LANCE E. MASSEY, LCDR, USN
Lance Massey '30
Lucky Bag
From the 1930 Lucky Bag:
LANCE EDWARD MASSEY
Watertown, New York
"Lem" "Hoenzollera"
NO, Lance is not from the West. We have been led to believe that the well-braced foundation with which he is endowed is the result of his being brought up on a barrel instead of the customary bottle.
Lance lost his alibi when we found out he was from Watertown. He received his early sea training on the boats in Chanmouth Bay, and here he cultivated a desire for the life of a sailor. High school soon became a bore to the young fellow with lofty ambitions, and with his heart set on his goal, he spent a short year of intensive boning at Severn, where he fought a hard battle with Math. Since then, he has been gliding along on smooth water with occasionally a ripple set up by the Dago Department.
Will we ever forget that persistent smile, that lasting testimony of Lance's philosophy of life? Though many a time it has been the cause of disturbance at drill and the embarrassment of a disciplinarian, it has never been dimmed.
We will always think of him as rolling along with no trouble in the world serious enough to share with anyone else.
We find what we are looking for, so they say. Lance is always on the lookout for an opportunity to flash that grin.
Soccer Squad 4, 3, 2, 1; 2 P.O.
LANCE EDWARD MASSEY
Watertown, New York
"Lem" "Hoenzollera"
NO, Lance is not from the West. We have been led to believe that the well-braced foundation with which he is endowed is the result of his being brought up on a barrel instead of the customary bottle.
Lance lost his alibi when we found out he was from Watertown. He received his early sea training on the boats in Chanmouth Bay, and here he cultivated a desire for the life of a sailor. High school soon became a bore to the young fellow with lofty ambitions, and with his heart set on his goal, he spent a short year of intensive boning at Severn, where he fought a hard battle with Math. Since then, he has been gliding along on smooth water with occasionally a ripple set up by the Dago Department.
Will we ever forget that persistent smile, that lasting testimony of Lance's philosophy of life? Though many a time it has been the cause of disturbance at drill and the embarrassment of a disciplinarian, it has never been dimmed.
We will always think of him as rolling along with no trouble in the world serious enough to share with anyone else.
We find what we are looking for, so they say. Lance is always on the lookout for an opportunity to flash that grin.
Soccer Squad 4, 3, 2, 1; 2 P.O.
Loss
Lance was lost on June 4, 1942, when his torpedo bomber was shot down while attacking the Japanese aircraft carrier Sōryū during the Battle of Midway. He was commanding officer of Torpedo Squadron (VT) 3, flying from USS Yorktown (CV 5).
Biography & Rememberance
From Avenue of Heroes:
He left a lasting legacy in his family, Coronado, the Navy, and the United States. The Destroyer USS Massey was named for him and his numerous heroic actions, but had we asked him, he would have said he was “just doing his job.”
He was a fun-loving, personable, outgoing guy who loved bonfires on the beach with friends – where he once hired a chauffeur who then transitioned to waiter for dinner under the stars with friends when stationed in Pensacola. He met his future wife at Agua Caliente Racetrack in 1935, and they later married and had two boys. Although the boys were very small when their father was killed, Lance B. still recalls his father as a hero in their home, “I remember one time my brother fell out of the car while it was moving to retrieve a stuffed toy and was banged up and bleeding pretty bad. My father scooped him up and carried him to the hospital. He was strong and lean and pretty tall to me.” He was a hero then.
Born in New York on 20 September 1909; the only child of Walter Griffith Massey and Florence Lance Massey, he was raised in Watertown, New York, which had been founded by his great great grandfather, Hart Massey, in 1800. After two years of high school in Watertown, he entered Severn School in Severna Park, Maryland in the Fall of 1925 and graduated from Severn in 1926 – only three years in high school – he was only sixteen years old and entered the U.S. Naval Academy.
Four years later he graduated from the Naval Academy with the Class of 1930, was commissioned an Ensign, and assigned to the battleship USS Texas. In 1931 he entered flight training in Pensacola, Florida earning his Naval Aviator wings of gold in January 1932. For the next three years he was assigned to Scouting Squadron 3 aboard the aircraft carrier USS Lexington and as ship’s company on Lexington. There followed a two-year tour in Pensacola, Florida as a Flight Instructor. It was during this period that he married Marjorie Drake Kelsey, widow of Lieutenant (junior grade) James Kelsey, USNA Class of 1931.
The Massey’s had two sons, Lance Bradford Massey (born September 21, 1936), and Walter Drake Massey (born December 14, 1937). In June 1937 Lt(jg) Massey reported to Observation Squadron 3 on the battleship USS New Mexico out of Long Beach, California. He was promoted to Lieutenant in August 1937. His squadron was transferred to the battleship USS Idaho in January 1940 where he remained until July when he was reassigned to Pensacola, Florida. In October 1941 he became the Executive Officer of Torpedo Squadron 6 on USS Enterprise stationed on North Island and was in this squadron when the United States entered the war against Japan.
He moved his small family across the country from Florida to California in a 1935-ish Ford with wood paneling on the side. The total moving stipend for expenses is dated October 3, 1941 for $94.81 and his son still has the receipt in the stack of paperwork, orders, and memorabilia. The Navy was paying $.08 a mile. The family relocated in Coronado in a home on 7th and B Ave.
In January 1942, he was appointed Lieutenant Commander. The next seven months were extremely critical for the U.S. Navy carrier forces in the Pacific. Lance Massey participated in several major events of that period. On 1 February 1942, he led a group of 9 torpedo planes in the first airborne torpedo attack executed by the U.S. Navy. This action against Japanese surface vessels at Kwajalein Atoll, Marshall Islands resulted in his sinking of an 18,000 ton Japanese transport. It was for this action he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. The following month USS Enterprise and embarked airwing escorted the USS Hornet for General Doolittle’s famous bombing raid on Tokyo, Japan. He took command of Torpedo Squadron 3 on 14 April 1942. In June his squadron was aboard USS Yorktown at the Battle of Midway.
Mrs. Massey was first notified that her husband was “Missing in Action” by telegram. And then a year later by the same traditional method, confirmed “Killed in Action”. The little family stayed in Coronado through the end of the war. “The Navy ordered us here, but we chose to stay,” Lance B. says. Mrs. Massey had a strong, supportive Navy community for a war widow and two small children to raise with fond memories of the Coronado Trolley, playing till dark in Spreckels Park and walking to elementary school – an era before the Spanish Bight, the water that separated North Island from Coronado, was filled in (1945) to allow room for more building to ease WWII congestion.
Lt. Commander Massey’s lasting legacy includes: On 19 August 1944, the U.S. Navy christened a destroyer in his name, USS MASSEY (DD-778) which his widow Marjorie Massey was honored to christen the ship. Both sons graduated from Severn School following in their father’s footsteps, and Lance B. Massey graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1958 and retired as a Commander in 1984. Lance B. Massey had two children, one son named for his grandfather, Lance E. Massey, who recently retired as a Captain in the Navy, and daughter Barbara Massey, co-owner and founder of Tartine bistro on First Street in Coronado. The family actively participates in reunions with the USS Massey Association in honor of Lt. Commander Massey, in which the family is honorary members with those who have served on her.
Other Information
The Military Hall of Honor also has biographical information for Lance.
His wife was listed as next of kin; he was also survived by two sons. He has a memory marker in New York.
Photographs
"Lt Cdr Massey at NAS Ford Island on 24 May 1942. The victory flag marking on his TBD Devastator represents a Japanese ship he sank at Kwajalein during the Marshalls-Gilberts raids."
From Coronado, California's Avenue of Heroes
From a 1941 yearbook of naval aviation training. Lance was executive officer of "Squadron Three" at Pensacola.
From Hall of Valor:
The President of the United States of America takes pride in presenting the Navy Cross (Posthumously) to Lieutenant Commander Lance Edward Massey (NSN: 0-63292), United States Navy, for extraordinary heroism in operations against the enemy while serving as Pilot of a carrier-based Navy Torpedo Plane and Commanding Officer of Torpedo Squadron THREE (VT-3), attached to the U.S.S. YORKTOWN (CV-5), during the "Air Battle of Midway," against enemy Japanese forces on 4 June 1942. Lieutenant Massey led his squadron in a Torpedo Plane assault against Japanese naval units, in the face of intense anti-aircraft fire and overwhelming fighter opposition. He pressed home his attack to a point where it became relatively certain that in order to fulfill his mission he would probably sacrifice his life. Undeterred by the grave possibilities of such a hazardous offensive, he carried on, with extreme disregard for his own personal safety, until his squadron scored direct hits on two enemy aircraft carriers. His self sacrificing gallantry and fortitude were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country.
General Orders: American Battle Monuments Commission
Service: Navy
Division: U.S.S. Yorktown (CV-5)
Rank: Lieutenant Commander
Distinguished Flying Cross
From Hall of Valor:
SYNOPSIS: Lieutenant Commander Lance Edward Massey (NSN: 0-63292), United States Navy, was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight during World War II.
General Orders: American Battle Monuments Commission
Service: Navy
Division: U.S.S. Yorktown (CV-5)
Rank: Lieutenant Commander
Namesake
USS Massey (DD 778) was named for Lance; the ship was sponsored by his widow.
Related Articles
His wife was previously married to James Kelsey, Jr. '31.
In 1941, and possibly 1940, Lance was stationed with Richard Moss '24 and Archibald Greenlee '32. All three had their pictures on the same page of a naval aviation training command yearbook from 1941.
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 1930
January 1931
April 1931
July 1931
October 1931
January 1932
LT Jack Richardson '19
LT Irving Wiltsie '21
LTjg Matthias Marple, Jr. '23
LTjg Robert Larson '24
LTjg James McDonough '24
LTjg Charles McDonald '24
LTjg Arthur Farrell '25
LTjg Carlton Hutchins '26
April 1932
LT Jack Richardson '19
LT Irving Wiltsie '21
LTjg Matthias Marple, Jr. '23
LTjg Robert Larson '24
LTjg James McDonough '24
LTjg Charles McDonald '24
LTjg Arthur Farrell '25
LTjg Carlton Hutchins '26
LTjg Charles Signer '26
October 1932
LT William Sample '19 (Aircraft Squadrons)
LT Harry Brandenburger '21 (USS Lexington)
LT Edwin Crouch '21 (USS Lexington)
LT John Jones '21 (Aircraft Squadrons)
LT William Ault '22 (Torpedo and Bombing Squadron (VT) 1S)
LTjg Eugene Lindsey '27 (USS Lexington)
LTjg Henry Twohy '29 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5S)
ENS Walter Bailey '31 (USS Lexington)
ENS Eugene Lytle, Jr. '31 (USS Lexington)
ENS John Fairbanks, Jr. '32 (USS Lexington)
ENS Daniel Gothie '32 (USS Lexington)
ENS Albert Major, Jr. '32 (USS Lexington)
ENS William Thorn '32 (USS Lexington)
January 1933
LT William Sample '19 (Aircraft Squadrons)
LT Harry Brandenburger '21 (USS Lexington)
LT Edwin Crouch '21 (USS Lexington)
LT John Jones '21 (Aircraft Squadrons)
LT William Ault '22 (Torpedo and Bombing Squadron (VT) 1S)
LTjg Eugene Lindsey '27 (USS Lexington)
LTjg Henry Twohy '29 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5S)
ENS Walter Bailey '31 (USS Lexington)
ENS Eugene Lytle, Jr. '31 (USS Lexington)
ENS John Fairbanks, Jr. '32 (USS Lexington)
ENS Daniel Gothie '32 (USS Lexington)
ENS Albert Major, Jr. '32 (USS Lexington)
ENS William Thorn '32 (USS Lexington)
April 1933
LT Harry Brandenburger '21 (USS Lexington)
LT Edwin Crouch '21 (USS Lexington)
LT William Ault '22 (Torpedo and Bombing Squadron (VT) 1S)
LTjg Arthur Farrell '25 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5B)
LTjg Eugene Lindsey '27 (USS Lexington)
LTjg Henry Twohy '29 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5B)
ENS Walter Bailey '31 (USS Lexington)
ENS John Fairbanks, Jr. '32 (USS Lexington)
ENS Daniel Gothie '32 (USS Lexington)
ENS Albert Major, Jr. '32 (USS Lexington)
ENS William Thorn '32 (USS Lexington)
July 1933
LTjg James McDonough '24 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5B)
LTjg Arthur Farrell '25 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5B)
LTjg Henry Twohy '29 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5B)
ENS John Fairbanks, Jr. '32 (USS Lexington)
ENS Daniel Gothie '32 (USS Lexington)
ENS William Thorn '32 (USS Lexington)
October 1933
LTjg James McDonough '24 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5B)
LTjg Arthur Farrell '25 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5B)
LTjg Henry Twohy '29 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5B)
ENS John Fairbanks, Jr. '32 (USS Lexington)
ENS Daniel Gothie '32 (USS Lexington)
ENS William Thorn '32 (USS Lexington)
April 1934
LTjg James McDonough '24 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5B)
LTjg Arthur Farrell '25 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5B)
LTjg Henry Twohy '29 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5B)
ENS Daniel Gothie '32 (USS Lexington)
ENS William Thorn '32 (USS Lexington)
July 1934
LTjg Walter Dey '24 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5B)
LTjg James McDonough '24 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5B)
LTjg Edwin Kelly '30 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 1B)
LTjg Victor Gaulin '30 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 3B)
October 1934
LTjg Walter Dey '24 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5B)
LTjg James McDonough '24 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5B)
LTjg Arthur Farrell '25 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5B)
LTjg Edwin Kelly '30 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 1B)
LTjg Baylies Clark '30 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 1B)
ENS Philip Ashworth '31 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 3B)
LTjg Eugene Lytle, Jr. '31 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5B)
January 1935
LTjg Walter Dey '24 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5B)
LTjg James McDonough '24 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5B)
LTjg Arthur Farrell '25 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5B)
LTjg Edwin Kelly '30 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 1B)
LTjg Baylies Clark '30 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 1B)
ENS Philip Ashworth '31 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 3B)
LTjg Eugene Lytle, Jr. '31 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5B)
April 1935
LTjg Walter Dey '24 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5B)
LT James McDonough '24 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5B)
LTjg Arthur Farrell '25 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5B)
LTjg Baylies Clark '30 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 1B)
LTjg Philip Ashworth '31 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 3B)
LTjg Eugene Lytle, Jr. '31 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5B)
October 1935
LT James Craig '22
LT Richard Moss '24
LTjg John Duke '26
1LT Ernest Pollock '28
LTjg William Pennewill '29
LTjg Robert Coates '30
1LT Nicholas Pusel '30
LTjg Gilbert Carpenter '30
1LT Harold Bauer '30
LTjg Robert Mackert '31
January 1936
LT James Craig '22
LTjg John Duke '26
1LT Ernest Pollock '28
LTjg William Pennewill '29
LTjg Gilbert Carpenter '30
1LT Harold Bauer '30
LTjg Charles Mallory, Jr. '32
April 1936
LTjg John Duke '26
1LT Ernest Pollock '28
LTjg William Pennewill '29
LTjg Gilbert Carpenter '30
LTjg William Sisko '31
LTjg Charles Mallory, Jr. '32
LTjg Joseph Loughlin, Jr. '32
July 1936
LTjg John Duke '26
CAPT Ernest Pollock '28
LTjg William Pennewill '29
LTjg Gilbert Carpenter '30
LTjg William Sisko '31
LTjg Charles Crommelin '31
LTjg Albert Major, Jr. '32
January 1937
LT John Duke '26
CAPT Ernest Pollock '28
LTjg William Pennewill '29
LTjg Gilbert Carpenter '30
LTjg William Sisko '31
1LT Harold Larson '31
LTjg Charles Crommelin '31
ENS Harold Von Weller '33
LTjg Burden Hastings '33
April 1937
CAPT Ernest Pollock '28
LTjg William Pennewill '29
LTjg Gilbert Carpenter '30
1LT Harold Larson '31
LTjg Charles Crommelin '31
ENS Harold Von Weller '33
LTjg Burden Hastings '33
September 1937
January 1938
July 1938
ENS Edward O'Hare '37 (USS New Mexico)
ENS Carl Holmstrom '38 (USS New Mexico)
January 1939
ENS Edward O'Hare '37 (USS New Mexico)
ENS Carl Holmstrom '38 (USS New Mexico)
October 1939
June 1940
LT Finley Hall '29
LT Charles Ostrom '30
LTjg George Bellinger '32
LTjg Martin Koivisto '32
LTjg Daniel Gothie '32
1LT Floyd Parks '34
LTjg Charles Ware '34
LTjg Jack Ferguson '35
LTjg Joel Davis, Jr. '35
LTjg Francis Maher, Jr. '35
LTjg John Powers '35
LTjg Frank Robinson '36
LTjg Robert Strickler '32 (Training Squadron (VN) 5D8)
LT William Townsend '32 (Training Squadron (VN) 5D8)
LTjg Dewitt Shumway '32 (Training Squadron (VN) 1D8)
LTjg William Widhelm '32 (Training Squadron (VN) 5D8)
November 1940
CDR William Sample '19
LT William Pennewill '29
LT Finley Hall '29
LT John Yoho '29
LT George Bellinger '32
LT Martin Koivisto '32
LT John Spiers '32
LT Daniel Gothie '32
LT Dewitt Shumway '32
LT Albert Major, Jr. '32
LTjg John Phillips, Jr. '33
ENS Frank Peterson '33
LTjg Charles Brewer '34
LTjg Walker Ethridge '34
CAPT Floyd Parks '34
LTjg Charles Ware '34
LTjg Frank Whitaker '34
LTjg Philip Torrey, Jr. '34
LTjg George Nicol '34
LTjg Victor Gadrow '35
LTjg John Powers '35
LTjg Allan Edmands '35
LTjg Roy Krogh '36
LTjg Porter Maxwell '36
LTjg Richard Hughes '37
LTjg Frank Henderson, Jr. '37
LTjg John Thomas '37
LTjg John Boal '37
ENS Harry Howell '38
ENS Eric Allen, Jr. '38
ENS James Ginn '38
ENS Oswald Zink '38
ENS Frank Case, Jr. '38
ENS Howard Fischer '38
ENS Edmundo Gandia '38
ENS Charles Reimann '38
ENS Howard Clark '38
ENS Roy Hale, Jr. '38
ENS Leonard Thornhill '38
ENS Osborne Wiseman '38
ENS John Eversole '38
ENS Jep Jonson '38
ENS Roy Green, Jr. '38
ENS Marion Dufilho '38
2LT James Owens '38
ENS William Brady '38
ENS Charles Anderson '38
ENS Carl Holmstrom '38
ENS Charles King '38
2LT John Maclaughlin, Jr. '38
ENS William Tate, Jr. '38
2LT Douglas Keeler '38
ENS Harry Bass '38
ENS John Kelley '38
ENS John Erickson '38
ENS William Lamberson '38
ENS Donald Smith '38
ENS Frank Quady '38
ENS Richard Crommelin '38
ENS Robert Seibels, Jr. '38
ENS Alphonse Minvielle '38
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