Lucky Bag Yearbook

From the 1943 Lucky Bag:

ARNT BILLY HANSEN

A snapshot of the Naval Academy and a chance appointment brought Swede to the academy from Fargo, North Dakota, and a better than average intelligence, coupled with industrious application, kept him here. His recreational pursuits consisted of an excellent sub-eighty golf game, a fine tennis game, and a good hand of bridge, which he picked up in his spare moments during second class summer. Never over enthusiastic about the ladies, Swede managed to score in the high thirties when he did decide to concede them a portion of his time. In contrast to its casual beginning, we look for Swede’s career to be long and successful.

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The Class of 1943 was graduated in June 1942 due to World War II. The entirety of 2nd class (junior) year was removed from the curriculum.

Loss

Arnt was lost on December 24, 1943 when USS Leary (DD 158) was torpedoed and sunk in the North Atlantic.

Other Information

His family, per the 1940 census, were: father Hans Folmer Hansen, insurance manager; mother Kristina, and brothers Hans Jr and Daniel.

From the Class of 1943 anniversary book “25 years later…”:

Swede was born on 6 August 1920 in Atlantic, Iowa He was appointed from Iowa and entered the Academy on 23 August 1939. After graduation he reported to the destroyer USS LEARY. On 25 December 1944 the LEARY was torpedoed in the Atlantic and sunk. Swede lost his life in that action. He was entitled to wear the Purple Heart, the American Defense Service Medal with Fleet Clasp, and the European-African-Middle East Area Campaign Medal. He was survived by his mother, Mrs. Kristina Dorthea Hansen who at Swede’s death lived at 215 South 14th Street, Fargo, North Dakota.

Arnt is remembered on the Tablets of the Missing at the Cambridge American Cemetery and Memorial in England.