Shipmate Spotlight - Ralph Sterley

USSVI Seattle Base Shipmate Ralph Roland Sterley was born in Wenatchee WA on Aug 13, 1925. His father worked for the Great Northern Railroad and they lived on a one acre plot with fruit trees and various farm animals as well.

In 1943, following graduation from Wenatchee High School, Ralph joined the Navy on August 5 and was sent to Boot Camp at Camp Waldron, Farragut ID. Selected for training as a Radio Technician (RADAR), Ralph was sent first to a Pre-Radio course at Wright Jr College in Chicago, IL, then to Primary Radio School at Texas A & M, College Station TX, Secondary School at Treasure Island, CA and finally to Submarine Radio School at the Submarine Base in New London.

Ralph travelled across country again to San Francisco where he boarded a Troop ship with a number of other sailors being deployed to the Pacific. They stopped in San Diego to pick up a Marine Division and then, loaded to the gunwales, they sailed westward “to the Fray.”

Arriving in Pearl Harbor, Ralph left the ship and was transferred to the new Submarine Tender USS Apollo, which departed on December 10th for its new station at Apra Harbor, Guam. Ralph was placed in Submarine Relief Crew 282, where he helped refit and repair submarines returning from War Patrol while awaiting crew assignment to a submarine.

USS Sea Owl (SS-405)

In January 1945 USS Sea Owl arrived at Guam fresh off her first war patrol and on Jan 30 1945 Ralph was transferred aboard to replace a man being reassigned. Sea Owl departed Guam with Piranha and Puffer (the group was known as Bennett’s Blazers) assigned to patrol the Luzon Strait and the South China Sea. Sea Owl was provided ULTRA intelligence that a Japanese submarine was assigned to bring rice supplies to Wake Island for the beleaguered defenders.

On April 16, Ralph on radar watch aboard Sea Owl, picked up the Submarine on radar about 7 miles NW of Wake Island and over several days they tracked the sub into Wake Harbor where the Japanese submarine docked and started unloading her cargo. Skipper CDR Carter Bennett fired three torpedoes at 1,600 yards. Two of the torpedoes did not detonate, but the third struck the pier and exploded, demolishing the pier.

While aboard Sea Owl they believed the Japanese submarine had sunk, the I-372 immediately dove and remained submerged until the following day when it resurfaced, completed unloading and evacuated 29 personnel back to Yokosuka, Japan.

Aboard Sea Owl, Ralph ‘won’ a fifth of Whiskey for being the first to spot the Japanese warship. Not being a drinker, he raffled it off to a Torpedoman and they reported to the XO to collect the prize where they learned to their disappointment that they could not have it until the boat reached Midway, which they did on April 21st.

Following refit, Ralph and Sea Owl got underway for her third war patrol from Midway on May 20 1945 in company with Puffer and Tirante. This patrol was concentrated in the Yellow and East China Seas and was assigned both offensive patrol and lifeguard duties. Nineteen days out, two Japanese destroyers were contacted and a spread of six Mark 18 torpedoes were fired from a perfect set-up. The first torpedo struck a destroyer amidships, detonating her magazine and blowing up the ship from the moment of impact. The other five torpedoes passed harmlessly through the wreckage without exploding.

As she rigged for depth change in only 200 ft of water the remaining destroyer, in company with two patrol craft, came looking for Sea Owl with a vengeance, dropping 84 depth charges over a 14 hour period, shaking up the boat and crew but doing no serious material damage. Ralph recalls that the air was so foul that cigarettes could not be lit.

In a gun action four days later Sea Owl destroyed a large rice-laden four-masted schooner, capturing four prisoners. On July 2nd Sea Owl got a call that aviators were in the water. After racing 135 miles, just before nightfall she picked up six fliers who had been in rafts four days. All six had various minor injuries which were treated and they remained aboard Sea Owl assisting the crew for the rest of the patrol until she tied up at the Submarine Base at Pearl Harbor.

Sea Owl's Battle Flag

Sea Owl was preparing for her fourth War Patrol at Pearl Harbor when the Japanese surrendered on 15 August.

Ralph (left) with his sister Betty, in her WAC uniform, and Albert E. “Willie” Willis RM2(SS) in New York City in late 1945

The boat returned to the United States, passing through the Panama Canal and docking at Galveston TX for a month while half the crew was given 30 days leave. Sea Owl then transited to Portsmouth Naval Shipyard for overhaul. While at Portsmouth, Ralph purchased a decrepit 1938 vintage jalopy, which some of his Motor Mac shipmates helped him to overhaul. Ralph was transferred April 1 1946 to the Separation Center in Boston for discharge with a final rank of ETM2(SS).

Upon discharge, Ralph drove his car across country back to Wenatchee to be reunited with his family and using the GI Bill, he enrolled at University of Washington. His first semester Ralph met Frances “Elaine” Baumgardner from Yakima and in 1947 he married this lovely girl of his dreams.

Frances “Elaine” Baumgardner

The GI Bill helped to financially support Ralph and Elaine, but he needed to do part time work, some after school and some during summer vacation. Ralph worked at Fisher Flour Mill in Seattle doing hard manual labor. He recalls how hot and dusty it was, and riding the dangerous ‘man-lifts’ between floors.

Following graduation as an Electrical Engineer, Ralph worked for Boeing Aircraft Company for about 18 months, doing development work on the conversion of the Boeing C-97 Stratofreighter into the KC-97 aerial refueling tanker aircraft.

A KC-97

He recalls one of the other Engineers on the project, Donald ‘Deke’ K. Slayton, who has been a WWII Bomber Pilot and was an Aeronautical Engineer. Deke went on to a very distinguished career as an Air Force Test Pilot, was one of the original Mercury Seven Astronauts, became Chief of the Astronaut Office for NASA when grounded due to atrial fibrillation, and finally medically cleared to fly, became the Docking Module Pilot on the 1975 Apollo-Soyuz mission.

Ralph then accepted a position as Electronics Engineer with the Bonneville Power Administration at Covington Substation in 1951, was transferred to The Dalles in 1952 as Communications District Supervisor, transferred to Snohomish as Communications District Supervisor in 1955, helped his father-in-law build his house in Snohomish in 1957 and raised nine children there. Transferred to Spokane in 1972 as Area Supervisor Power System Control, then to Seattle in 1977 in the same position and retired from BPA in 1986.

Following retirement from BPA, Ralph did some work for the Hat Island Fire Department, was Exec VP of Tronica Technology, built houses with his son in Snohomish, was the on-site supervisor for the construction of a small commercial building in Everett and was the site construction supervisor for the Westridge Apts in Everett.

In 2001 Ralph joined our local USSVI chapter (Seattle Base) and has been an active participant since, participating in Parades, Memorial Services, Tolling the Boat events and various other Base Activities. Ralph is the Base COB and also the Base Storekeeper.

Sadness came into Ralph’s life on June 22, 2007 when after 60 years of marriage that produced seven children, fourteen grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren, Elaine completed her earthly mission and her soul returned to her Lord. They also raised two nephews.

In 2013 Ralph was one of 36 WWII Puget Sound area veterans selected for an “Honor Flight” to visit the WWII Memorial in Washington DC.

You could not meet a nicer man than our Shipmate Ralph. Modest and self effacing, quiet but with a ready smile for all. Now 89 years along, his hearing is somewhat diminished, but he is otherwise in good health and his activity belies his years.