ENS ROBERT W. BRIGHTMAN, USN

Class 1945

Born September 21, 1921

Died December 18, 1944

Age 23

Hometown Clovis, New Mexico

Lucky Bag Yearbook

From the 1945 Lucky Bag:

Robert Weis Brightman

Varsity Football 4, 3, 7, 1945, N; Newman Club 4, 3, 1.

This big healthy hunk of humanity came to the Academy with two years of military experience behind him and fell into the system perfectly. Football and good-looking women occupied most of his time. With blood in his eye, his main ambition was to play against and to beat Army. A little on the non-reg side, Bull ran counter to the ever present Executive department, many, many times. His wavy hair and constant smile were so attractive to the fair sex that few midshipmen surpassed him in popularity. If it takes a he-man to make a naval officer, “Bull” will make a good one.

The Class of 1945 was graduated in June 1944 due to World War II. The entirety of 2nd class (junior) year was removed from the curriculum.

Loss

Robert was lost when USS Spence (DD 512) capsized and sank in Typhoon Cobra on December 18, 1944. Three hundred seventeen men were lost from Spence; only 24 of her officers and crew survived.

The men and ships involved in Typhoon Cobra are extensively chronicled in “Down to the Sea: An Epic Story of Naval Disaster and Heroism in World War II” by Bruce Henderson.

Other Information

Unable to determine what Robert’s billet was aboard Spence, or when he reported.

From researcher Kathy Franz:

Robert participated in a Boy Scout rally in February 1936 and won highest rating for a boy. A member of Troop 12, he became an Eagle Scout.

He attended Sacred Heart School and graduated from Clovis High School in 1938 where he played football. He attended New Mexico Military Institute in Roswell for two years.

Robert was appointed to the Naval Academy by Senator Carl Hatch. On graduation day from the Academy, June 7, 1944, he married Katherine Warner of Suffolk, Virginia.

His father Robert was a locomotive engineer on a steam railroad, mother Mary, sister Dorothy.

His wife was listed as next of kin. He has a memory marker in New Mexico.

Photographs

From the Clovis News Journal on January 17, 1945

Henry Oates ‘45 and James Reid ‘45 were also in 6th Company.

Class of 1945

Robert is one of 58 members of the Class of 1945 on Virtual Memorial Hall.