Benny Bass

Benny Bass was only 5-6 (1.67) tall and 130 lbs. (59 kg.), but competing as both a boxer and a wrestler at the U.S. Naval Academy enabled him to develop an impressive pair of shoulders. One of his training exercises was climbing a rope and the Annapolis gym coach spotted him doing that one day and recruited him for the team. It led to a gold medal in the Olympics in his only serious year of competition in the sport. After his Naval Academy graduation in 1931, Benny Bass served in the navy until 1959, eventually achieving a rank of rear admiral. During World War II he was a submarine commander throughout, one of only two naval officers to hold that position, and live to tell of it, throughout the war. After the Japanese surrender, Bass led 12 submarines, dubbed “Benny’s Peacemakers,” into Tokyo Bay. After his naval retirement, Benny Bass worked for the Bendix Corporation as a consultant and later became a real estate broker. He was named “Benny” by his Naval Academy classmates because of a supposed resemblance to the professional boxer, Benny Leonard.