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Cassin
Young
Born: 6 March
1894,
Washington, D.C.
Rank:
Lieutenant
Organization:
Unites States Navy
Accredited To:
District of Columbia
Other Navy Award:
Navy Cross
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Captain
Cassin Young,
USN, (1894-1942)
Cassin Young
was born in
Washington, D.C.,
on 6 March 1894.
After graduation
from the U.S.
Naval Academy in
June 1916, he
served in the
battleship
Connecticut
into 1919, then
spent several
years in
submarines.
During that
period, he
commanded the
submarines
R-23 and
R-2. During
the middle and
later 1920s, he
served in Naval
Communications,
on the staff of
Commander
Submarine
Divisions,
Battle Fleet,
and at the Naval
Academy.
During
1931-33,
Lieutenant
Commander Young
served in the
battleship
New York.
He was
subsequently
Commanding
Officer of the
destroyer
Evans and
was assigned to
the Eleventh
Naval District
in 1935-37.
After promotion
to the rank of
Commander, he
commanded
Submarine
Division Seven
and had duty at
the Submarine
Base New London,
Groton,
Connecticut.
When the
Japanese
attacked
Pearl Harbor
on 7 December
1941, he was
Commanding
Officer of the
repair ship
Vestal,
which was badly
damaged by enemy
bombs and the
explosion of the
battleship
Arizona.
For his
"distinguished
conduct in
action" and
"outstanding
heroism" on that
occasion, he was
awarded the
Medal of Honor.
Promoted to
Captain in
February 1942,
he later was
given command of
the heavy
cruiser
San Francisco.
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.
Captain Young
posthumously was
awarded the Navy
Cross for his
actions during
the Guadalcanal
Campaign, and
San Francisco
received the
Presidential
Unit Citation.
The destroyer
USS Cassin
Young
(DD-793),
1943-1981, was
named in honor
of Captain
Young.
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For distinguished conduct in
action, outstanding heroism
and utter disregard of his
own safety, above and beyond
the call of duty, as
commanding officer of the
U.S.S. Vestal, during the
attack on the Fleet in
Pearl Harbor,
Territory of
Hawaii, by enemy
Japanese forces on 7
December 1941. Comdr. Young
proceeded to the bridge and
later took personal command
of the 3-inch antiaircraft
gun. When blown overboard by
the blast of the forward
magazine explosion of the
U.S.S. Arizona, to which the
U.S.S. Vestal was moored, he
swam back to his ship. The
entire forward part of the
U.S.S. Arizona was a blazing
inferno with oil afire on
the water between the 2
ships; as a result of
several bomb hits, the U.S.S.
Vestal was afire in several
places, was settling and
taking on a list. Despite
severe enemy bombing and
strafing at the time, and
his shocking experience of
having been blown overboard,
Comdr. Young, with extreme
coolness and calmness, moved
his ship to an anchorage
distant from the U.S.S.
Arizona, and subsequently
beached the U.S.S. Vestal
upon determining that such
action was required to save
his ship.
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