Robert Irving Olsen, USN
| Birth details unknown |
| Ranks
Decorations
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Warship Commands listed for Robert Irving Olsen, USN
| Ship | Rank | Type | From | To |
| USS Angler (240) | Lt.Cdr. | Submarine | 1 Oct 1943 | 9 Jun 1944 |
Career information
We currently have no career / biographical information on this officer.
Events related to this officer
Submarine USS Angler (240)
27 Nov 1943
With her trials and initial training completed USS Angler (Lt.Cdr. Robert I. Olsen) departs Key West for Pearl Harbor.
10 Jan 1944
USS Angler (Lt.Cdr. R.I. Olsen) departs Pearl Harbor for her 1st war patrol. She is ordered to patrol in the Mariana Islands area.
27 Jan 1944
USS Angler (Lt.Cdr. R.I. Olsen) sinks a Japanese sampam with gunfire north of the Mariana Islands in position 23º58'N, 145º50'E.
29 Jan 1944
At about 0200 hrs, USS Angler (Lt.Cdr. R.I. Olsen) attacks a Japanese convoy between Japan and the Mariana islands, claiming the sinking of an 8500-ton oiler and damage to a 5000-ton oiler as well as to a 4000-ton freighter in position 27º03'N, 142º27'E.
While original postwar assessments credited Angler with sinking the auxiliary net tender Shuko Maru (889 GRT), it is now known that Shuko maru was in Wakasa Bay on 23 July 1945 and could thus not have been sunk here. No confirmation of any hits has been found in Japanese records for this attack.
4 Feb 1944
USS Angler (Lt.Cdr. R.I. Olsen) ends her 1st war patrol at Midway.
15 Feb 1944
USS Angler (Lt.Cdr. R.I. Olsen) departs Midway for her 2nd war patrol. She was ordered to patrol in the South China and Sulu Sea.
20 Mar 1944
USS Angler (Lt.Cdr. R.I. Olsen) evacuates 58 people, including women and children, from the west coast of Panay, Philippines.
9 Apr 1944
USS Angler (Lt.Cdr. R.I. Olsen) ends her 2nd war patrol at Fremantle, Australia.
3 May 1944
USS Angler (Lt.Cdr. R.I. Olsen) departs Fremantle for her 3rd war patrol. She is ordered to patrol in the Java and South China Sea.
20 May 1944
USS Angler (Lt.Cdr. R.I. Olsen) torpedoed and sank a Japanese transport east of Malaya, in position 05º57'N, 105º12'E. There is controversy over the target's identity: she was likely the transport Otori maru, 2105 tgr, ex Panamanian Boyaca, as reported by the Japanese owners, but IJN sources place the loss of the vessel on the same day at 05º57'N, 127º11'E, placing her 40 nautical miles south-east of Cabo San Augustin, Davao Gulf, Mindanao island, which would not correspond to any US sub's claim.
It appears there is some confusion in the Japanese records and this writer believes the correct identification of the attacker is USS Angler.
21 May 1944
Almost the entire crew of USS Angler (Lt.Cdr. R.I. Olsen) fell ill, possibly due to contaminated drinking water. She was ordered to return to Fremantle at once.
29 May 1944
USS Angler (Lt.Cdr. R.I. Olsen) ends her 3rd war patrol at Fremantle.