EDWARD B. CLOUES, ENS, USN

Edward Cloues '40

Date of birth: December 25, 1917

Date of death: December 7, 1941

Age: 23

Lucky Bag

From the 1940 Lucky Bag:

EDWARD BLANCHARD CLOUES

Warner, New Hampshire

Ed

When Eddie shuffled through the Academy gates, he came equipped with a rugged little frame, a complacent disposition, and an eagerness to learn. For relaxation from the rigors of the routine he punched a bag, or scampered about a basketball court. Eddie was most comfortable when perched in his chair, fortified by his pipe, or armed with his flute. Slow-walking, slow-speaking, Eddie's ability to unleash a crisp witticism at any time, his eagerness to help a friend, and his charming sincerity make him a sought after man. If his work here is any criterion, life in the fleet should be Eddie's dish.

Class Crest Committee; Radio Club 2; 2 Stripes.

EDWARD BLANCHARD CLOUES

Warner, New Hampshire

Ed

When Eddie shuffled through the Academy gates, he came equipped with a rugged little frame, a complacent disposition, and an eagerness to learn. For relaxation from the rigors of the routine he punched a bag, or scampered about a basketball court. Eddie was most comfortable when perched in his chair, fortified by his pipe, or armed with his flute. Slow-walking, slow-speaking, Eddie's ability to unleash a crisp witticism at any time, his eagerness to help a friend, and his charming sincerity make him a sought after man. If his work here is any criterion, life in the fleet should be Eddie's dish.

Class Crest Committee; Radio Club 2; 2 Stripes.

Loss

Eddie was lost in USS Arizona (BB 39) during the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.

Obituary

From New Hampshire History Blog on February 15, 2013:

Ensign Edward Blanchard Cloues, son of Alfred S. & Hattie (Blanchard) Cloues was born 25 December 1917 at Warner, New Hampshire He was aboard USS Arizona when it was sunk on 7 December 1941 during the Japanese attack. His body remains with the ship and his shipmates. He was awarded a Purple Heart posthumously, which was sent to his mother in May 1942.
“Eddie,” as he was known to his family and friends, had graduated from Simonds Free High School at the top of his class, had been active in sports, and a member of the school’s orchestra. He attended the University of New Hampshire for a year pending his appointment to the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, where he graduated in 1940.
He was assigned to the battleship USS Arizona (BB 39), stationed at Pearl Harbor Hawaii, reporting for duty June 29, 1940. He was supposed to be on leave in Honolulu, but had traded with another Ensign for ship’s duty. He was on engineering duty in one of the USS Arizona’s turrets when the battleship was attacked, and he was killed in action.
The life and service of Edward B. Cloues has been memorialized in the following ways.
• According to Time Magazine, after Edward’s death his mother placed a memorial in the window of Horace Martin’s store, displaying Eddie’s “Annapolis class ring, his sword, his citation for bravery, his Purple Heart, his classbook, his epaulets, his fancy dress hat, the linen he had sent home from Madeira, a Nazi knife sent home from Germany on a trip before the war, and some shell necklaces from Pearl Harbor, mailed just before Dec. 7.”
• USS Cloues (DE 265) was the first ship to be named for a New Hampshire hero of World War II. His mother christened the ship at the Boston Navy Yard on 10 Aug 1943. • His name is inscribed on the honor roll of the New Hampshire Marine Memorial at Hampton Beach, New Hampshire • On 8 February 1946, Post #39 American Legion changed its name to Wilkins-Cloues Post #39, though note the current name of this post is Wilkins-Cloues-Bigelow-Pearson Post 39. • His name is listed on the bronze plaque at the entrance of Warner’s Town Hall (which also honors 98 other men and women who were residents of Warner during their service in World War II). Janice Brown

His mother was listed as next of kin.

Edward is remembered at the Courts of the Missing and the USS Arizona Memorial in Hawaii.

Career

From History of Class of 1940:

Eddie left Long Beach June 22, 1940 on board CIMARRON, along with eleven classmates headed for ARIZONA at Pearl Harbor, all standing deck watches. The ARIZONA ensigns did not share the luxury cruise to Hawaii in MONTEREY with others of our class. He was assigned to A division (auxiliaries) in ARIZONA. ARIZONA went into Bremerton for overhaul in October and Eddie-forever fourth platoon-was assigned as basketball coach. ARIZONA returned to Pearl Harbor in January and in February Eddie was qualified for top watch in engineering. In June, ARIZONA returned to San Pedro for a Strength through Love visit. About the same time Eddie left the JO Mess, where he was president, for the Wardroom. He visited with Eric Young at Eric's home in Reno. The ship rejoined the Fleet at Pearl Harbor in August and on December 7, 1941 Eddie died when ARIZONA was blown up. He lies still in his ship. On August 10, 1943, USS CLOUES, DE 265, was christened at Boston Navy Yard by Eddie's mother, Mrs. Hattie B. Cloues. After serving in the Pacific from 1943 until decommissioned in December, 1945, and earning three battle stars, CLOUES was sold to a private purchaser in 1946. Eddie lives forever in the memories of those of us who knew him. Cary Hall

Photographs

From the Lucky Bag

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.