William Sterling Parsons
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| William Sterling Parsons | |
|---|---|
| November 26, 1901 – December 5, 1953 (aged 52)1953 | |
 Captain Parsons in 1945 |
|
| Nickname | "Deak" |
| Place of birth | Chicago, Illinois |
| Place of death | Washington, D.C. |
| Allegiance |  United States of America |
| Service/branch | United States Navy |
| Years of service | 1922–1953 |
| Rank | Rear Admiral |
| Unit | 509th Bomb Group |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
| Awards | Navy Distinguished Service Medal Silver Star Legion of Merit |
Rear Admiral William Sterling "Deak" Parsons (November 26, 1901 - December 5, 1953) was an American military engineer, best known for being the weaponeer on the Enola Gay (at the time, he had the rank of Captain) which dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan during World War II. He bridged the gap between pure science and engineering, between laboratory research and military application of that research.
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[edit] Life and Career
Parsons, born at Chicago, Illinois on 26 November 1901, was appointed to the United States Naval Academy in 1918 and commissioned Ensign upon graduating in June 1922. His first assignment was in the battleship Idaho (BB-42), which was followed by post-graduate study in ordnance engineering at the Navy Postgraduate School, Washington, D.C. He then served on board Texas (BB-35) before returning to Washington as Liaison Officer between the Bureau of Ordnance and the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), where he aided in the early development of radar. In 1939 he was assigned as Experimental Officer at the Navy Proving Grounds, Dahlgren, Virginia, and helped to develop the radio proximity fuze for anti-aircraft shells for the fleet.
On 15 June 1943 he reported to the Los Alamos Laboratory of the Manhattan Project at Los Alamos, New Mexico, as Ordnance Division Associate Director and Officer in Charge of Project Alberta. After witnessing the first atom bomb test in New Mexico, Captain Parsons was appointed Officer-in-charge of the Overseas (Tinian, Marianas) Technical Group, and as Bomb Commander he assembled — in flight — the triggering device of Little Boy, the first atomic bomb used in combat over Hiroshima on 6 August 1945. He was next assigned as Assistant Chief of Naval Operations for Special Weapons and as Deputy Commander for Technical Direction and Commander Task Group 1.1, conducting Operation Crossroads, the tests on the effectiveness of atomic weapons on naval vessels at Bikini Atoll. Parsons' portrait is among a series of paintings related to Operation Crossroads.[1]
Having served as Commodore from 10 August 1945, and as temporary Rear Admiral from 8 January 1946 to 7 August 1947, he was promoted to Rear Admiral 1 July 1948.
After serving in various ordnance billets and as a member of the Atomic Energy Commission, he was ordered to duty as Deputy and Assistant Chief of the Bureau of Ordnance, Navy Department. While serving in this capacity, he died suddenly 5 December 1953.
Parsons died of a heart attack at age 52 and was buried at Arlington National Cemetery.[2]
[edit] Honors
For “exceptional meritorious service in connection with the development of the atomic bomb ...” and “gallantry in action while participating in aerial flight against the Japanese Empire, arming and directing the release of the atomic bomb over Hiroshima 6 August 1945 ...” and “exceptional meritorious conduct as Deputy Commander for Technical Direction, Joint Task Force One, during Operation CROSSROADS ...”, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal, the Silver Star, and the Legion of Merit.
The "Rear Admiral William S. Parsons Award for Scientific and Technical Progress" was established by the US Navy in his name.
US Destroyer named in his honor: USS Parsons (DD-949/DDG-33) began her career as a Forrest Sherman-class destroyer. Her keel was laid down 17 June 1957 by Ingalls Shipbuilding of Pascagoula, Mississippi. She was launched on 17 August 1958, sponsored by Mrs. William S. Parsons, and commissioned 29 October 1959 at Charleston, South Carolina with Commander W. R. Loomis in command.
[edit] Books
- Target Hiroshima: Deak Parsons and the Creation of the Atomic Bomb, Albert B. Christman, ISBN 1-55750-120-3. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 1998. [Parsons was a United States Navy weapons specialist and representative to the Manhattan Project. He witnessed seven of the first eight nuclear bomb explosions; and served as the bomb commander and weaponeer during the Enola Gay's mission to bomb Hiroshima, when he performed the final assembly of the "Little Boy" nuclear weapon in the aircraft's bomb bay. He was the task force deputy commander during Operation Crossroads in 1946.]
[edit] Portrayals on Film
- Warner Anderson in The Beginning or the End (1947)
- Michael Brockman in Fat Man and Little Boy (1989)
- Larry Gates in Above and Beyond (1952)
- Dee McCafferty in Day One (1989) (TV)
- Robert Pine in Enola Gay: The Men, the Mission, the Atomic Bomb (1980) (TV)
- Gary Reineke in Hiroshima (1995) (TV)
[edit] References
This article includes text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.
- ^ Operation Crossroads: Bikini Atoll (1946). Retrieved on 2007-10-15.
Specifically, Charles Bittinger (1946). "Rear Admiral William Sterling Parsons, USN" (JPEG). Retrieved on 2007-10-15. - ^ William Sterling "Deak" Parsons. www.findagrave.com. Retrieved on 2007-10-15.
