WALTER W. WEBSTER, CAPT, USN
Walter Webster '11
Lucky Bag
From the 1911 Lucky Bag:
Walter Wynne Webster
Fargo, North Dakota
"Ducky" "Dan" "Noah"
THE original hard-headed savoir of the Class. Has held down a number near the top ever since he left the wheat fields of North Dakota. Endowed with a remarkable memory, he can tell you the R. A. of any star in the celestial system for any date in the year. Recites in an injured tone of voice when called upon, as if complaining at the mere necessity. Is easily amused and giggles continually at the antics of Beak and Woody. Slow and methodical in his movements, but once get him going and you can't stop him. Started fussing Second Class year, but finds more relaxation and amusement in poring over his famous interpolating chart of the celestial system. Lived with Squirrel Kingman in true Scandinavian felicity until First Class year. Ducky has spent many a midnight hour with chaps less savvy than he; doesn't grease and couldn't if he tried.
"Sir, I don't just exactly see where they get this."
Expert Bar; Star (3, 2); Chairman Bible Study Class.
Walter Wynne Webster was born in Fargo, North Dakota, July 28, 1888, and resided there up to his appointment to the Naval Academy. Three years and a half were spent in Fargo High School, during the last year of which he was the Editor in Chief of the High School publication.
Walter Wynne Webster
Fargo, North Dakota
"Ducky" "Dan" "Noah"
THE original hard-headed savoir of the Class. Has held down a number near the top ever since he left the wheat fields of North Dakota. Endowed with a remarkable memory, he can tell you the R. A. of any star in the celestial system for any date in the year. Recites in an injured tone of voice when called upon, as if complaining at the mere necessity. Is easily amused and giggles continually at the antics of Beak and Woody. Slow and methodical in his movements, but once get him going and you can't stop him. Started fussing Second Class year, but finds more relaxation and amusement in poring over his famous interpolating chart of the celestial system. Lived with Squirrel Kingman in true Scandinavian felicity until First Class year. Ducky has spent many a midnight hour with chaps less savvy than he; doesn't grease and couldn't if he tried.
"Sir, I don't just exactly see where they get this."
Expert Bar; Star (3, 2); Chairman Bible Study Class.
Walter Wynne Webster was born in Fargo, North Dakota, July 28, 1888, and resided there up to his appointment to the Naval Academy. Three years and a half were spent in Fargo High School, during the last year of which he was the Editor in Chief of the High School publication.
Loss
Walter was lost on March 16, 1943 when the "two engine Navy bomber" he was aboard crashed near Newtown Square, Pennsylvania. The pilot of the plane, the only other person aboard, was also lost. (Information from now broken link at http://www.historicnewtownsquare.org/wp-content/uploads/2017-003-navy-crash.pdf)
He was manager of the naval aircraft factory at the Philadelphia Navy Yard at the time, and was en route to Washington, D.C.
Other Information
From researcher Kathy Franz:
Walter was a newsboy and carrier for the Fargo Forum. He was recommended to the Naval Academy by Congressman A. J. Gronna. After graduation in June 1911, Walter, his parents, and sister Florence were guests of Senators Gronna and McCumber for dinner at the Senate café.
At the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Walter was a member of the Naval & Architectural Society in the 1916 yearbook.
He married Maudess (Bidwell) Rawlings around 1925. Her first marriage was to William Rawlings on October 22, 1914. During WW I, she was a Navy Yeomanette. In March, 3, 1929, Walter and Maudess sailed from Cristobal, Canal Zone to New York City.
After Pearl Harbor, Walter was recalled from another assignment to take charge of the Naval Aircraft Factory at Philadelphia to superintend its expansion.
Walter's father Charles was a bank clerk, mother Isabella. His siblings were: Florence, Helen, and Grant.
Walter earned his wings as naval aviator #4053 on September 11, 1934; he is listed as a "CDR (CC)." Unclear what the "CC" indicates.
He was a graduate of the Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration.
He was survived by his wife, who is buried next to him in Arlington National Cemetery.
Walter's class ring, lost for 30 years, was returned to his wife in July 1949. (Information from the September 1949 issue of Shipmate.)
Photographs
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 1912
January 1913
January 1914
January 1915
January 1916
January 1917
March 1918
January 1919
January 1920
January 1921
January 1922
May 1923
July 1923
September 1923
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
October 1928
January 1929
April 1929
July 1929
October 1929
January 1930
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
LTjg Leonard Southerland '27
LTjg Frank Highley, Jr. '30
LTjg Robert Patten '30
LTjg Claud Hughes '30
LTjg Baylies Clark '30
ENS Lorenz Forbes '31
July 1934
LTjg John Duke '26
LTjg Ralph Smith '26
LTjg Baylies Clark '30
ENS Charles Palmer, Sr. '31
ENS Lorenz Forbes '31
ENS Ford Wallace '31
ENS William Freshour '31
October 1934
LT Matthias Marple, Jr. '23 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LT Charles McDonald '24 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)
LTjg Loren Morris '27 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 2B)
LTjg Leonard Southerland '27 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg Carl Lindgren '28 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 2B)
LTjg Mathias Wyatt '29 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg Bruce Van Voorhis '29 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)
LTjg Charles Ostrom '30 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 2B)
LTjg James Murphy '31 (Torpedo Plane Squadron (VT) 2B)
ENS George Stone '31 (USS Saratoga)
ENS Albert Gates, Jr. '32 (USS Saratoga)
ENS Bertram Prueher '33 (USS Saratoga)
ENS Paul Burton '33 (USS Saratoga)
ENS Robert Fair '33 (USS Saratoga)
ENS Wendell Froling '34 (USS Saratoga)
January 1935
LT Matthias Marple, Jr. '23 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LT Charles McDonald '24 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)
LTjg Loren Morris '27 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 2B)
LTjg Leonard Southerland '27 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg Carl Lindgren '28 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 2B)
LTjg Mathias Wyatt '29 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg Bruce Van Voorhis '29 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)
LTjg Charles Ostrom '30 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 2B)
LTjg James Murphy '31 (Torpedo Plane Squadron (VT) 2B)
LTjg George Stone '31 (USS Saratoga)
ENS Albert Gates, Jr. '32 (USS Saratoga)
ENS Bertram Prueher '33 (USS Saratoga)
ENS Paul Burton '33 (USS Saratoga)
ENS Robert Fair '33 (USS Saratoga)
ENS Wendell Froling '34 (USS Saratoga)
April 1935
LT Matthias Marple, Jr. '23 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LT Charles McDonald '24 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)
LTjg Loren Morris '27 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 2B)
LTjg Leonard Southerland '27 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg Mathias Wyatt '29 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg Bruce Van Voorhis '29 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)
LTjg Charles Ostrom '30 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 2B)
LTjg Ford Wallace '31 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg James Murphy '31 (Torpedo Plane Squadron (VT) 2B)
LTjg Edward Blessman '31 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 2B)
ENS Albert Gates, Jr. '32 (USS Saratoga)
ENS Bertram Prueher '33 (USS Saratoga)
ENS Paul Burton '33 (USS Saratoga)
ENS Wendell Froling '34 (USS Saratoga)
October 1935
LT Charles McDonald '24 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)
LTjg Charles Signer '26 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg Ralph Smith '26 (USS Saratoga)
LTjg Elmer Cooper '27 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)
LTjg Loren Morris '27 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 2B)
LTjg Leonard Southerland '27 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg Oliver White '30 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 2B)
LTjg Ford Wallace '31 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg Thomas Ashworth, Jr. '31 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg Edward Blessman '31 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 2B)
LTjg Alfred Tucker, III '31 (USS Saratoga)
LTjg Albert Gates, Jr. '32 (USS Saratoga)
ENS Paul Burton '33 (USS Saratoga)
ENS Wendell Froling '34 (USS Saratoga)
ENS Maurice Fitzgerald '35 (USS Saratoga)
January 1936
LT Charles McDonald '24 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)
LT Richard Moss '24 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)
LTjg Charles Signer '26 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg Elmer Cooper '27 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)
LTjg Loren Morris '27 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 2B)
LTjg Leonard Southerland '27 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg Oliver White '30 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 2B)
LTjg James Murphy '31 (Torpedo Plane Squadron (VT) 2B)
LTjg Thomas Ashworth, Jr. '31 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg Edward Blessman '31 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 2B)
LTjg Albert Gates, Jr. '32 (USS Saratoga)
LTjg Edwin Hurst '32 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)
ENS Wendell Froling '34 (USS Saratoga)
ENS Maurice Fitzgerald '35 (USS Saratoga)
April 1936
LT Charles McDonald '24 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)
LT Richard Moss '24 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)
LTjg Charles Signer '26 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg Elmer Cooper '27 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)
LTjg Loren Morris '27 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 2B)
LTjg Leonard Southerland '27 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg Ford Wallace '31 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg Thomas Ashworth, Jr. '31 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg Edward Blessman '31 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 2B)
LTjg Albert Gates, Jr. '32 (USS Saratoga)
LTjg Edwin Hurst '32 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)
ENS Wendell Froling '34 (USS Saratoga)
ENS Maurice Fitzgerald '35 (USS Saratoga)
July 1936
January 1937
ENS Graham Bright '35 (Naval Finance & Supply School)
April 1937
LTjg Dudley Morton '30 (Navy Yard, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
ENS Graham Bright '35 (Naval Finance & Supply School)
2LT Robert Moore '36 (Marine Corps Schools, Marine Barracks)
2LT Ralph Haas '36 (Marine Corps Schools, Marine Barracks)
September 1937
LT Thomas Fraser '24 (Navy Yard, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
LTjg Dudley Morton '30 (Navy Yard, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
2LT Robert Moore '36 (Marine Corps Schools, Marine Barracks)
2LT Robert Ruge '37 (Marine Corps Schools, Marine Barracks)
2LT Alben Robertson '37 (Marine Corps Schools, Marine Barracks)
2LT Radford West '37 (Marine Corps Schools, Marine Barracks)
January 1938
LT Dudley Morton '30 (Navy Yard, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
2LT James Bromeyer '37 (Marine Corps Schools, Marine Barracks)
2LT Alben Robertson '37 (Marine Corps Schools, Marine Barracks)
2LT Radford West '37 (Marine Corps Schools, Marine Barracks)
July 1938
LT Dudley Morton '30 (Navy Yard, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
2LT James Owens '38 (Marine Corps Schools, Marine Barracks)
2LT Douglas Keeler '38 (Marine Corps Schools, Marine Barracks)
2LT Dorrance Radcliffe '38 (Marine Corps Schools, Marine Barracks)
January 1939
LT Dudley Morton '30 (Navy Yard, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
ENS Louis Gulliver, Jr. '36 (Naval Finance and Supply School)
2LT James Owens '38 (Marine Corps Schools, Marine Barracks)
2LT Douglas Keeler '38 (Marine Corps Schools, Marine Barracks)
2LT Dorrance Radcliffe '38 (Marine Corps Schools, Marine Barracks)
October 1939
2LT John Maclaughlin, Jr. '38 (Marine Barracks)
2LT Ralph Mann, Jr. '39 (Marine Corps Schools, Marine Barracks)
2LT William Pace '39 (Marine Corps Schools, Marine Barracks)
2LT Willard Holdredge '39 (Marine Corps Schools, Marine Barracks)
2LT William Hogaboom '39 (Marine Corps Schools, Marine Barracks)
2LT John Fantone '39 (Marine Corps Schools, Marine Barracks)
2LT Hugh Tistadt, Jr. '39 (Marine Corps Schools, Marine Barracks)
2LT William Harris '39 (Marine Corps Schools, Marine Barracks)
2LT Alfred Gordon '39 (Marine Corps Schools, Marine Barracks)
June 1940
November 1940
April 1941
Namesakes
USS Webster (ARV 2) was named for Walter; the ship was sponsored by his widow.
Webster Field at Priest Point, Maryland, was named for him on June 1, 1943.
Memorial Hall Error
Walter is not listed with his classmates. He was identified through the diligent efforts of Leslie Poche, a volunteer who combed through Shipmate issues to find operational losses not accounted for in Memorial Hall.
Walter is one of 15 members of the Class of 1911 on Virtual Memorial Hall.
The "category" links below lead to lists of related Honorees; use them to explore further the service and sacrifice of alumni in Memorial Hall.