August 31, 1915 – The United States Submarine F-4 was raised from the sea floor, and the bodies of the crew were recovered. Aliston Hills Grindle, the only child of prominent Mendocino banker Joshua Grindle, served on the F-4 as the chief electrician. Allie and all 20 fellow crew members had lost their lives in March when the submarine sank two miles from Honolulu Harbor following an explosion during a routine dive. Recovery efforts took five months due to the depth of the wreckage.
Allie’s life also began with a tragedy. His mother, Alice Hills Grindle, died just 8 days after his birth in 1882. He left high school at 14 and apprenticed as an electrician at Union Iron Works in San Francisco. Thriving on adventure and excitement, he was well-known for his escapades. He was an electrician on an army transport, sailing for the Philippines during the Philippine-American War. Later, he raced cars in England, Germany, and France, and raised cattle in Mexico.
In 1908, he enlisted in the US Navy. Initially serving aboard the battleship Philadelphia, he was promoted to chief electrician and assigned to the submarine just the year before. Allie was buried at Arlington National Cemetery on September 28, 1915.
In the Kelley House book store: “Thomas H. Petersen Master Shipbuilder” by Louis A. Hough. Thomas Petersen built about three dozen wooden vessels: sailing schooners, a barkentine, steam schooners, steam tugs and lighters. Based on Petersen’s memoirs. $15.