HOWARD W. GILMORE, CDR, USN
Howard Gilmore '26
Lucky Bag
From the 1926 Lucky Bag:
Howard Walter Gilmore
New Orleans, Louisiana
"Gil" "Count"
THE Count comes from New Orleans, where the cotton grows rampant and the negroes sing all night in the mellow light of the moon. Many will attest to his loving ways, charming stories, and unruffled disposition —the latter shown by the complacent way in which he let the whole deck bum his skags.
Eighteen months in the Navy, before he entered the Academy, made him seemingly impervious to women, although we stop and wonder when we see the color of some of his letters. He is famed for red hair and freckles, as well as his savviness, which persists in spite of his passionate love for "Tormenting Tales" and other literature which he read to "broaden his mind and enlarge the scope of his activities."
Gil was one of the prominent members of the Fourth Deck Purity League, founded Youngster year and known the Academy over for the songs of melody and variety of its members. The others gave the melody and he furnished the variety.
He insists, though, that he is a real leader of men, and proves it by telling you to look up the old Anglo-Saxon meaning of Walter.
Sub-Squad (3, 2); Reef Points (4); Star (4); Manager Class Soccer (3); Black N * *.
Howard Walter Gilmore
New Orleans, Louisiana
"Gil" "Count"
THE Count comes from New Orleans, where the cotton grows rampant and the negroes sing all night in the mellow light of the moon. Many will attest to his loving ways, charming stories, and unruffled disposition —the latter shown by the complacent way in which he let the whole deck bum his skags.
Eighteen months in the Navy, before he entered the Academy, made him seemingly impervious to women, although we stop and wonder when we see the color of some of his letters. He is famed for red hair and freckles, as well as his savviness, which persists in spite of his passionate love for "Tormenting Tales" and other literature which he read to "broaden his mind and enlarge the scope of his activities."
Gil was one of the prominent members of the Fourth Deck Purity League, founded Youngster year and known the Academy over for the songs of melody and variety of its members. The others gave the melody and he furnished the variety.
He insists, though, that he is a real leader of men, and proves it by telling you to look up the old Anglo-Saxon meaning of Walter.
Sub-Squad (3, 2); Reef Points (4); Star (4); Manager Class Soccer (3); Black N * *.
Loss
Howard was lost on February 7, 1943 when USS Growler (SS 215) was damaged in a surface engagement with a Japanese convoy escort. He had been severely wounded by machine gun fire, and gave the order to submerge the ship.
He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.
Early Life and Career
From Wikipedia:
Howard Gilmore was born in Selma, Alabama, September 29, 1902 and enlisted in the Navy November 15, 1920. In 1922 he was appointed to the United States Naval Academy by competitive examination. Standing 34 in a class of 436, Gilmore was commissioned in 1926 and reported to the battleship USS Mississippi (BB-41). Gilmore underwent submarine training in 1930 and in the years that followed served in various submarines and at stations ashore.
Gilmore served as the executive officer of USS Shark (SS-174), and in a near-fatal incident during Shark's shakedown cruise, narrowly survived an assault by a group of thugs in Panama, who cut his throat during an excursion ashore. He had to deal with several other instances of tragedy in his life, including the death of his first wife from disease, and at the time of his Medal of Honor action his second wife was still in a coma from a fall she had taken down a flight of stairs. In 1941, he assumed his first command, USS Shark (SS-174), only to be transferred the day following the attack on Pearl Harbor to take command of the still-unfinished USS Growler (SS-215).
From researcher Kathy Franz:
Howard married Hilda Jane St. Raymond on June 28, 1932, in New Orleans. Their daughter was Darleen.Their son Howard was a student in the college of business administration at Loyola University and was a seaman recruit in the organized submarine division 8-32, United States Naval Reserve. He died in February, 1953, after being in the Foundation hospital for ten months.
In 1920, Howard was a bookkeeper at a hardware store. His father Walter was in dry goods, mother was Vernon, and brother was Francis.
His wife was listed as next of kin. He has a memory marker in Mississippi.
Wartime Service
From Wikipedia:
Gilmore commanded his submarine skillfully during four Pacific war patrols. During his first, on 5 July 1942 Growler attacked three enemy destroyers off Kiska, sinking one and severely damaging the other two, while narrowly avoiding two torpedoes fired in return, for which Gilmore received the Navy Cross.
On his second patrol, Growler sank four merchant ships totaling 15,000 tons in the East China Sea near Taiwan. Gilmore received a gold star in lieu of a second Navy Cross.
In October 1942, Growler patrolled off of Truk in the Caroline Islands in a repositioning of submarine assets on the way to Brisbane, Australia. No significant action occurred.
Growler's 4th Patrol and Medal of Honor Action
From Wikipedia:
The submarine continued to take a heavy toll on shipping on her fourth war patrol, and on the night of 6–7 February 1943, she approached a convoy stealthily for a surface attack. Suddenly a convoy escort, Hayasaki, closed and prepared to ram. As the small ship charged out of the darkness, Gilmore sounded the collision alarm and shouted, “Left full rudder!” — to no avail. Perhaps inadvertently, Growler hit the Japanese adversary amidships at 17 knots (31 km/h), heeling the submarine 50 degrees, bending 18 feet of her bow sideways to port, and disabling the forward torpedo tubes.
Simultaneously, the Japanese crew unleashed a burst of machine gun fire at Growler’s bridge, killing the junior officer of the deck and a lookout, while wounding Gilmore himself and two other men. “Clear the bridge!” Gilmore ordered as he struggled to hang on to a frame. As the rest of the bridge party dropped down the hatch into the conning tower, the executive officer, Lieutenant Commander Arnold Schade — shaken by the impact and dazed by his own fall into the control room — waited expectantly for his captain to appear. Instead from above came the shouted command, "Take her down!" Realizing that he could not get below in time if the ship were to escape, Gilmore chose to make the supreme sacrifice for his shipmates. Schade hesitated briefly — then followed his captain’s last order and submerged the crippled ship.
Surfacing some time later in hope of reattacking the Hayasaki, Schade found the seas empty. The Japanese ship had, in fact, survived the encounter, but there was no sign of Gilmore, who apparently had drifted away in the night. Schade and Growler’s crew managed to control the ship’s flooding and limped back to Brisbane on February 17.
For sacrificing himself to save his ship, Commander Howard Gilmore was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor, "the second man of the submarine force to be so decorated."
Medal of Honor
From Hall of Valor:
The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pride in presenting the Medal of Honor (Posthumously) to Commander Howard Walter Gilmore (NSN: 0-60210), United States Navy, for distinguished gallantry and valor above and beyond the call of duty as Commanding Officer of the U.S.S. Growler during her Fourth War Patrol in the Southwest Pacific from 10 January to 7 February 1943. Boldly striking at the enemy in spite of continuous hostile air and antisubmarine patrols, Commander Gilmore sank one Japanese freighter and damaged another by torpedo fire, successfully evading severe depth charges following each attack. In the darkness of night on 7 February, an enemy gunboat closed range and prepared to ram the Growler. Commander Gilmore daringly maneuvered to avoid the crash and rammed the attacker instead, ripping into her port side at 11 knots and bursting wide her plates. In the terrific fire of the sinking gunboat's heavy machineguns, Commander Gilmore calmly gave the order to clear the bridge, and refusing safety for himself, remained on deck while his men preceded him below. Struck down by the fusillade of bullets and having done his utmost against the enemy, in his final living moments, Commander Gilmore gave his last order to the officer of the deck, "Take her down." The Growler dived; seriously damaged but under control, she was brought safely to port by her well-trained crew inspired by the courageous fighting spirit of their dead captain.
From Hall of Valor:
The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Navy Cross to Lieutenant Commander Howard Walter Gilmore (NSN: 0-60210), United States Navy, for extraordinary heroism in the line of his profession as Commanding Officer of the U.S.S. GROWLER (SS-215), on the FIRST War Patrol of that submarine during the period 29 June 1942 to 17 July 1942, in enemy controlled waters. During nine days in enemy controlled waters, Lieutenant Commander Gilmore, by expert maneuvering, boldly brought his submarine into an enemy-controlled harbor where men of war had been sighted and, in rapid succession, attacked three anchored 1700-ton Japanese destroyers with the result that the submarine sank two of these and seriously damaged the third. By skillful handling of his ship he was able to bring his ship home with only minor damages. Lieutenant Commander Gilmore's courage, determination and fine seamanship throughout these operations were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.
From Hall of Valor:
The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting a Gold Star in lieu of a Second Award of the Navy Cross to Lieutenant Commander Howard Walter Gilmore (NSN: 0-60210), United States Navy, for extraordinary heroism in the line of his profession as Commanding Officer of the U.S.S. GROWLER (SS-215), on the SECOND War Patrol of that submarine during the period 5 August 1942 to 23 September 1942, in enemy controlled waters. Taking advantage of every favorable attack with alert skill and courageous efficiency, Commander Gilmore succeeded in sinking a total of 25,946 tons of enemy merchant shipping. By expert maneuvering he brought his boat safely through without material damage and his crew home without injury or loss of life. His gallant leadership and resourceful command were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.
Namesake
USS Howard W. Gilmore (AS 16) was named for Howard; the ship was sponsored by his widow.
Photographs
"Mrs. Howard W. Gilmore is presented with her husband's Medal of Honor by Rear Admiral Andrew C. Bennett, USN, Commander, Eighth Naval District, 18 August 1943. Standing by are the Gilmore's son, Howard Jr., and daughter Vernon Jeanne."
"Mrs. Howard W. Gilmore transfers her late husband's Medal of Honor to her son, Howard Jr., at the ceremony in which the medal was posthumously awarded to Commander Gilmore for heroism in action on board USS Growler (SS-215), on 7 February 1943. Standing by are Commander Gilmore's daughter, Vernon Jeanne, and Rear Admiral Andrew C. Bennett, USN, Commandant, Eighth Naval District. This presentation ceremony took place on 18 August 1943."
"Members of the Fourth Command Class at the Submarine Base, New London, Groton, Conn., in February 1942. Those present are, bottom row left to right: Lt. Cmdr. Mannert Abele ['26]; Lt. Cmdr. Thomas B. Klakring; Cmdr. Karl G. Hensel, Officer in Charge; Lt. Cmdr. George W. Patterson, Jr., Senior Assistant; and Lt. Cmdr. Jesse L. Hull. Top row, left to right: Lt. Cmdr. Howard W. Gilmore; Lt. Cmdr. Philip H. Ross; Lt. Cmdr. Arthur H. Taylor; Lt. Cmdr. Albert C. Burrows; and Lt. Cmdr. Leonard S. Mewhinney. (U.S. Navy Photograph 80-G-88577, National Archives and Records Administration, Still Pictures Division, College Park, Md.)"
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 1926
January 1927
April 1927
October 1927
January 1928
April 1928
July 1928
October 1928
January 1929
April 1929
July 1929
October 1929
January 1930
October 1930
January 1931
April 1931
July 1931
October 1931
January 1932
April 1932
October 1932
LCDR Charles Cecil '16
LT Robert Smith '20
LT Paul Register '21
LT Francis Bridget '21
LT George Brooke '21
LT William Hobby, Jr. '23
LTjg Neville McDowell '24
January 1933
LCDR Charles Cecil '16
LT Robert Smith '20
LT Paul Register '21
LT Francis Bridget '21
LT George Brooke '21
LT William Hobby, Jr. '23
LTjg Neville McDowell '24
April 1933
LCDR Charles Cecil '16
LT Robert Smith '20
LT Paul Register '21
LT Francis Bridget '21
LT George Brooke '21
LT William Hobby, Jr. '23
LTjg Neville McDowell '24
LTjg Hubert Hayter '24
July 1933
LCDR Lyman Swenson '16
LCDR Charles Cecil '16
LT Robert Smith '20
LT Paul Register '21
LT George Brooke '21
LT Howard Healy '22
1LT Charles Kail '23
LT Hallsted Hopping '24
LTjg Lawrence McPeake '24
LTjg James Smith, Jr. '25
October 1933
LCDR Lyman Swenson '16
LCDR Charles Cecil '16
LT Robert Smith '20
LT Paul Register '21
LT George Brooke '21
LT Howard Healy '22
1LT Charles Kail '23
LT Hallsted Hopping '24
LTjg Lawrence McPeake '24
LTjg William Graham, Jr. '25
LTjg Andrew Harris '25
April 1934
LCDR Lyman Swenson '16
LCDR Charles Cecil '16
LT Robert Smith '20
LT Paul Register '21
LT William Gray '21
LT George Brooke '21
LT Howard Healy '22
1LT Charles Kail '23
LT Hallsted Hopping '24
LT Lawrence McPeake '24
LTjg William Graham, Jr. '25
July 1934
October 1934
January 1935
LT John Hollowell, Jr. '22 (Navy Yard, Washington, D.C.)
April 1935
October 1935
January 1936
April 1936
July 1936
January 1937
April 1937
September 1937
July 1938
January 1939
October 1939
June 1940
November 1940
April 1941
The "category" links below lead to lists of related Honorees; use them to explore further the service and sacrifice of alumni in Memorial Hall.
