S2c Ernest Mathew Alten

Ernest Mathew Alten was born March 20, 1924, in Alameda County, California. His father, Ernest Matthias Alten, was a World War I infantryman and professional baseball player for the Detroit Tigers, and his mother, Bernice Fehely Alten, a nurse and homemaker. He attended Oakland High School, where he played football and basketball.

Ernest Mathew Alten enlisted in the Navy on April 18, 1941, a few weeks after his 17th birthday. He completed basic training at the San Diego Naval Training Station and reported for duty aboard the U.S.S. Arizona on July 13, 1941.

He was killed seven month later in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Mr. Alten was a seaman second class on the U.S.S. Arizona.

(above) Ernest’s mother, Bernice Fehely Alten in 1916.

Sources: The San Francisco Examiner;  the Napa Register; the Oakland Tribune; Census; Navy muster roll; California birth index; U.S. Department of Defense. This profile was researched and written on behalf of the U.S.S. Arizona Mall Memorial at the University of Arizona and was updated by the efforts of Operation 85.