ALBERT E. GATES, JR., LT, USN
Albert Gates, Jr. '32
Lucky Bag
From the 1932 Lucky Bag:
ALBERT EUGENE GATES, JR.
Washington, D.C.
"Whitey" "Gene"
Whitey left the quiet Potomac in answer to the call of the glamorous sea. His career has apparently been in the hands of the fickle goddess, Luck. He has impartially graced both the savvy and the wooden sections. Academics, at certain times, have been of paramount interest to him; at others, merely a succession of boring hours.
He is not a Red Mike, but neither is he a tea fighting snake. He drags more or less frequently, pursuing his search for his ideal.
Athletics in the form of boxing, football and track have claimed his efforts. Boxing, however, is his favorite, and each winter finds him in the gym pushing and stopping leather.
It is difficult to say which he enjoys most, a good fight, chow, sleep, drag, or a bull session. At times, chagrined and griped at tough breaks, but never truly down-hearted, he grins and takes them for the best. This same grin and tenacity of spirit will carry him through the battles of the future as it has through those of the past.
Boxing; Football; Track; C.P.O.
He was a member of the Boxing Squad.
ALBERT EUGENE GATES, JR.
Washington, D.C.
"Whitey" "Gene"
Whitey left the quiet Potomac in answer to the call of the glamorous sea. His career has apparently been in the hands of the fickle goddess, Luck. He has impartially graced both the savvy and the wooden sections. Academics, at certain times, have been of paramount interest to him; at others, merely a succession of boring hours.
He is not a Red Mike, but neither is he a tea fighting snake. He drags more or less frequently, pursuing his search for his ideal.
Athletics in the form of boxing, football and track have claimed his efforts. Boxing, however, is his favorite, and each winter finds him in the gym pushing and stopping leather.
It is difficult to say which he enjoys most, a good fight, chow, sleep, drag, or a bull session. At times, chagrined and griped at tough breaks, but never truly down-hearted, he grins and takes them for the best. This same grin and tenacity of spirit will carry him through the battles of the future as it has through those of the past.
Boxing; Football; Track; C.P.O.
He was a member of the Boxing Squad.
Loss
Albert was lost during the air raid on Cavite Navy Yard, Philippines, on December 10, 1941 when a bomb struck USS Peary (DD 226). He was the ship's executive officer.
Other Information
From researcher Kathy Franz:
In Washington, D. C., Albert attended Bryan Grade School and Eastern High School where he played on the football team. In June 1942, his classmates of 1926 prepared and directed a memorial program for Albert.
He was an instructor in navigation at the Naval Academy from the fall of 1939 until January, 1941.
His father Albert was a steel temperer in the Navy yard in 1910, mother Mabel, sister Dorothy. By 1920, his father was supervisor of the forge shop, and his other sister Helen was 6.
His father was also Robert L., and his mother was Pattie. By 1920, she married C. F. E. Munger who was a railroad agent in Bethel, Alabama. Robert's sister was Martha, and his wife of one year was Helen Louise.
His father was listed as next of kin.
Obituary
From Find A Grave:
Like almost all newly commissioned Ensigns, Gates was expected to serve his first tour of duty at sea. So, on 30 Jun 1932, Ensign Gates reported for duty on board the light cruiser, USS Marblehead (CL-12). After a two year tour on Marblehead, Ens. Gates received orders in May 1934 to transfer to the Naval Air Station (NAS), Pensacola, FL to begin flight training under instruction on 4 Jun 1934. He was one of 18 naval officers who were to be given instruction first in glider flying. This was to be preliminary and continued until 15 Jun 1934 when the regular course began.
Ensign Gates did not complete flight training. He received orders on 18 Sep 1934 to detach from NAS, Pensacola in Sept and report for duty to the aircraft carrier, USS Saratoga (CV-3). For the next 2.5 years, Ensign Gates served on board Saratoga. On 02 Jun 1935, he was promoted to Lieutenant, Junior Grade (Ltjg). His next assignment was on board the destroyer, USS Childs (DD-241) for about a year. In the interim, Ltjg Gates completed a course in torpedo instruction. His next assignment was on board the destroyer, USS Boggs (DD-136), in 1938 for about a year. That assignment was followed by a tour of duty at the US Naval Academy as an instructor in the Department of Seamanship and Navigation (Sep 1939-Aug 1940) where he was promoted to Lieutenant (Lt) on 26 Jun 1940.
He was back at sea in Sep 1940 with a short tour on the destroyer, USS Connor (DD-72). Conner was decommissioned in 1922. She was recommissioned 23 August 1940 and fitted out at Philadelphia. Designated for inclusion in the destroyers for land bases exchange with Great Britain, she sailed to Halifax, Nova Scotia, where she was decommissioned 23 October 1940 and transferred to Britain and commissioned in the Royal Navy as HMS Leeds the same day.
Lt Gates received orders to detach from Conner in Oct 1940 and report to Asiatic Station for assignment. Lt Gates reported for duty on board the destroyer, USS Peary (DD-226) as the executive officer on 01 Feb 1941 (According to Peary's list of officers, Dec 1941). He was also the Navigator, Damage Control Officer and Landing Force Officer. Navy Registers for 1941 indicate Gates was assigned to the Navy Yard Pearl Harbor by Apr 1941 (error?).
Prelude to War.
The threat of hostilities between the United States and Japan grew closer to the boiling point as the year 1941 began. Admiral Hart, Commander in Chief, Asiatic Fleet, determined then it was time to send all of the families of his sailors home. There was push-back from the resentful spouses who initially declined to leave their husbands. It was only a threat to indefinitely restrict their spouses to their ships without leave that finally convinced the families; it was time to comply with orders and return to the continental United States. Admiral Hart's directive probably saved many family members from internment by the Japanese or worse. For many of the married and unmarried sailors alike, it was the last time they would ever see their families.
Then, in July 1941, as Japanese aggression intensified with their move south into lower Indo-China, Admiral Hart warned his officers that he had no doubt that war would come although he didn't know how of when it would start. Hart trained his destroyer crews hard keeping them on a war-footing for extended periods and away from Cavite naval base as much as possible exercising his "defensive deployment."
Ordered to comply with the Adm. Hart's "defensive deployment" well south of Manila, units of the Asiatic Fleet including destroyer tender USS Blackhawk (AD-9), USS Stewart (DD-224) and other ships of Destroyer Squadron Twenty-Nine (DesRon) 29, got underway on 25 Nov 1941, and arrived on the morning of 29 Nov 1941 in Balikpapan, a major oil port on the eastern coast of Borneo. Peary was not among the group of ships proceeding south.
Despite his best efforts, Admiral Hart was still caught by surprise by the Japanese attacks on 10 Dec 1941. Four of the Destroyer Division Fifty Nine (DesDiv 59) ships remained in the Manila Bay area during the first week of December 1941 for overhaul and repairs and two others to provide escort services for shipping. The two destroyers, Pillsbury and Peary, were in the navy yard at Cavite for repairs following a collision during night training exercises in late October. Peary was also there for a yard overhaul.
Peary was still pier-side at Cavite's Central wharf on the morning of 10 Dec 1941 in a "cold iron" state. Her engines disassembled, bow open awaiting a patch, she was receiving "hotel" services (water, electricity and steam) from the pier (some reports indicate Peary was at the shipyard for routine maintenance). Most of her crew had moved ashore to continue repairs from base maintenance shops. She was non-operational. Suddenly, about 1300, two flights of more than 50 Japanese twin-engine, land-based, medium bombers appeared over the naval installations and commenced to obliterate everything in sight.
About 1350, Peary sustained a direct hit with an estimated 250 pound bomb which contained a combination of shrapnel and incendiary explosives. The bomb struck her mast spraying shrapnel in every direction killing or wounding almost everyone on the fire-control platform, bridge, and other areas and starting fires. Eight sailors were killed outright and five officers, including the Commanding Officer, Lcdr Keith, were wounded. The executive officer, Lt Albert Eugene Gates, Jr., was found unconscious on the bridge mortally wounded. They were evacuated to Sternberg hospital in Manila where Lt Gates probably died (exact location of death unknown but presumed at the hospital.). The disposition of his remains is unknown. Gerry Lawton
The "Register of Commissioned and Warrant Officers of the United States Navy and Marine Corps" was published annually from 1815 through at least the 1970s; it provided rank, command or station, and occasionally billet until the beginning of World War II when command/station was no longer included. Scanned copies were reviewed and data entered from the mid-1840s through 1922, when more-frequent Navy Directories were available.
The Navy Directory was a publication that provided information on the command, billet, and rank of every active and retired naval officer. Single editions have been found online from January 1915 and March 1918, and then from three to six editions per year from 1923 through 1940; the final edition is from April 1941.
The entries in both series of documents are sometimes cryptic and confusing. They are often inconsistent, even within an edition, with the name of commands; this is especially true for aviation squadrons in the 1920s and early 1930s.
Alumni listed at the same command may or may not have had significant interactions; they could have shared a stateroom or workspace, stood many hours of watch together… or, especially at the larger commands, they might not have known each other at all. The information provides the opportunity to draw connections that are otherwise invisible, though, and gives a fuller view of the professional experiences of these alumni in Memorial Hall.
July 1933
October 1933
April 1934
July 1934
LT James Craig '22
LTjg John Duke '26
LTjg Ralph Smith '26
LTjg Baylies Clark '30
ENS Charles Palmer, Sr. '31
ENS Lorenz Forbes '31
ENS Ford Wallace '31
October 1934
LT Arnold Isbell '21 (Aircraft Squadrons)
LT Matthias Marple, Jr. '23 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LT Charles McDonald '24 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)
LTjg Harold Richards '27 (Aircraft Squadrons)
LTjg Loren Morris '27 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 2B)
LTjg Leonard Southerland '27 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg Mathias Wyatt '29 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg Bruce Van Voorhis '29 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)
LTjg Robert Patten '30 (Aircraft Squadrons)
LTjg Charles Ostrom '30 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 2B)
LTjg Charles Palmer, Sr. '31 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)
LTjg James Murphy '31 (Torpedo Plane Squadron (VT) 2B)
January 1935
LT Arnold Isbell '21 (Aircraft Squadrons)
LT Matthias Marple, Jr. '23 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LT Charles McDonald '24 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)
LTjg Harold Richards '27 (Aircraft Squadrons)
LTjg Loren Morris '27 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 2B)
LTjg Leonard Southerland '27 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg Carl Lindgren '28 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 2B)
LTjg Bruce Van Voorhis '29 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)
LTjg Charles Ostrom '30 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 2B)
LTjg Charles Palmer, Sr. '31 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)
LTjg Ford Wallace '31 (Aircraft Squadrons)
LTjg James Murphy '31 (Torpedo Plane Squadron (VT) 2B)
LTjg Edward Blessman '31 (Aircraft Squadrons)
April 1935
LT Arnold Isbell '21 (Aircraft Squadrons)
LT Matthias Marple, Jr. '23 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LT Charles McDonald '24 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)
LTjg Harold Richards '27 (Aircraft Squadrons)
LTjg Loren Morris '27 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 2B)
LTjg Leonard Southerland '27 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg Bruce Van Voorhis '29 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)
LTjg Charles Ostrom '30 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 2B)
LTjg Charles Palmer, Sr. '31 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)
LTjg Ford Wallace '31 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg James Murphy '31 (Torpedo Plane Squadron (VT) 2B)
LTjg Edward Blessman '31 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 2B)
October 1935
LT John Gillon '20 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 2B)
LT Arnold Isbell '21 (Aircraft Squadrons)
LT Charles McDonald '24 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)
LTjg Charles Signer '26 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg Harold Richards '27 (Aircraft Squadrons)
LTjg Elmer Cooper '27 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)
LTjg Leonard Southerland '27 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg Oliver White '30 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 2B)
LTjg Ford Wallace '31 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg James Murphy '31 (Torpedo Plane Squadron (VT) 2B)
LTjg Thomas Ashworth, Jr. '31 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg Edward Blessman '31 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 2B)
January 1936
LCDR John Gillon '20 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 2B)
LT Arnold Isbell '21 (Aircraft Squadrons)
LT Charles McDonald '24 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)
LT Richard Moss '24 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)
LTjg Charles Signer '26 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg Harold Richards '27 (Aircraft Squadrons)
LTjg Elmer Cooper '27 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)
LTjg Leonard Southerland '27 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg Oliver White '30 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 2B)
LTjg Ford Wallace '31 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg James Murphy '31 (Torpedo Plane Squadron (VT) 2B)
LTjg Thomas Ashworth, Jr. '31 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg Edward Blessman '31 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 2B)
LTjg Edwin Hurst '32 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)
April 1936
LCDR John Gillon '20 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 2B)
LT Arnold Isbell '21 (Aircraft Squadrons)
LT Charles McDonald '24 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)
LT Richard Moss '24 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)
LTjg Charles Signer '26 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg Harold Richards '27 (Aircraft Squadrons)
LTjg Elmer Cooper '27 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)
LTjg Leonard Southerland '27 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg Ford Wallace '31 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg James Murphy '31 (Torpedo Plane Squadron (VT) 2B)
LTjg Thomas Ashworth, Jr. '31 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg Edward Blessman '31 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 2B)
LTjg Edwin Hurst '32 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)
July 1936
LT Charles McDonald '24 (Torpedo Plane Squadron (VT) 2B)
LT Richard Moss '24 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)
LTjg Elmer Cooper '27 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)
LTjg Gerald Dyson '27 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)
LTjg Leonard Southerland '27 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg William Pye, Jr. '28 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg John Collett '29 (Aircraft Squadrons)
LTjg Finley Hall '29 (Aircraft Squadrons)
LTjg Ford Wallace '31 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg Thomas Ashworth, Jr. '31 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg Edward Blessman '31 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 2B)
LTjg George Bellinger '32 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg Edwin Hurst '32 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)
January 1937
LCDR John Gillon '20 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 2B)
LT Richard Moss '24 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)
LT Gerald Dyson '27 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)
LTjg Leonard Southerland '27 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LT William Pye, Jr. '28 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg Ford Wallace '31 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg Thomas Ashworth, Jr. '31 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg Clarence Kasparek '32 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 4B)
LTjg George Bellinger '32 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg Edwin Hurst '32 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)
April 1937
LCDR John Gillon '20 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 2B)
LT Richard Moss '24 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)
LT Gerald Dyson '27 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)
LT Leonard Southerland '27 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LT William Pye, Jr. '28 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg Ford Wallace '31 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg Thomas Ashworth, Jr. '31 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg Clarence Kasparek '32 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 4B)
LTjg George Bellinger '32 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg Edwin Hurst '32 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)
September 1937
January 1938
July 1938
January 1939
October 1939
June 1940
November 1940
April 1941
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