EDWIN M. CROUCH, CAPT, USN
Edwin Crouch '21
Lucky Bag
From the 1921 Lucky Bag:
Edwin Mason Crouch
Deadwood, South Dakota
"Eddie" "Deadwood Dick"
TIRED of digging gold and chasing cattle rustlers, our Eddie decided to leave the pure and simple life. Result: he is Deadwood's first representative to graduate from Uncle Sam's Navy School. All of Deadwood's cow-punchers, cowgirls, and miners turned out to see the prodigal son depart, but in all that crowd, to Eddie there was only one—the belle of Deadwood.
When the Upper Classes returned, Eddie was shanghied to the barracks, where we first learned his real nature; demerits, extra duty, conduct grades, and trees—nothing bothered this quiet easy-going westerner except "Mail Ho!" and one day when the overland stage was held up and a little pink letter failed to come, Eddie's worries began.
Did you ever bust into his room on a Saturday night after taps, the smoke thick, sizzling fudge, toast and perhaps a hot flatiron to keep his feet warm on cold nights?
Eddie is seldom rhino. He can hit the pap, take your duty, or make a big liberty, and do them all with the same good-natured grin. He says that he is going to lead a wild life for a few years, and then settle down in a nice little home in the West. But we have our doubts.
Buzzard (2, 1); Sub Squad (4, 3, 2, 1); Lucky Bag Staff (2); Co. Representative (1).
The Class of 1921 was the last of the wartime-accelerated classes. "1921A" was graduated on June 3, 1920; the second half, "1921B", was graduated on June 2, 1921. Edwin was graduated with 1921B.
Edwin Mason Crouch
Deadwood, South Dakota
"Eddie" "Deadwood Dick"
TIRED of digging gold and chasing cattle rustlers, our Eddie decided to leave the pure and simple life. Result: he is Deadwood's first representative to graduate from Uncle Sam's Navy School. All of Deadwood's cow-punchers, cowgirls, and miners turned out to see the prodigal son depart, but in all that crowd, to Eddie there was only one—the belle of Deadwood.
When the Upper Classes returned, Eddie was shanghied to the barracks, where we first learned his real nature; demerits, extra duty, conduct grades, and trees—nothing bothered this quiet easy-going westerner except "Mail Ho!" and one day when the overland stage was held up and a little pink letter failed to come, Eddie's worries began.
Did you ever bust into his room on a Saturday night after taps, the smoke thick, sizzling fudge, toast and perhaps a hot flatiron to keep his feet warm on cold nights?
Eddie is seldom rhino. He can hit the pap, take your duty, or make a big liberty, and do them all with the same good-natured grin. He says that he is going to lead a wild life for a few years, and then settle down in a nice little home in the West. But we have our doubts.
Buzzard (2, 1); Sub Squad (4, 3, 2, 1); Lucky Bag Staff (2); Co. Representative (1).
The Class of 1921 was the last of the wartime-accelerated classes. "1921A" was graduated on June 3, 1920; the second half, "1921B", was graduated on June 2, 1921. Edwin was graduated with 1921B.
Loss
Edwin was lost in USS Indianapolis (CA 35) when she was sunk by a Japanese submarine on July 30, 1945. He was aboard as a passenger; he was a good friend of Indianapolis's captain, Charles McVay (USNA 1920). Edwin was staying in the Captain's inport cabin for the cruise; McVay was in the at-sea cabin, which was steps from the bridge.
Other Information
From researcher Kathy Franz:
Born in Nebraska, Edwin lived with his parents on his grandfather Mason Crouch’s farm in Nebraska in 1900. His father Ernest died in 1909. In May 1910, Edwin and Alice lived and worked on their uncle’s ranch in Rawhide, Wyoming. They were also listed in the May census with their widowed mother Harriet in Lusk, Wyoming.
In February 1916, Edwin belonged to the Deadwood high school band. The band held a banquet at the school to commemorate its first anniversary.
Edwin left Deadwood to take the Naval Academy examinations in April, 1917. Many of his friends were at the depot when he left on the train. The newspaper reported that “Edwin, who has made his home for the greater part of his life in Blacktail, is one of the brightest boys in the Hills, a manly young fellow and is destined to make his mark in the academy, for he knows what it is to work hard and to the best advantage.”
Edwin missed his Deadwood high school graduation in June as he had already enlisted in the Navy. When that was announced at graduation, the newspaper reported, “A generous round of applause greeted this announcement.”
The Rev. Richard H. Gushee, rector of Christ Episcopal Church, married Edwin and Jean Wallace English on March 26, 1922, in San Bernardino. In March 1930, Edwin and his wife lived in Queens, New York.
Edwin was one of the 3,000 who did guard duty at Long Beach on March 10, 1933, the first night after the earthquake.
In November 1940, his wife sailed from Manila to San Francisco.
Edwin had arrived in Deadwood from Washington, D. C., to visit his mother and friends on June 26, 1945. On July 30, he was declared missing.
Edwin’s step-father George Nicholls was an assayer at the U. S. assay office. Edwin’s sisters were Alice (Crouch) Hull and Sara Nicholls. His brother Dan was in the Army.
His wife, Jean, was listed as next of kin. He has one memory marker in California and another in Nebraska.
Career
From 15 June 1940 – 13 October 1941 Edwin was commanding officer of USS Edsall (DD 219). At the beginning of the war, he was commanding officer of Destroyer Division 57, headquartered in the Philippines.
From a now-private a forum post, formerly at https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/TheOvervalwagenForum/a-few-more-bits-on-usn-officers-in-java-campaign-t1919.html:
- Captain (temp. from 20 June 1942)
- Commander (permanent from 8 Dec 1941)
- Has Bronze Star medal
- Born 2 February 1900
- Date of entry into service 13 August 1917
- Has completed postgraduate course in ordnance engineering (general)
Wartime Service
As DESDIV 57, from a now-private forum post at https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/TheOvervalwagenForum/a-few-more-bits-on-usn-officers-in-java-campaign-t1919.html:
The final decision wherein USS Whipple (DD 217) departed the area after rescuing a number of the survivors from Pecos (AO 6) and Langley (AV 3), but leaving behind approximately 2/3 of the intermingled survivors, including previously wounded men from Houston (CA 30), Marblehead (CL 12), and Stewart (DD 224), was of course that of her captain, Lt. Cmdr. Eugene Karpe. But aboard were three USN officers who outranked him, Commanders E. Paul Abernathy (Pecos), Robert McConnell (Langley), and Edwin M. Crouch (ComDesDiv 57), who was Karpe's boss. The men in the water were those commanded by Abernathy and McConnell, who must have been reluctant to leave the survivors behind. One must remember the danger the destroyer was in: she was already overloaded with survivors, Japanese aircraft were almost certain to return the next day to finish the job, and there was more than one submarine warning during the night of the rescue. Fairly or unfairly, however, in the eyes of many, Crouch took a hefty share of the blame for Whipple's failure to hang around on the following morning.
For the sake of completeness and in way of reminder, USS Pecos (AO 6) was sunk in the Indian Ocean at around 3:30 p.m., March 1, 1942, by attacking aircraft launched from all four of the IJN carriers that would be lost three months later at Midway. USS Whipple (DD 217) arrived on the scene at 7:15 p.m. and began rescuing survivors shortly thereafter. After at least two alerts of submarines close aboard, thereupon leaving the area and returning for a brief resumption of rescue operations, Whipple cleared the area permanently a few minutes after 10 p.m., same date. [Details from Dwight R. Messimer, Pawns of War, 1983]
Edwin was mentioned by name by the commanding officer of Langley in his post-sinking report:
The Commander of Destroyer Division FIFTY-SEVEN, Commander E.M. Crouch, USN; the Commanding Officer of the U.S.S. WHIPPLE, Lieut-Commander E.S. Karpe, USN, and the Commanding officer of the U.S.S. EDSALL, Lieutenant J.J, Nix, USN, deserve great credit for their skill and daring in maneuvering their vessels, prior to, during and after the action, in screening and in effecting the rescue of the LANGLEY survivors. The remarkable high percentage of effectiveness in rescuing the wounded is due to the preparedness and to the effective ship handling on the part of the destroyer captains. A careful check of survivors at this time showed a maximum of six (6) killed and five (5) missing.
Also in the report:
The decision of the Division Commander to clear the area was concurred in by the Commanding Officers of the WHIPPLE, PECOS and LANGLEY. At 2207 left the area.
Bronze Star
Unable to find a citation for the Bronze Star mentioned above, but the August 1944 issue of "All Hands" magazine gave this summary:
Capt. Edwin M. Crouch, USN, Washington, D. C.: As operations officer on the staff of Commander Cruisers and Destroyers Pacific, and commander of a task force between 21 January 1943 and 2 January 1944, he administered the exacting duties of his office tactfully and promptly. He accomplished positive results throughout a critical period of operations.
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.
November 1923
January 1924
March 1924
May 1924
July 1924
September 1924
November 1924
January 1925
March 1925
May 1925
July 1925
October 1925
January 1926
October 1926
January 1927
April 1927
October 1927
January 1928
April 1928
July 1928
LCDR Norman Scott '11
LCDR Albert Rooks '14
LCDR Cassin Young '16
LT John Gillon '20
LT John Burrow '21
LT Joseph Hubbard '21
LTjg Howard Healy '22
LTjg William Ault '22
October 1928
January 1929
April 1929
July 1929
October 1929
January 1930
October 1930
LTjg Richard Downer '27 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 3B)
January 1931
LTjg Richard Downer '27 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 3B)
April 1931
LT Francis Bridget '21 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5B)
LT Arnold Isbell '21 (Torpedo and Bombing Plane Squadron (VT) 1B)
LTjg Richard Downer '27 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 3B)
LTjg Robert Winters '27 (Torpedo and Bombing Plane Squadron (VT) 1B)
LTjg Eugene Lindsey '27 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5B)
ENS John Riggs, Jr. '28 (Torpedo and Bombing Plane Squadron (VT) 1B)
July 1931
LTjg John Waldron '24 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 3B)
LTjg Richard Downer '27 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 3B)
LTjg Elmer Cooper '27 (Torpedo and Bombing Plane Squadron (VT) 1B)
ENS John Riggs, Jr. '28 (Torpedo and Bombing Plane Squadron (VT) 1B)
ENS Weldon Hamilton '28 (Torpedo and Bombing Plane Squadron (VT) 1B)
ENS John Yoho '29 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 3B)
October 1931
LTjg John Waldron '24 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 3B)
LTjg Richard Downer '27 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 3B)
LTjg Elmer Cooper '27 (Torpedo and Bombing Plane Squadron (VT) 1B)
LTjg John Riggs, Jr. '28 (Torpedo and Bombing Plane Squadron (VT) 1B)
ENS Henry Twohy '29 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5B)
ENS John Yoho '29 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 3B)
January 1932
LTjg John Waldron '24 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 3B)
1LT Donald Willis '24 (Scouting Squadron 15-M)
LTjg Richard Downer '27 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 3B)
LTjg Elmer Cooper '27 (Torpedo and Bombing Plane Squadron (VT) 1B)
LTjg John Riggs, Jr. '28 (Torpedo and Bombing Plane Squadron (VT) 1B)
ENS Henry Twohy '29 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5B)
ENS John Yoho '29 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 3B)
April 1932
LTjg John Waldron '24 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 3B)
1LT Donald Willis '24 (Scouting Squadron 15-M)
LTjg Richard Downer '27 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 3B)
LTjg Elmer Cooper '27 (Torpedo and Bombing Plane Squadron (VT) 1B)
LTjg John Riggs, Jr. '28 (Torpedo and Bombing Plane Squadron (VT) 1B)
ENS Henry Twohy '29 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5B)
ENS John Yoho '29 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 3B)
October 1932
LT William Sample '19 (Aircraft Squadrons)
LT John Jones '21 (Aircraft Squadrons)
LT William Ault '22 (Torpedo and Bombing Squadron (VT) 1S)
ENS John Yoho '29 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 3S)
ENS Edwin Kelly '30 (Torpedo Squadron (VT) 1B)
ENS Lance Massey '30 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 3S)
January 1933
LT William Sample '19 (Aircraft Squadrons)
LT John Jones '21 (Aircraft Squadrons)
LT William Ault '22 (Torpedo and Bombing Squadron (VT) 1S)
LTjg Henry Twohy '29 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5S)
ENS Edwin Kelly '30 (Torpedo Squadron (VT) 1B)
ENS Victor Gaulin '30 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 3S)
ENS Lance Massey '30 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 3S)
April 1933
LTjg Arthur Farrell '25 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5B)
LTjg Henry Twohy '29 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5B)
ENS John Yoho '29 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 3B)
ENS Victor Gaulin '30 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 3B)
ENS Lance Massey '30 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 3B)
July 1933
October 1933
April 1934
July 1934
October 1934
January 1935
April 1935
September 1937
January 1938
July 1938
January 1939
October 1939
June 1940
November 1940
April 1941
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