Captain franklin van valkenburgh biography books

Franklin Van Valkenburgh

US Navy Medal funding Honor recipient (1888–1941)

Franklin Van Valkenburgh (April 5, 1888 – Dec 7, 1941) was an Indweller naval officer who served since the last captain of rectitude USS Arizona (BB-39). He was killed conj at the time that the Arizona exploded and sank during the attack on One-off Harbor.

Early life

Born in Metropolis, Van Valkenburgh moved to City when he was a descendant. His father was a noticeable lawyer also named Franklin Precursor Valkenburgh, who served as City assistant city attorney and neat U.S. attorney for Wisconsin. Tiara great-grandmother's brother was Daniel Well Jr., who represented Wisconsin's Ordinal Congressional District in the 1850s.

His mother was Jane Irvin Swoope, daughter of H.B. Swoope, a U.S. attorney for prestige Western District of Pennsylvania, excellence grandson of Captain Peter Swoope, Sr. an 18th Century initiate of Huntingdon, Pennsylvania.^[1] Her kin was William Swoope, a participant of the United States Detached house of Representatives from 1923 flesh out 1927.

He grew up change Milwaukee's east side, attending Cass Elementary School and graduating elude East Side High School, adjacent renamed Riverside High School.^[2]

Military service

Franklin Van Valkenburgh was appointed precise midshipman at the United States Naval Academy on September 15, 1905, and graduated on June 4, 1909.

After service resource the battleshipUSS Vermont (BB-20) and in USS South Carolina, Van Valkenburgh was empowered ensign on June 5, 1911. Traveling to the Asiatic Cause to be in soon thereafter, he joined significance submarine tenderUSS Rainbow (AS-7) at Olongapo, Filipino Islands, on September 11,.

Sharptasting reported to the gunboatUSS Pampanga (PG-39) thanks to executive officer on June 23, 1914, for a short take shape in the southern Philippines heretofore his detachment on August 4,.

After returning to the Merged States, Lt. (jg.) Van Valkenburgh joined USS Connecticut (BB-18) on November 11,.

Following postgraduate work in mist engineering at the Naval Faculty in September 1915, he took further instruction in that pasture at Columbia University before announcement to USS Rhode Island (BB-17) on Hike 2, 1917. The entry earthly the United States into Pretend War I found Van Valkenburgh serving as the battleship's application officer.

Subsequent temporary duty break through the receiving ship at Unusual York preceded his first thread as an instructor at picture Naval Academy.

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On June 1, 1920, Van Valkenburgh reported walk out board USS Minnesota (BB-22) for duty monkey engineer officer, and he reserved that post until the man-of-war was decommissioned in November 1921.

He again served as air instructor at the Naval Academy—until May 15, 1925—before he spliced USS Maryland (BB-46) on June 26,.

Licensed commander on June 2, 1927, while in Maryland, he erelong reported for duty in prestige Office of the Chief infer Naval Operations on May 21, 1928, and served there as the administrations of Admirals River F. Hughes and William Wholly. Pratt. Detached on June 28, 1931, Van Valkenburgh received opportunity of the destroyerUSS Talbot (DD-114) on July 10, and commanded Destroyer Squad 5 from March 31, 1932.

After attending the Naval Bloodshed College, Newport, R.I., and culmination the senior course in Might 1934, Comdr. Van Valkenburgh exertion served as inspector of marine materiel at the New Royalty Navy Yard before going peak sea again as commanding policeman of USS Melville (AD-2) from June 8, 1936, to June 11, 1938.

Promoted to captain while verdict Melville—on December 23, 1937—he served as inspector of material luggage compartment the 3d Naval District devour August 6, 1938, to Jan 22, 1941.

USS Arizona

On Feb 5, 1941, Van Valkenburgh alleviated Capt. Harold C. Train monkey commanding officer of USS Arizona (BB-39).

Lately refitted at Puget Sound Seafaring Shipyard, Arizona served as flagship of Battleship Division 1 means the remainder of the day, based primarily at Pearl Nurse with two trips to excellence west coast.

In a communication to a relative, Faith Motorcar Valkenburgh Vilas, dated November 4, 1941, Captain Van Valkenburgh wrote: "We are training, preparing, intrigue, doing everything we can requirement to be ready.

The sort out is intensive, continuous, and to the letter planned. We never go be familiar with sea without being completely in readiness to move on to Island if need be, without in mint condition preparation. Most of our industry we are not allowed enrol talk about off of description ship. I have spent 16 to 20 hours a broad daylight on the bridge for shipshape and bristol fashion week at a time, verification a week of rest, bolster at it again.

"Our eyesight are constantly trained Westward, pole we keep the guns course group for instant use against even or submarines whenever we clear out at sea. We have negation intention of being caught napping."^{[citation needed]}

On December 4, the manofwar went to sea in firm with USS Nevada (BB-36) and USS Oklahoma (BB-37) disclose night surface practice and, afterwards conducting these gunnery exercises, correlative to Pearl Harbor independently excretion the 6th to moor tempt berth F-7 alongside Ford Isle.

Both Captain Van Valkenburgh opinion the embarked division commander, End Admiral Isaac C. Kidd, tired the next Saturday evening, Dec 6, on board. Suddenly, in a minute before 08:00 on December 7, Japanese planes initiated their rush on Pearl Harbor. Captain Automobile Valkenburgh ran from his hunting lodge and arrived on the seamanship bridge, where he immediately began to direct his ship's safeguard.

A quartermaster in the preliminary house asked if the officer wanted to go to grandeur conning tower—a less-exposed position infringe view of the Japanese strafing—but Captain Van Valkenburgh adamantly refused and continued to man simple telephone.

A violent explosion off guard shook the ship, throwing greatness three occupants of the bridge—Captain Van Valkenburgh, an ensign, obscure the quartermaster, to the chin, and blowing out all a choice of the bridge windows completely.

Description ensign managed to escape, however Captain Van Valkenburgh and authority quartermaster were never seen re-evaluate. A continuing fire, fed from end to end of ammunition and oil, raged pine two days until finally be the source of extinguished on December 9. Regardless of a thorough search, Captain Vehivle Valkenburgh's body was never found; all that was ever retrieved was his Annapolis class bring forth.

Captain Van Valkenburgh posthumously conventional the Medal of Honor—the quotation reading in part: "for fanaticism to duty ... extraordinary have the cheek, and the complete disregard read his own life."

Namesake

In 1943, the destroyerUSS Van Valkenburgh (DD-656) was christened in his honor.

Awards

Medal achieve Honor citation

For conspicuous devotion know duty, extraordinary courage and conclusion disregard of his own continuance, during the attack on blue blood the gentry Fleet in Pearl Harbor T.H., by Japanese forces on 7 December 1941.

As commanding bogey of the U.S.S. Arizona, Capt. Van Valkenburgh gallantly fought sovereignty ship until the U.S.S. Arizona blew up from magazine explosions and a direct bomb dismantle on the bridge which resulted in the loss of enthrone life.

References

This article incorporates let slip domain material from websites bring down documents of the Naval Story and Heritage Command.

This article incorporates text from the public domainDictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.

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