CASSIN YOUNG, CAPT, USN

Cassin Young '16

Date of birth: March 6, 1894

Date of death: November 13, 1942

Age: 48

Lucky Bag

From the 1916 Lucky Bag:

Cassin Young

Washington, D.C.

"Cy" "Ted"

TEDDY is a cute little devil but the last is far more appropriate than the first, for ever since his early days here Teddy has been getting into trouble at pretty regular intervals, but he has, however, managed to get out of trouble at equally regular intervals, and it is a safe bet that he will take out his clearance papers with the rest of us. Lack of size is one of the things—in fact the only thing—that kept Ted from doing more in athletics. But he has done enough for the average man and he possesses plenty of spunk.

Teddy isn't brilliant; he's too irresponsible to be considered as one of the more capable men in the Class, but he's got his nerve with him, and that alone should pull him through many a situation.

Teddy came here hand in hand with Dutch. The two lads had seen army life at St. John's, and they decided to try Navy life at the Academy. They have—they have survived the Academy and it in its turn has survived them.

Teddy with his dark eyes and olive complexion could not be else than a fusser. He fusses spasmodically, without rhyme or reason—but there's a method in some of his madness who the method is will probably come out later.

The cruises have been the joys of Ted's existence. He has made some grand liberties. The zoo in Antwerp, Paris, London; Ted's been there—and gone. His experiences would make a very clever tale in the hands of the rankest amateur, but when Ted acts as his own historian—light your pipe and gang closer.

Teddy was made to enjoy life—that is, while he is young—but some day he'll grow up and his abilities, which in here were at times obscured by his indifference to mere matters such

as regulations, etc., will come to the surface, and Ted will then get the confidence that his abilities deserve.

Buzzard; Baseball Numerals.

Cassin Young

Washington, D.C.

"Cy" "Ted"

TEDDY is a cute little devil but the last is far more appropriate than the first, for ever since his early days here Teddy has been getting into trouble at pretty regular intervals, but he has, however, managed to get out of trouble at equally regular intervals, and it is a safe bet that he will take out his clearance papers with the rest of us. Lack of size is one of the things—in fact the only thing—that kept Ted from doing more in athletics. But he has done enough for the average man and he possesses plenty of spunk.

Teddy isn't brilliant; he's too irresponsible to be considered as one of the more capable men in the Class, but he's got his nerve with him, and that alone should pull him through many a situation.

Teddy came here hand in hand with Dutch. The two lads had seen army life at St. John's, and they decided to try Navy life at the Academy. They have—they have survived the Academy and it in its turn has survived them.

Teddy with his dark eyes and olive complexion could not be else than a fusser. He fusses spasmodically, without rhyme or reason—but there's a method in some of his madness who the method is will probably come out later.

The cruises have been the joys of Ted's existence. He has made some grand liberties. The zoo in Antwerp, Paris, London; Ted's been there—and gone. His experiences would make a very clever tale in the hands of the rankest amateur, but when Ted acts as his own historian—light your pipe and gang closer.

Teddy was made to enjoy life—that is, while he is young—but some day he'll grow up and his abilities, which in here were at times obscured by his indifference to mere matters such

as regulations, etc., will come to the surface, and Ted will then get the confidence that his abilities deserve.

Buzzard; Baseball Numerals.

Loss

Cassin was lost when USS San Francisco (CA 38) was severely damaged during the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal on November 13, 1942. He was the ship's commanding officer.

Other Information

From Wikipedia and the Naval History and Heritage Command:

Young was born in Washington, D.C., on March 6, 1894. He would move to Wisconsin, which his military records state as his official residence. At the age of 2 he moved to Milwaukee where his father operated a drug store. After graduation from the U.S. Naval Academy on June 3, 1916, he served on the battleship USS Connecticut into 1919. He attended submarine school in 1919 and then spent several years in submarines. During that period, he served on submarines USS R-22 (SS-99) and USS R-3 (SS-80). In 1921, he and his family returned from Panama and he assisted in outfitting the USS S-51. From January 1923, until June 1925, he was on duty in the Office of Naval Communications, Navy Department, Washington, DC, and from July 1925 to July 1928, he was aid on staff, Commander, Submarine Division, Battle Fleet.
He was instructor in the Department of Engineering and Aeronautics at the Naval Academy from August, 1928 until May 1931, and during the summer of 1930 made the practice cruise with the midshipmen to Northern European ports. From June, 1931 to December 1932, he served as communication officer in USS New York, and during the next five months, as her first lieutenant. Following that duty he commanded USS Evans (DD 78) for two years. He was on duty at Headquarters, Eleventh Naval District, San Diego, from March, 1935, until March 1937, when he assumed command of Submarine Division Seven, with additional duty in 1938 as Commander, Experimental Division Two. In July 1939, Captain Young reported for duty as executive officer, Submarine Base, New London, Connecticut, and in October 1941, returned to sea as commanding officer of USS Vestal.
Vestal was moored to the battleship USS Arizona (BB-39) on December 7, 1941; Vestal was damaged directly by the Japanese attack and indirectly by damage to Arizona. Commander Young rapidly organized offensive action, personally taking charge of one of Vestal's anti-aircraft guns. When Arizona's forward magazine exploded, the blast blew Young overboard. Although stunned, he was determined to save his ship by getting her away from the blazing Arizona. Swimming through burning oil back to Vestal, which was already damaged, Young got her underway to an anchorage before ultimately beaching her, thus ensuring her later salvage. His heroism was recognized with the Medal of Honor.
Promoted to captain in February 1942, he took command of the heavy cruiser USS San Francisco (CA-38) on November 9, 1942. (Note: several sources claim he commanded San Francisco in the Battle of Cape Esperance; this is incorrect.)
On November 13, 1942, during the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, he guided his ship in action with a superior Japanese force and was killed by enemy shells while closely engaging the battleship Hiei. Captain Young was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross for his actions during the campaign and San Francisco received the Presidential Unit Citation.

From researcher Kathy Franz:

Cassin married Eleanor Hayden McFadden on August 30, 1919, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Their children were Charles, born 1921 in the Canal Zone, Eleanor born in 1923 in Connecticut, Mary born in 1924 in the District of Columbia, Stephen born in 1927 in San Diego, and Joan born in 1936 in San Diego.
The Wilmington Morning Star of November 20, 1919, reported that Major W. N. Harriss, clerk of the superior court, received a letter from Cassin of the K-22. Eagle 31 was the flagship, and Cassin stated that the fleet had reached Key West in safety and were to leave for Havana. It had been reported that the Eagle 31 had been lost off Charleston, but this was later proved false.
The Press-Telegram of January 13, 1922, reported Cassin was transferred to the USS S-51.
The Evening Star of January 11, 1925, reported that Cassin was to be transferred from the Navy Department to the command of the USS S-4.
On June 23, 1939, Cassin and his family sailed on the Matsonia with 130 others from the Navy from Honolulu to the Mainland. The group included Col. Andrew B. Drum, the departing commander of the Pearl Harbor marine barracks.
In July 1941, Cassin turned over command of the New London submarine base to Commander Charles Bowers Momsen, the inventor of the submarine escape “lung.”
In January 1944, Cassin’s mother dedicated a Navy carrier-based Hellcat that was one of 80 planes bought with War Bond investments by residents of Washington, D. C.
Cassin’s son Charles (’42) was a Navy commander, and son Stephen (’50) was an Air Force captain. Cassin’s brother Edward was a major, and his other brother Casanave (a non-grad of the Naval Academy, Class of 1925) was a lieutenant commander in the Naval Reserve. Casanave’s son, Casanave, Jr., graduated with Stephen from the Naval Academy, Class of 1950.

His wife, Eleanor, was listed as next of kin; he was also survived by his son, who was awarded the Silver Star in WWII prior to graduating the Naval Academy in 1950. He has a memory marker in South Carolina.

Photographs

From the 1916 Lucky Bag

Medal of Honor

From Hall of Valor:

The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pleasure in presenting the Medal of Honor to Commander Cassin Young (NSN: 0-9615), United States Navy, for distinguished conduct in action, outstanding heroism and utter disregard of his own safety, above and beyond the call of duty, as Commanding Officer of the U.S.S. VESTAL (AR-4), during the attack on the Fleet in Pearl Harbor, Territory of Hawaii, by enemy Japanese forces on 7 December 1941. Commander Young proceeded to the bridge and later took personal command of the three-inch anti-aircraft gun. When blown overboard by the blast of the forward magazine explosion of the U.S.S. ARIZONA, to which the U.S.S. VESTAL was moored, he swam back to his ship. The entire forward part of the U.S.S. ARIZONA was a blazing inferno with oil afire on the water between the two ships; as a result of several bomb hits, the U.S.S. VESTAL was afire in several places, was settling and taking on a list. Despite severe enemy bombing and strafing at the time, and his shocking experience of having been blown overboard, Commander Young, with extreme coolness and calmness, moved his ship to an anchorage distant from the U.S.S. ARIZONA, and subsequently beached the U.S.S. VESTAL upon determining that such action was required to save his ship.
Service: Navy
Division: U.S.S. Vestal (AR-4)

Navy Cross

From Hall of Valor:

The President of the United States of America takes pride in presenting the Navy Cross (Posthumously) to Captain Cassin Young (NSN: 0-9615), United States Navy, for extraordinary heroism and distinguished service in the line of his profession as Commanding Officer of the Heavy Cruiser U.S.S. SAN FRANCISCO (CA-38), during an engagement with Japanese naval forces near Savo Island on the night of 12 - 13 November, 1942. On this occasion the force to which Captain Young was attached engaged at close quarters and defeated a superior enemy force, inflicting heavy damage upon them and preventing the accomplishment of their intended mission. This daring and intrepid attack, brilliantly executed, led to a great victory for his country's forces. By his indomitable fighting spirit, expert seamanship, and gallant devotion to duty, Captain Young contributed largely to the success of the battle and upheld the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country.
General Orders: Bureau of Naval Personnel Information Bulletin No. 313 (April 1943)
Service: Navy
Division: U.S.S. San Francisco (CA-38)

Namesake

USS Cassin Young (DD 793) was named for Cassin; the ship was sponsored by his widow. The ship is now a museum in Boston Harbor.

Navy Directories & Officer Registers

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.

January 1917

Ensign, USS Connecticut

March 1918

Lieutenant (j.g.), USS Connecticut

January 1919

Lieutenant, USS Delaware

January 1920

Lieutenant, USS R-22

January 1921

Lieutenant, commanding officer, USS R-23