After Pearl Harbor, Gus Lofberg asked for sea duty, "so that I can take a crack at those tramps." He received his wish which proved to be fatal.

Gus Brynolf Lofberg Jr. was born about 1904 in Racine, Wisconsin. He was the son of Lt. Gus B. Lofberg Sr. who was in charge of the local Coast Guard station from 1903- 1914. The Lofberg family included his mother Wilma, brother Ted and sister Rosamund. Gus completed high school in Grand Haven, Michigan, and entered the US Naval Academy in 1923. Upon his graduation four years later, he was commissioned an ensign.

In 1927 Gus Lofberg Sr. assumed command of the Coast Guard district that included Santa Cruz and moved his family to California. Ensign Lofberg spent time with the family in Santa Cruz before reporting to his ship.

After several years of sea duty, Gus Lofberg was assigned as an instructor at the US Naval Academy. It was possibly during this period that he married Norma Lynn Costella. In 1935 a daughter was born to the couple.

When war broke out, Lt. Lofberg was on a highly specialized naval assignment with the Bausch and Lomb Optical Company. Desiring to get into the fight and "get a crack at the tramps," he requested and received sea duty. Lofberg, who was then a commander, was assigned command of the USS Little and sent his family to live in Santa Cruz near his mother.

[The USS Little] was transferred to the Pacific Fleet in early 1942 and was sent to the South Pacific in July of that year. On 7-9 August 1942, Little took part in the first major Allied offensive of the Pacific War, the operation to seize Japanese facilities on Guadalcanal and Tulagi islands. She [the USS Little] remained in the Southern Solomons area for the next month, providing valuable transport services to the Marines fighting on Guadalcanal. She was patrolling off Guadalcanal's Lunga Point with USS Gregory (APD-3) on the night of 4-5 September 1942 when the two old ships were attacked by a force of three Japanese destroyers. Over- whelmed by greatly superior enemy gun power, USS Little was quickly put out of action and sank soon afterwards.

Gus Lofberg was posthumously awarded the Silver Star for his actions aboard the USS Little that were detailed in the Santa Cruz Sentinel of August 8, 1943.

Suddenly spotlighted under a flood of illumination from two forces of Japanese destroyers, he fought his ship with courageous determination and grim defiance, well aware that she was unequipped to engage an outnumbering force in battle. Scoring several hits on the enemy while attempting to withdraw before a vigorous curtain of fire, he kept his guns blazing away until the Little was eventually struck and set aflame.

Commander Gus B. Lofberg's body was never recovered; he was officially declared dead on September 6, 1943. In addition to appearing on the Santa Cruz Sentinel Honor Roll, Gus Lofberg was memorialized on the Tablets of the Missing at Manila American Cemetery. His honors include the Purple Heart, Silver Star and Navy Specialty Meritorious Medal. Later the destroyer Gus B. Lofberg Jr. was named for him.

(ABMC; DANFS, USS Little DD-79; SCR September 18, 1941 1; SCSn August 8, 1943 2:6)