944 the Colorado departed Puget Sound and sailed to take part in "Operation Forager", the invasion of Saipan. On 14 June 1944 Colorado blasted Saipan with her 16” guns to soften the beaches up for the invading Marines. The Colorado remained in action at Saipan throughout the month of June and well into July, providing fire support on targets of opportunity.
The Colorado next participated in the invasion of nearby Tinian, and was tasked to pound the shore installations in support of another amphibious Marine landing. On the morning of 24 July 1944, as she closed to within two miles of the shore and prepared to fire, Colorado was unexpectedly hit by accurate fire from Japanese 6” artillery batteries on Tinian. The big battleship returned fire but was hit by 22 shells within 15 minutes before she was able to maneuver out of range of the shore batteries. The pounding inflicted on the Colorado killed 48 crew members and Marines, including Lt. Patten.
Robert Alexander Patten was likely buried at sea. He is memorialized in Calvary Catholic Cemetery in Tumwater, Washington.
Thank you Lt. Patten for your sacrifice. Let's Earn It for Robert.
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This profile was written by Bob Fuerst. "I’m a NASA engineer, B-17 Flying Fortress enthusiast, and amateur genealogist so this kind of research is an ideal outlet for me. But more than anything, it’s a way to express my sincere appreciation for The Greatest Generation and the sacrifices that they made, especially those who made the ultimate sacrifice. They should never be forgotten and I’m grateful to Don for allowing me to play a small part in honoring them."
Last year on this date I profiled Army pilot and Air Medal hero Gordon Fanders. You can read about Gordon here.
On behalf of the fallen, if you would like to see more people become aware of this project to honor the WW2 fallen, be sure to share with others on Twitter, Facebook, etc. Thanks for your interest!
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