Charles A. Lockwood
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Charles Andrews Lockwood (6 May 1890 – 7 June 1967) was an admiral of the United States Navy. He is known in submarine history as the legendary commander of Submarine Force Pacific Fleet, who led the "silent service" to victory during World War II in the Pacific.
Contents |
[edit] Early life and career
Lockwood was born in Midland, Va., 6 May 1890, and graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in the class of 1912. Following brief cruises in the battleships Mississippi (BB-23) and Arkansas (BB-33), and a short tour as instructor in the Naval Training Station, Great Lakes, in September 1914 he reported to the tender Mohican for indoctrination in submarines.
[edit] Submarine commander, World War I and postwar era
By 1 December 1914 he had his first submarine command, A-2, followed by B-1. American entry into World War I found him in command of Submarine Division 1, Asiatic Fleet.
From that time, with the exception of a tour on the Asiatic station where he commanded gunboats Quiros (PG-40) and Elcano (PG-38) on the Yangtze Patrol and the destroyer Smith Thompson (DD-212), practically all his sea service was in and connected with submarines.
In addition to those listed above are added G-1, N-5, UC-97 (ex-German navy), R-25, S-14, and Bonita (SS-165).
[edit] World War II service
In June 1939 he became Chief of Staff to Commander Submarine Force, U.S. Fleet, on the cruiser Richmond (CL-9). This important service was interrupted in February 1941 when he was sent to London as naval attaché and principal observer for submarines.
Following promotion to rear admiral in March 1942 he proceeded to West Australia as Commander, Submarines, Southwest Pacific (COMSUBSOWESPAC).
In February 1943, following the death of the COMSUBPAC, Rear Admiral Robert English, in a plane crash in California, Lockwood was transferred to Pearl Harbor to become Commander, Submarines, Pacific Fleet(COMSUBPAC), in which capacity he served the rest of the war. Lockwood's strong leadership and devotion to his sailors won him the nickname "Uncle Charlie", and his promotion to Vice Admiral in late 1943. Lockwood made great strides in providing for rest and recuperation (R & R), such as at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel, for his sailors when they returned to port after their long combat voyages, and many times finishing up on "iron rations" of poor food as their food supplies ran out.
During his tour, Lockwood devised tactics to make the most effective use of submarines and pushed the Navy's Bureau of Ships and Bureau of Ordnance to provide his men with the most effective submarines and torpedoes possible. He oversaw the tests that proved the unreliability of U.S. torpedoes, and prompted the improvements that made them the highly effective weapons they became in 1944 and 1945.
Lockwood also oversaw the introduction into the Pacific Fleet of a huge number of newly-constructed fleet submarines from American shipyards, including the one in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, and the manning of them with newly-trained officers and men. Older boats, like the S-class, were removed from combat and sent back to the US for training boats and/or for scrapping. He oversaw the moving forward of the Pacific Fleet submarine bases from Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and Australia to places like Saipan - where a submarine tender was stationed for a period of time - Guam, the Admiralty Islands, and Subic Bay, the Philippines. This reduced the very long ocean voyages for American submarines, and steadily tightened the noose on Imperial Japanese supply lines, especially in the East China Sea and the South China Sea.
As well, Lockwood cleaned out the "dead wood", replacing unproductive submarrine skippers with (often) younger and more aggressive officers. Under his command, guidance, and inspiration in these two commands, U.S. submarines largely destroyed the Japanese Merchant Marine, and helped the surface navy and the aircraft carriers destroy the Japanese Imperial Navy (IJN).
Lockwood's wartime awards were the Navy Distinguished Service Medal three times, and the US Legion of Merit award.
[edit] Post-war career and retirement
After the war, Lockwood served as the Inspector General of the Navy until his retirement in June 1947.
In retirement at Los Gatos, California, he wrote and coauthored best-selling books on naval history and submarine operations until his death 7 June 1967. He is buried in a naval cemetery near San Francisco alongside his wife and Admirals Nimitz, Spruance, and Richmond Kelly Turner, which was an arrangement that was aggreed to by them all while they were still living.
The fast frigate USS Lockwood (FF-1064) was named in his honor.
[edit] Sources
- Lockwood, Charles. Hellcats of the Sea. New York: Greenberg, 1955.
- ________. Down to the Sea in Subs. New York: W.W.Norton, 1967
- Blair, Clay, Jr.. Silent Victory. Philadelphia: Lippincott, 1975.
