HUGH D. BLACK, LCDR, USN
Hugh Black '26
Lucky Bag
From the 1926 Lucky Bag:
Hugh David Black
Oradell, New Jersey
"Dubie" "Blackie"
A GROAN, and from somewhere beneath a mound of sleeping paraphernalia there rises the larva of what Saturday night will transform into a butterfly of the most dazzling Spring variety.
The story so far: Hugh David Black, one of the younger set of Oradell, and incidentally one of its most promising young athletes, athletically built you know, decides to go down to the sea in ships. Dubie encounters one sea-inclined youth named George Prifold and after many thrilling adventures with a cold-blooded group of Annapolitans known as Crabs, they overcome the obstacles in their path and enter the School-on-the-Severn. From now on the thread of our story disentangles. With machine like regularity, Dubie reports to the tailor shop in June for his first and second diags, and last but not least, a horizontal stripe.
The rest of the story: Love has found a way. After three long years of elimination by the trial and error method Dubie takes Creepe Prifold for his Academic wife. They are blessed with Ordnance, Juice, and Nav, even as you and I. And even as you and I, they go down to the sea in ships.
Football, B-Squad (4, 3, 2, 1), Numerals (4, 3), Navy Numerals (2); Class Water Polo (4, 3, 2, 1), Numerals (4, 3, 2); Class Lacrosse (4, 3, 2, 1), Numerals (4, 3, 2, 1); Gymkhana (4, 3, 2, 1).
Hugh David Black
Oradell, New Jersey
"Dubie" "Blackie"
A GROAN, and from somewhere beneath a mound of sleeping paraphernalia there rises the larva of what Saturday night will transform into a butterfly of the most dazzling Spring variety.
The story so far: Hugh David Black, one of the younger set of Oradell, and incidentally one of its most promising young athletes, athletically built you know, decides to go down to the sea in ships. Dubie encounters one sea-inclined youth named George Prifold and after many thrilling adventures with a cold-blooded group of Annapolitans known as Crabs, they overcome the obstacles in their path and enter the School-on-the-Severn. From now on the thread of our story disentangles. With machine like regularity, Dubie reports to the tailor shop in June for his first and second diags, and last but not least, a horizontal stripe.
The rest of the story: Love has found a way. After three long years of elimination by the trial and error method Dubie takes Creepe Prifold for his Academic wife. They are blessed with Ordnance, Juice, and Nav, even as you and I. And even as you and I, they go down to the sea in ships.
Football, B-Squad (4, 3, 2, 1), Numerals (4, 3), Navy Numerals (2); Class Water Polo (4, 3, 2, 1), Numerals (4, 3, 2); Class Lacrosse (4, 3, 2, 1), Numerals (4, 3, 2, 1); Gymkhana (4, 3, 2, 1).
Loss
Hugh was lost when USS Jacob Jones (DD 130) was torpedoed on the morning of February 28, 1942 by U-578 off the coast of Delaware.
From the March 3, 1942 Naval communique reprinted in the April, 1942 issue of Shipmates:
The USS JACOB JONES, a World War destroyer, was sunk by an enemy submarine off Cape May, New Jersey, just before dawn on February 28, 1942.
There were only eleven survivors consisting of nine engine room ratings and two apprentice seamen. Factual information in regard to the circumstances that led to the sinking is sparse because of the lack of deck ratings among the survivors. It has been established, however, that prior to receiving the first torpedo hit, the enemy submarine was not sighted nor was the torpedo.
The first torpedo blew up the bow and apparently killed all the personnel on the bridge as well as the men sleeping in the forward living compartments. The second torpedo, which was fired after the submarine circled ahead of the JACOB JONES, blew up the stern and all the depth charges.
The only survivors, except one man from the after engine room, were in the amidship section when the stern was blown up.
Biography and Other Information
From Naval History and Heritage Command:
Hugh David Black was born in Oradell, New Jersey, on 29 June 1903. He was appointed to the U.S. Naval Academy in 1922, graduated in 1926, and served on board USS Richmond, mainly in the Far East, between 1926 and 1928. During the next few years, he was an officer on board the battleship New York, the gunboat Asheville, and the destroyers Parrott, Rizal and Montgomery. Lieutenant (Junior Grade) Black was assigned to the Naval Training Station, San Diego, California, in 1933-1934, then served on board the destroyer Upshur and during 1935-38 commanded the minesweeper Lark.
Lieutenant Black had duty with the Bureau of Navigation, in Washington, D.C., in 1938 and attended Harvard University for two years, beginning mid-1938. He was Executive Officer of the new destroyer Benson in 1940-1941. In March 1941, he took command of the destroyer Jacob Jones. Lieutenant Commander Hugh D. Black lost his life when Jacob Jones was sunk by a German submarine on 28 February 1942.
From researcher Kathy Franz:
Hugh married Frances Frykholm on July 26, 1930, at the First Swedish Baptist church in Seattle, Washington. At the time of his death, their children were Barbara, age 9; Denny, age 3; and David Bruce, age 15 months.
His father Howard was a vice president of a contracting engineering company. His mother was Isabelle, and brother Malcolm.
Hugh is listed on the East Coast Memorial in New York City.
Photographs
"Photographed circa the early 1940s. He was lost at sea on 28 February 1942, while serving as Commanding Officer of USS Jacob Jones (DD-130), when his ship was torpedoed and sunk. USS Black (DD-666) was named in his honor. The original photograph was presented to USS Black by Mrs. Hugh D. Black, Ship's Sponsor, on 21 May 1943, the day the ship went into commission. U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command Photograph."
The Daily News Leader on March 4 1942
From The Boston Globe on March 4, 1942
From The Berkshire County Eagle on March 4, 1942
Namesake
USS Black (DD 666) was named for Hugh; the ship was sponsored by his widow.
Related Articles
Burton R. Hanson '40, Thomas W. Marshall, Jr. '30, and Norman C. Smith '42 were also lost when the Jacob Jones was torpedoed.
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.
January 1928
April 1928
July 1928
October 1928
January 1929
April 1929
July 1929
October 1929
January 1930
LT William Sample '19 (Observation Plane Squadron (VO) 3B)
April 1930
October 1930
January 1931
April 1931
July 1931
October 1931
January 1932
April 1932
October 1932
January 1933
April 1933
July 1933
October 1933
April 1934
July 1934
October 1934
October 1935
January 1936
April 1936
July 1936
January 1937
April 1937
September 1937
January 1938
July 1938
January 1939
October 1939
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.
