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CA-38 HONOR ROLL
NAVY CROSS
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Arison, Rae
Emmett; Cdr., USN. was awarded
the Navy Cross in the Night Naval Action
at Guadalcanal, November 12-13, 1942. |
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Bennett, John
E.; Lt, USN. was awarded the Navy
Cross in the Night Naval Action at
Guadalcanal, November 12-13, 1942.
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Berray, James E., Pfc was
killed in action aboard the USS San
Francisco (CA-38) in Night Surface
Engagement of 12-13 November 1942. He
was awarded the Navy Cross in the Night
Naval Action at Guadalcanal, November
12-13, 1942. |
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Cates, William
Finnie Sea2c was killed in Air
Action off Lunga Point 12 November 1942.
He was awarded the Navy Cross in the
Night Naval Action at Guadalcanal,
November 12-13, 1942. |
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Cone, James
I.; Lt., USN. was awarded the
Navy Cross in the Night Naval Action at
Guadalcanal, November 12-13, 1942. |
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Crouter, Mark
Hanna, Commander,
In the
night Naval Battle of Guadalcanal of 12
and 13 November 1942, when an
outnumbered American force turned a
Japanese raiding group back from its
intended attack on shipping off
Guadalcanal, Commander Crouter was
severely wounded early in the action,
but insisted on remaining at his station
to play his part in fighting the ship
until killed. |
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Cumings, Damon M., Lt. Commander
, born 30 January 1910 in
Belvidere, Ill., graduated from the
Naval Academy 4 June 1931. He served in
Northampton (CA-26) and
Monaghan (DD-354) and had staff duty
at Submarine Base, New London, and with
Destroyer Squadron 3. Serving on the
staff of Commander, South Pacific Force,
Lieutenant Commander Cummings was killed
in action while on board San
Francisco (CA-38) on the night of 12
13 November 1942. For his heroism and
determination during the Naval Battle of
Guadalcanal he was posthumously awarded
the Navy Cross.
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Eisele, George
Raymond Sea2c
was killed in Air Action off
Lunga Point 12 November 1942. He was
awarded the Navy Cross in the Night
Naval Action at Guadalcanal, November
12-13, 1942. |
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Eisner,
Jacques Rodney, Lieut. (ig), born
25 July 1918 in Red Bank, N.J., enlisted
in the Naval Reserve 7 October 1940 and
was appointed a midshipman in the
Reserve 6 March 1941. Lieutenant (junior
grade) Eisner was killed in action
during the Battle of Guadalcanal 13
November 1942 while serving in San
Francisco (CA-38). |
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Falgout,
George Raymond Sea2c was killed
in Air Action off Lunga Point 12
November 1942. He was awarded the Navy
Cross in the Night Naval Action at
Guadalcanal, November 12-13, 1942. |
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Gandy, Andrew
Jackson Jr. Sea2c was killed in
Air Action off Lunga Point 12 November
1942. He was awarded the Navy Cross in
the Night Naval Action at Guadalcanal,
November 12-13, 1942. |
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George, Eugene
Frank Sea2c was killed in Air
Action off Lunga Point 12 November 1942
22. He was awarded the Navy Cross in the
Night Naval Action at Guadalcanal,
November 12-13, 1942. [1 officer, 21
enlisted] |
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Harmon, Leonard
Roy, Matt1c was killed in action
aboard the USS San Francisco (CA-38) in
Night Surface Engagement of 12-13
November 1942. |
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Harris, Albert
Thomas, Lieut (jg)was killed in
Air Action off Lunga Point 12 November
1942. He was awarded the Navy Cross in
the Night Naval Action at Guadalcanal,
November 12-13, 1942. |
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Hubbard, Joseph Charles,
Commander was killed in the Night
Surface Engagement of 12-13 November
1942. He was awarded the Navy Cross in
the Night Naval Action at Guadalcanal,
November 12-13, 1942. |
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Klatt, George
Staat , Plt. Sgt was killed in
action aboard the USS San Francisco
(CA-38) in Night Surface Engagement of
12-13 November 1942. |
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LeHardy, Louis M., Lt. Commander
was killed in the Night Surface
Engagement of 12-13 November 1942. was
awarded the Navy Cross in the Night
Naval Action at Guadalcanal, November
12-13, 1942. |
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Lowe, Edward
S.; Lt. Cdr, MC, USN. was awarded
the Navy Cross in the Night Naval Action
at Guadalcanal, November 12-13, 1942.
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Lowe, Harry
James, GM 3/c, USN. born 6
January 1922 in
Paducah, Ky |
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Lowe, Harry James Jr. GM3c, entered naval
service as a seaman apprentice 28 August
1940. He served in heavy cruiser
SAN FRANCISCO (CA-38) from 6
December 1940 to 12 November 1942, when
he was killed in action off the
Solomon Islands when he refused
to abandon his gun in the face of an
onrushing Japanese torpedo plane. For
his extraordinary heroism, Gunner’s Mate
Third Class Lowe was posthumously
awarded the Navy Cross. |
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Loy, Jackson
Keith GM3c was killed in Air
Action off Lunga Point 12 November 1942.
He was awarded the Navy Cross in the
Night Naval Action at Guadalcanal,
November 12-13, 1942. |
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McCarstle,
Howard P., Jr.; Pfc., USMC. was
awarded the Navy Cross in the Night
Naval Action at Guadalcanal, November
12-13, 1942. |
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Momonas,
Christopher; Lt. ,MC, USN. was
awarded the Navy Cross in the Night
Naval Action at Guadalcanal, November
12-13, 1942 |
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O'Beirne,
Emmet; Cdr., USN. was awarded the
Navy Cross in the Night Naval Action at
Guadalcanal, November 12-13, 1942. |
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Powell,
William T., GM 2/c, USN. was
Killed in Action. He was awarded the
Navy Cross in the Night Naval Action at
Guadalcanal, November 12-13, 1942. |
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Spangenberg,
Kenneth J., GM3c was killed in
action aboard the USS San Francisco
(CA-38) in Night Surface Engagement of
12-13 November 1942. He was awarded the
Navy Cross in the Night Naval Action at
Guadalcanal, November 12-13, 1942. |
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Slater, Frank O. was killed when a Japanese
aircraft he had shot down crashed into
his gun position during the battle at Savo Island in the Solomons. He was
buried at sea. |
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Wilbourne,
William W.; Lt. Cdr., USN. was
awarded the Navy Cross in the Night
Naval Action at Guadalcanal, November
12-13, 1942. |
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Williamson,
John Leon, Sea 1/c, USN. was
killed in action. He was awarded the
Navy Cross in the Night Naval Action at
Guadalcanal, November 12-13, 1942. |
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Witter, Jean Carter, Ensign
was killed during the brutal
night action off Cape Esperance on the
night of 12 and 13 November 1942 as a
result of one of the more than 45 shell
hits suffered by his ship.
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Wintle, Jack W., Lt. Commander
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During the confused melee off Savo
Island, San Francisco
suffered a terrific pounding from enemy
ships-and briefly lost power completely.
At that point, several Japanese salvos
scored on her superstructure,
obliterating her flag and navigating
bridges. All but one member of the
admiral's staff were killed, and Lt.
Comdr. Wintle was among the casualties.
For this sacrifice, Wintle was awarded
the Navy Cross, posthumously.
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Wallace, John
George |
Young, Cassin,
On 13 November
1942, during the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, he
guided his ship in action with a superior Japanese
force and was killed by enemy shells while closely
engaging the battleship
Hiei.
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The Navy Cross
THE
YEARS of the "Great War" were not easy ones for the men and
women in the naval service. The Herculean task of transporting
and escorting the hundreds of thousands of troops of the
American Expeditionary Force to Europe, the growing pains of
fielding new aviation and submarine elements and the savage
fighting of our sailors and Marines on battlefields across
France all lay at the feet of the naval service. Along with this
came an increase in the size of the naval service to its largest
at that time, and the task of working hand-in-hand with Allied
counterparts.
New to this experience was the European custom of one nation
decorating heroes of another nation. The United States, with the
Medal of Honor as its sole decoration, was caught unprepared not
only for this custom, but also had no appropriate award to
recognize heroism of a level less than that which would merit
the Medal of Honor and no decoration to reward the myriad acts
of meritorious non-combat service that the war would spur.
The U.S. Army shared this dilemma and with the aid of
President Woodrow Wilson and the Congress in early and mid-1918
instituted its Distinguished Service Cross and Distinguished
Service Medal (DSM) with clear guidelines for the award of the
Distinguished Service Cross for combat heroism and the DSM award
for distinguished non-combat duty in a position of great
responsibility. This pair was available in time for awarding
during World War I.
Parallel awards were created a year later for the Navy and
Marine Corps, months after the armistice and amid the massive
demobilization of our forces.
No prouder decorations exist today than the Navy Cross
and the Navy Distinguished Service Medal, but their creation and
early award were fraught with controversy, ambiguity and
confusion.
As enacted 04 Feb. 1919, the Navy Cross was the naval
services third-highest award and could be awarded for both
combat heroism and for other distinguished service. Many, for
instance, were earned for extraordinary diving and salvage
feats. As originally third in precedence behind the Medal or
Honor and the Navy Distinguished Service Medal, more than one
Navy Cross recipient regarded its award as a "snub" in lieu of
the Distinguished Service Medal.
The same act established the Distinguished Service Medal.
Both decorations could be awarded retroactive to 06 April 1917.
It would be 23 years and a 07 Aug. 1942 action by Congress that
would place the Navy Cross just beneath the Medal of Honor, and
limit its award to combat-only recognition.
The Navy Cross was designed by James Earle Fraser, a
distinguished sculptor, member of the nation's Fine Arts
Commisson and designer of the obverse of the
Victory
Medal and an early version of the Navy Distinguished Service
Medal. The Navy Cross' arguable resemblance to Great Britain's
Navy Distinguished Service Cross is noteworthy, but not
elaborated upon in any records. Fraser experimented with the
image of a World War I-era destroyer on the medal, but finally
opted for the more timeless, flowing lines of a 15th-century
caraval or sailing ship.
Subtle variations have marked the evolution of the Navy
Cross from 1919 to the present. One constant has been the actual
medal, which has been struck from the same die and is of
three-part construction: the cross itself and the front and back
medallions, which are struck separately and subsequently
soldered together. Current forgers almost always strike their
fakes in one piece, allowing the studied eye one method of
detecting frauds.
  
The earliest issues of the Navy Cross
(1919-1928) had a very narrow white stripe centered on the blue
ribbon and a planchet of dull, sometimes greenish bronze
(Fig. 1). Some were awarded with the planchet reversed, the
sailing ship being placed on the back and the crossed anchors
and "USN" on the front. A split broach with an open-pin catch
was used.
Later issues (1928-1941) had the customary 1/4-inch white
stripe and a somewhat darker, gunmetal bronze finish.
One legendary variation picked up the informal nickname
"Black Widow" (Fig. 2) and was in use about 1941-1942, in
which the medal itself and its wrap broach were over-anodized
and sported a very dark, even black finish. Ironically, many of
the "Black Widow" awards were posthumous.
Midway through World War II, contracts specified the
original dull bronze finish seen in the years since (Fig. 3).
Presently, the Navy Cross is awarded to a person who
distinguishes himself or herself by extraordinary heroism not
justifying the award of the Medal of Honor. To warrant this
distinctive decoration, the act or the execution of duty must be
performed in the presence of great danger or at great personal
risk.
The 1942 legislation synchronized the Army and Navy's
"Pyramid of Honor," eliminated the dual combat/noncombat award
of the Medal of Honor and Navy Cross and brought several
previously Army-only decorations into the naval service.
The original positioning of the Navy Distinguished Service
Medal and the heavy hand of civilian officials gave that medal
some awkward early years.
Introduced in the months following the World War I
Armistice, input was sought from the fleet on individuals whose
wartime performance of duty merited award of the new
Distinguished Service Medal.
These recommendations were reviewed by a board chaired by
Rear Adm. Austin M. Knight and its recommendations submitted for
approval to Secretary of the Navy Josepheus Daniels, an entirely
normal flow of events.
Entirely normal, except that Daniels in large part
disregarded the board's findings and was at times arbitrary in
designating who would be decorated. An extreme example pointed
out by senior military leadership was Daniels' insistance that
the commanding officer of each ship sunk by the enemy receive
the DSM, while many officers who commanded ships that sunk enemy
vessels were not considered for a medal.
The Knight board was reconvened by Daniels but its
subsequent recommendations fared little better, a situation that
prompted a congressional investigation, a degree of bitterness
in the senior ranks and the formation of the largely independent
Navy Department Board of Decorations and Medals.
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