Robert Alexander Bonin was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on March 27, 1913. He attended Milwaukee Boys Technical School, majoring in architectural drafting. Later, he attended Marquette University for a year before attending the Naval Academy in Annapolis. Bonin graduated from Annapolis in 1936, served on the USS Mississippi. Bonin married Regis Tracy in 1938, and then attended Naval Submarine School in New London, Connecticut in the spring of 1939. After finishing Naval Submarine School in 1939, Bonin served on the USS S-20, an experimental submarine. The USS S-20 was a submarine with a larger bow and an engine capable of traveling much faster than other submarines, with a diesel-electric engine. Later, he served on the submarine the USS Grayling from 1940 to 1943. In March of 1944, Bonin was ordered to the submarine the USS Gudgeon as its commanding officer. The USS Gudgeon was reported missing May 5, 1944, and the last known stop was Johnston Island on April 7, 1944. Bonin was declared dead January 15, 1946. Bonin is survived by his two children, Jean and Robert Bonin. His widow, Regis, passed away in 2005.
The USS Gudgeon was launched and commissioned in 1941. Bonin assumed command in March of 1944. The ship went missing after April 7, 1944, and was determined to be missing in action on May 5. It is assumed that the ship was bombed by Japanese planes on April 18, 1944. The new USS Gudgeon was commissioned and launched in June and November of 1952, respectively.
