Frederick Lois Riefkohl
Rear Admiral Frederick Lois Riefkohl (February 27, 1889 – September, 1969) born in San Juan, Puerto Rico was the Captain of the USS Vicennes during World War II
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Born and raised in San Juan, the capital of Puerto Rico, Reifkohl received an appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland after he graduated from high school. In 1911, he became the first Puerto Rican to graduate from the Academy.
Upon the outbreak of World War II, Reifkohl, who was the Captain of the USS Vincennes, was assigned to the Fire Support Group, LOVE (with Transport Group XRAY) under the command of Rear Admiral Richmond K. Turner's Task Force TARE (Amphibious Force) during the landing in the Solomon Islands on August 7, 1942.
On August 9 1942, the Northern Force which consisted of the USS Vincennes, USS Quincy and the USS Astoria, found themselves just off Guadalcanal. Reifkohl commanded this force. Rear Admiral Victor A. Crutchley, the commander of the Northern Force left with his flag ship HMAS Australia to meet with the top brass without notifing Reifkohl.
Japanese Admiral Mikawa and his navy decided to make a surprise attack on the American ships. He first destroyed an Australian cruiser, then the USS Chicago before going after the USS Vincennes. Reifkohl was summoned up to the bridge and believed that a minor skirmish was taking place with some ship. When the Japanese ships turned on their searchlights, Reifkohl mistaken them with 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 fusilade of shells and torpedoes.
Reifkohl ordered a starboard turn, but torpedoes hit and explode destroying both engine rooms. The USS Vincennes' fired back and may have hit the Kinugasa, a Japanese cruiser. The USS Vincennes received 85 direct hits and Reifkohl ordered his man to abandon ship. The sailors manned the life rafts and the USS Vincennes rolled over and went down with 342 men still aboard.
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 23 April 1941, rolled over and then sank at about 0250, 9 August 1942, about 2½ miles [5 km] east of Savo Island . . .[sic] Solomons Group, in some 500 fathoms [900 m] of water."
Rear Admiral Frederick Lois Riefkohl died in Brevard County, Florida in 1969.