DANIEL S. BAUGHMAN, JR., LCDR, USN
Daniel Baughman, Jr. '39
Lucky Bag
From the 1939 Lucky Bag:
DANIEL S. BAUGHMAN
Madison, South Dakota
Slugger, Chick
Slugger, as he is known by his classmates, hails from around the Bad Lands—Deadwood, South Dakota. Good natured and always ready to help a friend in trouble, the Slugger has already won fame as a football player, a boxer, and a high jumper. When not occupied in athletics, he is busy writing to one of his many female admirers. Were it not for this weakness, we feel confident he would be sporting stars on his collar. Before entering this institution, the mighty muscle man attended Culver Military Academy where he was an illustrious member of the school band. Now Slugger has forsaken the musical art and is devoting his energy towards getting the job of Cincus in as short a time as possible.
Football 4, 3, 2, 1, N.A., N; Track 4, 3, 2, 1, N.A; Boxing 4, 3, 2, 1, N.A.; 1 Stripe.
DANIEL S. BAUGHMAN
Madison, South Dakota
Slugger, Chick
Slugger, as he is known by his classmates, hails from around the Bad Lands—Deadwood, South Dakota. Good natured and always ready to help a friend in trouble, the Slugger has already won fame as a football player, a boxer, and a high jumper. When not occupied in athletics, he is busy writing to one of his many female admirers. Were it not for this weakness, we feel confident he would be sporting stars on his collar. Before entering this institution, the mighty muscle man attended Culver Military Academy where he was an illustrious member of the school band. Now Slugger has forsaken the musical art and is devoting his energy towards getting the job of Cincus in as short a time as possible.
Football 4, 3, 2, 1, N.A., N; Track 4, 3, 2, 1, N.A; Boxing 4, 3, 2, 1, N.A.; 1 Stripe.
Loss
Dan was lost when USS Swordfish (SS-193) was sunk, probably by enemy vessels, off the Ryukyu Islands on January 12, 1945.
Obituary
From South Dakota Veteran Affairs:
Daniel Sparks Baughman was born on August 19, 1916 in San Francisco, California. He was the son of Dr. Daniel Sparks Baughman and Mary Foster Baughman. Daniel had three sisters named Shirley Foster, Mary Lou, and Nancy Jane, and two brothers named Richard Curtis and Thomas Patrick. Daniel’s hometown was in Madison, South Dakota; this is also where he attended some schooling but ended up graduating from the Culver Military Academy. He also attended the University of South Dakota. Some of Daniel’s interests involved Scouting and Athletics. He received an Eagle Scout Award with three palms from Dan Beard. Daniel’s only employment was the Navy. He had training in aviation, motor torpedo boats, and in submarines. He married Mary Caroline Hamner in Washington D.C. His sister Shirley B. O’Leary said that he was a brave, modest man, and he loved his family. He also was very enthusiastic about the Navy.
Baughman attended the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland from 1935-1939, the start of his Navy career. He also went to an aviation school in Pensacola, Florida and a submarine school. He was sent overseas in 1939 once on the U.S.S. Arizona and another on the U.S.S. Tarbell, on convoy duty protecting shipping in the North Atlantic (before war was declared). He was a Commander of a Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron. Baughman fought in many battles in New Guinea and the Solomon Islands versus enemy shipping, and submarine patrols on U.S.S. Barb and Swordfish.
This is a quote from Daniel. “You should see the tan I’m getting. I didn’t think it possible. You know I always have been susceptible to sunburn. Whew, I just lit a cigarette and just about burned my whiskers off. The boys are a grand bunch, and I like the duty here.” October 12, 1942, from MTB Ron #6, Division 17, c/o PM, San Francisco, to Mrs. Pat O’Leary.
Daniel Sparks Baughman was a navigator on the submarine Swordfish doing reconnaissance missions at the time that he perished. He was in the vicinity of Okinawa in December-January 1945. Baughman was not heard from after January 3, 1945. This is an excerpt from a letter from the Secretary of Navy, James Forrestal, “in view of the length of time that has now elapsed since he was reported missing and because there have been no official nor unconfirmed reports that any of the personnel of the vessel survived or were taken prisoners of war, I am reluctantly forced to the conclusion that Lt. Baughman is deceased.” The information that he was missing was kept a secret (except from the family) until after the surrender of Japan. Daniel Baughman was declared lost at sea so there was no burial. He was awarded the [Silver Star with Gold Star in lieu of second award] with the torpedo boats. “On the night of December 24-25, 1942, he commanded a patrol which torpedoed and sank an enemy submarine, and on three subsequent occasions, he skillfully directed torpedo boats in the interception and destruction of landing craft bearing troops and supplies. By his inspiring leadership and courageous devotion to duty at great personal risk, he prevented urgently needed reinforcements and material from reaching the enemy.”
Lt. Commander Daniel Sparks Baughman is listed on the Tablets of the Missing at Honolulu Memorial, Honolulu, Hawaii.
Survivors of Daniel Sparks Baughman included Dr. and Mrs. Daniel Sparks Baughman, Shirley, Dick, Thomas Pat, Mary Lou, and Nancy. The only two current survivors are Mrs. Shirley B. O’Leary, Belle Fourche, South Dakota, and Mrs. Nancy Jane Phelps, Pullman, Washington. Daniel Sparks Baughman was a dearly beloved brother, who loved South Dakota, the Navy, and the USA.
This entry was respectfully submitted by Steven Keil, 11th grade, American Literature, Belle Fourche High School, Belle Fourche, South Dakota on December 14, 2001. Information for this article was provided by Shirley B. O’ Leary, Sister of Baughman, from Belle Fourche, South Dakota.
Photographs
From the Lucky Bag
From the Lucky Bag
Wartime Service
Dan was commanding officer of PT Division 17 in late 1942. In June 1943 he was commanding officer of Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron (MTB) 25, which "saw action in the New Guinea, New Britain, Halmaheras and Philippine waters." Some of his experiences are recounted in the book "At Close Quarters: PT Boats in the United States Navy" by Robert J. Bulkley.
Other Information
Unable to find citations for the Silver Star medals he was awarded, though a newspaper report said there was one each from the Navy and Army, both for the period when he was executive officer and later commanding officer of a motor torpedo boat squadron.
His wife was listed as next of kin. He has a memory marker in Maryland.
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.
October 1939
June 1940
The "category" links below lead to lists of related Honorees; use them to explore further the service and sacrifice of alumni in Memorial Hall.
