HERBERT M. COLEMAN, LCDR, USN

Herbert Coleman '32

Date of birth: October 23, 1911

Date of death: November 13, 1942

Age: 31

Lucky Bag

From the 1932 Lucky Bag:

HERBERT McCLELLAN COLEMAN

Huntington, West Virginia

"Herb" "Biff"

A mountaineer by birth and a sailor by love of adventure, the Academy gave Herb his first taste of the briny deep. Since Plebe summer, Neptune has laid his course to carry him clear of all rocks and shoals, finding in him the true sailor.

He is most prominent for his ability to maintain a high standing in the class. Secondary to this, but by no means a negligible quantity, is his batting average for dragging. Boxing, lacrosse and football have all made their contributions in producing a model Academy product.

As an officer, an unlimited future awaits him, for he has mastered many of the necessary qualities, and there remains only experience to complete the finishing touch. Two years in college sent him to us a polished gentleman, placing him in that position toward which we all strive. Following him closely in his career are his informality and ready friendliness, which serve as a reminder of his native haunts. With a grin he is ready for anything from giving consolation to pleasure.

Boxing (NA) ; Lucky Bag Staff; Company Representative; Hop Committee; G.P.O.

Herbert was Chairman of the Hop Committee.

HERBERT McCLELLAN COLEMAN

Huntington, West Virginia

"Herb" "Biff"

A mountaineer by birth and a sailor by love of adventure, the Academy gave Herb his first taste of the briny deep. Since Plebe summer, Neptune has laid his course to carry him clear of all rocks and shoals, finding in him the true sailor.

He is most prominent for his ability to maintain a high standing in the class. Secondary to this, but by no means a negligible quantity, is his batting average for dragging. Boxing, lacrosse and football have all made their contributions in producing a model Academy product.

As an officer, an unlimited future awaits him, for he has mastered many of the necessary qualities, and there remains only experience to complete the finishing touch. Two years in college sent him to us a polished gentleman, placing him in that position toward which we all strive. Following him closely in his career are his informality and ready friendliness, which serve as a reminder of his native haunts. With a grin he is ready for anything from giving consolation to pleasure.

Boxing (NA) ; Lucky Bag Staff; Company Representative; Hop Committee; G.P.O.

Herbert was Chairman of the Hop Committee.

Loss

Herb was lost when USS Barton (DD 599) was sunk during the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal on November 13, 1942.

The wartime service of Barton and her officers and crew are detailed in this wonderful history.

Other Information

From researcher Kathy Franz:

Herbert graduated from Huntington High School in 1926 at the age of 14.
After a competitive examination in November 1927, Herbert was recommended by Senator Goff for appointment to the Naval Academy.
In October 1936, Herbert, his wife Georgeanne and their 18-month-old son James sailed from Shanghai to Honolulu. James was born on January 10, 1935, in Manila. In February 1942, the family sailed from Pearl Harbor to San Francisco.
His father Herbert was a doctor, mother Nellie, and brother Dr. Theodore (born 1904.) Herbert also had brothers Donald, James, Bobby (born 1930, mother Ruth) and Charles. In his will, Herbert’s father left $500 to his grandson James.

His wife was listed as next of kin; Herbert is listed at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial.

Photographs

From his high school yearbook

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.