The Coastal Carolina Base annual Memorial Day Observance on Monday, May 31st will feature a remembrance of Carl Gerbensky, a crew member of the World War II submarine USS S-28 (S-133) which was lost July 4, 1944 off Oahu, Hawaii. The story of Gerbensky and his son, Chester is told in more detail here.
COASTAL CAROLINA SUBMARINE VETERANS
REMEMBER & HONOR
Carl Henery “Sonny” Gerbensky
Carl H. Gerbensky was born November 16, 1902 to German immigrant, livery man, and saloon keeper Charley Gerbensky and his wife Bertha of Hartland, Wisconsin.
“Sonny”, as Carl was known, grew up in the small Town of Hartland, Wisconsin.
By the age of 18, Sonny had attended Beaver-Hartland High School and was working as an automobile mechanic.
By 1930, Sonny had lost his father, married, had a 9 year-old son, Chester, and was painting houses while living in the home of his mother with his brother George, his family, and his sister Helen.
Gerbensky’s son, Chet, was a star baseball pitcher, and by 1940 was in his first year of college, worked as a bookkeeper in the local brewery, and being scouted by the major leagues. He was the light of his father’s life.
Sonny was a member of the Wisconsin National Guard, but decided to enlist in the Army when his son enlisted in the fall of 1940. When he turned 40 years old in 1942, he was discharged from the Army due to age on a medical discharge. He immediately enlisted in the Navy to be near his son, who was in combat in New Guinea at the time. He was assigned to submarine duty as a Motor Machinist Mate trainee on the S28.
On 3 July 1944, S-28 began training operations off Oahu with the United States Coast Guard cutter Reliance. The anti-submarine warfare exercises continued into the evening of 4 July. At 17:30, the day’s concluding exercise began. Contact between the two became sporadic and, at 18:20, the last, brief contact with S-28 was made and lost.
Carl Gerbensky was lost on July 4, 1944 with the entire crew of S28. As far as we know, he did not re-unite with his son in the Pacific theater.
Carl’s son, Chester “Chet” Gerbensky used his pitching arm to great advantage, throwing grenades against Japanese bunkers in New Guinea, for which he was later awarded the Silver Star. After the war he was awarded a commission and became a prominent officer in the Wisconsin national guard, taking command of troops responding to riots in Milwaukee in the late sixties.
In 1955, Chester presented the first Carl Gerbensky award to the most outstanding Wisconsin National Guard member of the year.
The remains of S-28 were found on 20 September 2017, at a depth of 8,500 feet off the coast of Oahu.
Carl has many descendants still residing in Waukesha County, Wisconsin.