Name: Ernest Stanley GOECKEL
Rank / Rating: LT(jg)-Lieutenant (junior grade)
Service #: 147201
DOB: Sep 17, 1921
From: Royal Oak, Michigan
Parents: Carl and Agnes Goeckel
Went Aboard: Dec 12, 1943
Age When Ship Went Down: 23 years, 10 months, 13 days
Spouse: Gloria Ann Goeckel
Children:
Grandchildren:
Bio Submitted By: Carl Fahnestock (Admin)
Date Posted:

Lieutenant/jg Goeckel was born September 17, 1921 in Royal Oak, Michigan to Carl and Agnes Goeckel. He had three brothers and one sister. Ernie attended Royal Oak High School and graduated in the class of 1939 with varsity letters in baseball, basketball and football; he was an all-star baseball player. He then attended the University of Michigan and graduated in the class of 1943 with a degree in mechanical engineering.

Ernie was in the Navy U-5 training program, after which he went to Officer’s Training School at Cornell University. He was assigned to USS Indianapolis in August 1943 after the Aleutians engagement. He served as Engineering Officer for the following battles: Gilbert Island, Marshall Islands, Tinian, Asiatic-Pacific Raids, Marianas, West Carolines, Iwo Jima and Okinawa. Ernie was wounded at Okinawa by the kamikaze bomb that hit the ship. He was lost at sea July 30, 1945. Ernie married his wife, Gloria in November 1944 after the battle of Western Caroline Islands. His mother was devastated by the loss of her son due to the circumstances surrounding the sinking of the “Indy”. “I can still remember the day the wire arrived at our home Sunday, August 5, 1945,” writes Ernie’s brother. “I can also remember Sunday, December 7, 1941; I was 16 years old and my brother was my idol. MICHIGAN MEMORIAL PLAQUE See photographs (posted below) to view a copy of a memorial plaque that was dedicated circa 1946 to honor seventy-two (72) State of Michigan men who served on USS Indianapolis CA-35 and who were Lost At Sea. Ernest Stanley GOECKEL's name is listed on the plaque! Per the caption on one of the photos, the plaque was originally planned in 1946 for display at a proposed Detroit Civic Center. The plaque was initially displayed at the Detroit Naval Post VFW #233. However, the plaque had vanished for decades, fueling rumors of theft, being melted for scrap, or hidden away in a private basement. Thanks to the tireless efforts of Jeff Ortiz (nephew of LAS Y3/c Orlando Ortiz) and Joni Deaver (cousin of LAS sailor S2c Charles Roof Jr.), this priceless piece of history has been re-discovered in the Detroit Historical Society storage basement in Michigan. One of the photos shows Jeff Ortiz and Ralph McNabb (nephew of LAS F2c Thomas McNabb, Jr) standing behind the very dusty plaque as it was found.