WILLIAM J. MILLICAN, CDR, USN
William Millican '28
Lucky Bag
From the 1928 Lucky Bag:
WILLIAM JOHN MILLICAN
Brooklyn, New York
"Moke" "Bill"
"FIVE foot six and never been bricked" "Learned, lazy and lovable." That's what we know about this black haired, swarthy skinned Irishman. Moke's chief ambition is to find the modulus of elasticity of his bedsprings, by experiment, twenty-four hours a day. He started out by falling asleep in Chapel the first Sunday Plebe Year and lost interest in the Navy when he wasn't allowed to continue in conference with Morpheus. He made out so many resignations Plebe Year that he had a minus amount available from buying paper, the whole year. They all turned out to be threats and not promises though. His sense of humor approaches infinity; not being able to laugh enough during the day, he does so at night when he's asleep.
No one can say they've seen anything fast until they've seen "Moke" on the football field. When he gets going, those airplane silk pants of his think they're stretched on the wings of a plane and just about get ready to "Take off" except that the field isn't long enough and "Moke" is generally across the goal line by that time anyway. On the baseball diamond or in the ring, you can still see this same speed, dash and accuracy manifesting itself.
Football (3, 2, 1), Block N (3, 2); Class Football (4); Baseball (2); Class Baseball (4); Class Boxing (4), Captain (4); Class Gym (3); Star (4).
WILLIAM JOHN MILLICAN
Brooklyn, New York
"Moke" "Bill"
"FIVE foot six and never been bricked" "Learned, lazy and lovable." That's what we know about this black haired, swarthy skinned Irishman. Moke's chief ambition is to find the modulus of elasticity of his bedsprings, by experiment, twenty-four hours a day. He started out by falling asleep in Chapel the first Sunday Plebe Year and lost interest in the Navy when he wasn't allowed to continue in conference with Morpheus. He made out so many resignations Plebe Year that he had a minus amount available from buying paper, the whole year. They all turned out to be threats and not promises though. His sense of humor approaches infinity; not being able to laugh enough during the day, he does so at night when he's asleep.
No one can say they've seen anything fast until they've seen "Moke" on the football field. When he gets going, those airplane silk pants of his think they're stretched on the wings of a plane and just about get ready to "Take off" except that the field isn't long enough and "Moke" is generally across the goal line by that time anyway. On the baseball diamond or in the ring, you can still see this same speed, dash and accuracy manifesting itself.
Football (3, 2, 1), Block N (3, 2); Class Football (4); Baseball (2); Class Baseball (4); Class Boxing (4), Captain (4); Class Gym (3); Star (4).
Loss
William was lost when USS Escolar (SS 294) was sunk, probably by a mine, on or about October 17, 1944. He was the commanding officer.
Other Information
From researcher Kathy Franz:
William attended P.S. 153 and St. Brendan’s Parochial School in Brooklyn.
At the Naval Academy, he played quarterback in two Army-Navy games, including the one played at the Polo Grounds in the fall of 1927.
He married Sara Elizabeth Stevens on June 2, 1936, at the Naval Academy Chapel. Sara’s father was Lieutenant Commander Paul A. Stevens. William and Sara’s daughter Sandra was born in Maryland in March, 1937. The family sailed to Honolulu in June, 1938.
William sailed from Honolulu to San Francisco in April, 1943.
William’s father William worked in a hat manufacturing company. His mother was Ellen, and his sister was Eleanor.
From the now-broken link http://www.fleetorganization.com/subcommandersclassyear2.html:
- Duty USS S-29 (SS-134) 1 Jan 1939
- Captain USS S-18 (SS-123) 31 May 1939 - 31 Mar 1942
- Captain USS Thresher (SS-200) 26 Jun 1942 - Mar 1943
- Captain USS Escolar (SS-294) 2 Jun 1944 - Oct 1944
- Lieutenant 1 Jul 1936
- Lieutenant Commander 1 Jan 1942
- Commander (T) 15 Sep 1942
In the book "Submarine Stories: Recollections from the Diesel Boats" there is a gripping account of Thresher, when William was CO, successfully attacking a Japanese cargo ship and then narrowly escaping destruction.
His wife was listed as next of kin.
William is listed at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial and has a memory marker in Connecticut.
Photographs
From Hall of Valor:
The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Navy Cross to Lieutenant Commander William John Millican (NSN: 0-62082), United States Navy, for extraordinary heroism in the line of his profession as Commanding Officer of the U.S.S. THRESHER (SS-200), on the FOURTH, FIFTH, and SIXTH War Patrols of that submarine during the period 26 June 1942 to 10 January 1943, in an area entirely controlled by enemy Japanese air and naval forces. Although opposed by heavy enemy forces, Lieutenant Commander Millican pressed home his attacks with vigor and skillful determination and succeeded in sinking 26,000 tons of enemy shipping by accurate gunfire, in probably sinking 11,000 tons and in damaging another 11,000 tons without substantial damage to materiel or injury to the personnel of his command. The courageous devotion to duty of Lieutenant Commander Millican and the men under his command and their tenacious fighting spirit enabled the THRESHER to evade the enemy's vigorous countermeasures and complete an aggressive and successful mission.
General Orders: Commander Southern Pacific Forces: Serial 0140 (February 4, 1943)
Service: Navy
Rank: Lieutenant Commander
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 William John Millican (NSN: 0-62082), United States Navy, for extraordinary heroism and distinguished service in the line of his profession as Commanding Officer of the U.S.S. THRESHER (SS-200), during operations in the Sunda Strait in the SIXTH War Patrol of that vessel during the period 5 January to 10 March 1943. Taking advantage of every favorable opportunity to strike at the enemy, Lieutenant Commander Millican daringly maneuvered his ship into position and attacked, sinking two enemy transports totaling 19,000 tons, a tanker of 7,000 tons, and damaging a third transport of 12,000 tons. By his expert seamanship and courageous initiative, he evaded hostile countermeasures and brought his ship through without damage. His gallant conduct throughout this period was a continuation of his illustrious record and in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.
General Orders: Commander 7th Fleet: Serial 0944 (May 30, 1943) & Bureau of Naval Personnel Information Bulletin No. 321 (December 1943)
Service: Navy
Rank: Lieutenant Commander
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.
July 1928
LCDR Norman Scott '11\
LCDR Albert Rooks '14\
LCDR Cassin Young '16\
LT John Gillon '20\
LT John Burrow '21\
LT Joseph Hubbard '21\
LT Edwin Crouch '21\
LTjg Howard Healy '22
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
July 1934
October 1934
January 1935
April 1935
LCDR Albert Rooks '14\
LCDR Charles Cecil '16\
LT Paul Register '21\
LT William Gray '21\
LT George Brooke '21\
LT John French '22\
LT Howard Healy '22\
LT Edward Metcalfe '22\
LT Eugene Elmore '22\
LTjg Heywood Edwards '26
October 1935
CDR Samuel Moore '13\
LT William Gray '21\
LT John French '22\
LT Howard Healy '22\
LT Edward Metcalfe '22\
LT Eugene Elmore '22\
LT Richard Gingras '25\
LTjg Ralph Hickox '27
January 1936
CDR Samuel Moore '13\
LT William Gray '21\
LT John French '22\
LT Howard Healy '22\
LT Edward Metcalfe '22\
LT Eugene Elmore '22\
LT Richard Gingras '25\
LTjg Ralph Hickox '27
April 1936
CDR Samuel Moore '13\
LT William Gray '21\
LT John French '22\
LT Howard Healy '22\
LT Edward Metcalfe '22\
LT Eugene Elmore '22\
LT Richard Gingras '25\
LTjg Ralph Hickox '27
July 1936
January 1937
April 1937
LTjg Victor Gaulin '30 (Training Plane Squadron (VN) 8D5, Naval Academy)
September 1937
January 1938
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.
