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- Rank: Boatswain's Mate 2nd Class
- Serial No: 385-79-47
- Branch: US Navy
- Home Town: Olympia, WA
- Date Of Birth: October 20, 1919
- Disposition: Unrecovered
- Family DNA on File: YES
BM2c Kenneth Franklin Roberts
Kenneth Franklin Roberts was born Oct. 20, 1919 in Thurston County, Washington and by 1920 the family was living in its largest city, Olympia, the state capital.
His mother, Lena Sturgis Roberts, was a homemaker and Canadian immigrant. His father, Clarence J. Roberts, was a stone cutter. The family included about nine children.
By 1930 the family had moved 25 miles northeast to Tacoma, population 106,817 – almost 10 times larger than Olympia. Kenneth enlisted in the Navy on Nov. 14, 1938.
His father died in mid-August 1941 and his sister Mildred also died on November 10th 1941. Less than four months later, Kenneth, a boatswain’s mate and petty officer second class, was killed on the U.S.S. Arizona in the Dec. 7 in Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.
Sources: The Tacoma (Washington) News Tribune; Washington birth index; Census; Navy muster roll. This profile was researched and written on behalf of the U.S.S. Arizona Mall Memorial at the University of Arizona.
NOTE: If you are a family member related to this crew member of the U.S.S. Arizona, or have additional information, pictures or documents to share about his life or service to our county please contact us through our FAMILY MEMBER SUBMISSION FORM.