Curtis W. Howard
Encyclopedia
Curtis W. Howard was a United States Navy
officer who received the Navy Cross
posthumously for his actions in combat during World War II
.
on 31 August 1917. He was appointed a midshipman from the State of California on 4 June 1934 and attended the United States Naval Academy
. While there, he boxed
, earning him the nickname "Punchy", and contemporaries considered him "possessed of a good sense of humor, exceptional perscipacity, and an able brain," who "promises to become an apt officer". Graduating with the U.S. Naval Academy Class of 1938, Howard received his commission as an ensign
on 2 June 1938.
Howard reported to the heavy cruiser
USS Pensacola (CA-24)
on 30 June 1938, and served aboard her until 11 September 1939. On 19 September 1939, he reported to the destroyer
USS Greer (DD-145)
at the Philadelphia Navy Yard at Philadelphia
, Pennsylvania
, where Greer was undergoing preparations for recommissioning
on 4 October 1939 to become a part of the Neutrality Patrol
ordered soon after World War II
began in Europe
.
Detached from Greer on 5 July 1940, Ensign Howard reported to Naval Air Station Pensacola
at Pensacola
, Florida
, on 29 July 1940 to commence flight "instruction in heavier-than-air craft." He continued "duty involving flying under instruction" there, and, ultimately, was designated a naval aviator
on 23 January 1941. Detached from Naval Air Station Pensacola on 7 February 1941, he then served at Naval Air Station Miami at Miami
, Florida, from 25 March 1941 to 7 April 1941, after which he reported to Torpedo Squadron 3, assigned to the air group of the aircraft carrier
USS Saratoga (CV-3)
, on 7 April 1941. On 8 October 1941, he was promoted to lieutenant, junior grade
, to rank from 8 June 1941.
The United States
entered World War II on 7 December 1941. After an Imperial Japanese Navy
submarine
torpedo
ed Saratoga on 11 January 1942 and Saratogas subsequent departure for repairs at Puget Sound Navy Yard at Bremerton
, Washington, Torpedo Squadron 3 was based ashore, first at Naval Air Station Pearl Harbor on Ford Island
in Pearl Harbor
, Territory of Hawaii
, standing alert duty for defense of the island
of Oahu
, then at Naval Air Station Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii, whence the squadron
trained and continued to stand alerts.
On 30 May 1942, assigned to the air group of the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown (CV-5)
, replacing Torpedo Squadron 5 aboard that carrier, Torpedo Squadron 3 flew on board as Yorktown departed Pearl Harbor to participate in what would become known as the Battle of Midway
. During that battle, on 4 June 1942, Yorktown launched Torpedo Squadron 3 and Bombing Squadron 3, covered by fighters
from Fighting Squadron 3, to attack the Japanese aircraft carrier force in concert with a strike from aircraft carriers USS Enterprise (CV-6)
and USS Hornet (CV-8)
. Circumstances, however, dictated that only the Yorktown Air Group attacked as a unit, with Torpedo Squadron 3 following Torpedo Squadron 8 and Torpedo Squadron 6 as the last of the three torpedo squadrons to execute their brave low-level attacks. Japanese Mitsubishi A6M2 Type 00 carrier fighters, however, overwhelmed the six-plane Fighting Squadron 3 covering element, and, in concert with heavy antiaircraft fire from the Japanese aircraft carriers and their screening ships, shot down ten of the twelve Torpedo Squadron 3 Douglas
TBD-1 Devastator
torpedo bomber
s. Howard, piloting one of the Devastators, and his radio gunner, Aviation Radioman
3rd Class Charles L. Moore, perished in the attack.
USS Curtis W. Howard (DE-752)
, launched
in 1944 but never completed, was named for Lieutenant, junior grade, Howard.
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
officer who received the Navy Cross
Navy Cross
The Navy Cross is the highest decoration that may be bestowed by the Department of the Navy and the second highest decoration given for valor. It is normally only awarded to members of the United States Navy, United States Marine Corps and United States Coast Guard, but can be awarded to all...
posthumously for his actions in combat during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Naval career
Curtis William Howard was born to Captain and Mrs. Jasper V. Howard (Medical Corps), USN, on GuamGuam
Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
on 31 August 1917. He was appointed a midshipman from the State of California on 4 June 1934 and attended the United States Naval Academy
United States Naval Academy
The United States Naval Academy is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located in Annapolis, Maryland, United States...
. While there, he boxed
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
, earning him the nickname "Punchy", and contemporaries considered him "possessed of a good sense of humor, exceptional perscipacity, and an able brain," who "promises to become an apt officer". Graduating with the U.S. Naval Academy Class of 1938, Howard received his commission as an ensign
Ensign (rank)
Ensign is a junior rank of a commissioned officer in the armed forces of some countries, normally in the infantry or navy. As the junior officer in an infantry regiment was traditionally the carrier of the ensign flag, the rank itself acquired the name....
on 2 June 1938.
Howard reported to the heavy cruiser
Heavy cruiser
The heavy cruiser was a type of cruiser, a naval warship designed for long range, high speed and an armament of naval guns roughly 203mm calibre . The heavy cruiser can be seen as a lineage of ship design from 1915 until 1945, although the term 'heavy cruiser' only came into formal use in 1930...
USS Pensacola (CA-24)
USS Pensacola (CA-24)
USS Pensacola of the United States Navy was the lead ship of her class of heavy cruiser. The third Navy ship to be named after the city of Pensacola, Florida, she was nicknamed the "Grey Ghost" by Tokyo Rose. She received 13 battle stars for her service.She was laid down by the New York Navy Yard...
on 30 June 1938, and served aboard her until 11 September 1939. On 19 September 1939, he reported to the destroyer
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
USS Greer (DD-145)
USS Greer (DD-145)
USS Greer was a Wickes class destroyer in the United States Navy, the first ship named for Rear Admiral James A. Greer . In what became known as the "Greer Incident," she became the first U.S. Navy ship to fire on a German ship, three months before the United States officially entered World War...
at the Philadelphia Navy Yard at Philadelphia
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, where Greer was undergoing preparations for recommissioning
Ship commissioning
Ship commissioning is the act or ceremony of placing a ship in active service, and may be regarded as a particular application of the general concepts and practices of project commissioning. The term is most commonly applied to the placing of a warship in active duty with its country's military...
on 4 October 1939 to become a part of the Neutrality Patrol
Neutrality Patrol
At the beginning of World War II, when Nazi Germany's invasion of Poland on 1 September 1939 started the hostilities in Europe, President Franklin D...
ordered soon after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
began in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
.
Detached from Greer on 5 July 1940, Ensign Howard reported to Naval Air Station Pensacola
Naval Air Station Pensacola
Naval Air Station Pensacola or NAS Pensacola , "The Cradle of Naval Aviation", is a United States Navy base located next to Warrington, Florida, a community southwest of the Pensacola city limits...
at Pensacola
Pensacola, Florida
Pensacola is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle and the county seat of Escambia County, Florida, United States of America. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 56,255 and as of 2009, the estimated population was 53,752...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, on 29 July 1940 to commence flight "instruction in heavier-than-air craft." He continued "duty involving flying under instruction" there, and, ultimately, was designated a naval aviator
Naval Aviator
A United States Naval Aviator is a qualified pilot in the United States Navy, Marine Corps or Coast Guard.-Naming Conventions:Most Naval Aviators are Unrestricted Line Officers; however, a small number of Limited Duty Officers and Chief Warrant Officers are also trained as Naval Aviators.Until 1981...
on 23 January 1941. Detached from Naval Air Station Pensacola on 7 February 1941, he then served at Naval Air Station Miami at Miami
Miami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
, Florida, from 25 March 1941 to 7 April 1941, after which he reported to Torpedo Squadron 3, assigned to the air group of the aircraft carrier
Aircraft carrier
An aircraft carrier is a warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft, acting as a seagoing airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a naval force to project air power worldwide without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations...
USS Saratoga (CV-3)
USS Saratoga (CV-3)
USS Saratoga was the second aircraft carrier of the United States Navy and the fifth ship to bear her name. She was commissioned one month earlier than her sister and class leader, , which is the third actually commissioned after and Saratoga...
, on 7 April 1941. On 8 October 1941, he was promoted to lieutenant, junior grade
Lieutenant, Junior Grade
Lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer rank in the United States Navy, the United States Coast Guard, the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, United States Merchant Marine USMM, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Corps, with the pay grade...
, to rank from 8 June 1941.
The United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
entered World War II on 7 December 1941. After an Imperial Japanese Navy
Imperial Japanese Navy
The Imperial Japanese Navy was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1869 until 1947, when it was dissolved following Japan's constitutional renunciation of the use of force as a means of settling international disputes...
submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
torpedo
Torpedo
The modern torpedo is a self-propelled missile weapon with an explosive warhead, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater towards a target, and designed to detonate either on contact with it or in proximity to it.The term torpedo was originally employed for...
ed Saratoga on 11 January 1942 and Saratogas subsequent departure for repairs at Puget Sound Navy Yard at Bremerton
Bremerton, Washington
Bremerton is a city in Kitsap County, Washington, United States. The population was 38,790 at the 2011 State Estimate, making it the largest city on the Olympic Peninsula. Bremerton is home to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and the Bremerton Annex of Naval Base Kitsap...
, Washington, Torpedo Squadron 3 was based ashore, first at Naval Air Station Pearl Harbor on Ford Island
Ford Island
Ford Island is located in the middle of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. It is connected to the main island by the Ford Island Bridge. Before the bridge was built, Ford Island could only be reached by a ferry boat which ran at hourly intervals for cars and foot passengers. The island houses several naval...
in Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...
, Territory of Hawaii
Territory of Hawaii
The Territory of Hawaii or Hawaii Territory was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 7, 1898, until August 21, 1959, when its territory, with the exception of Johnston Atoll, was admitted to the Union as the fiftieth U.S. state, the State of Hawaii.The U.S...
, standing alert duty for defense of the island
Island
An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...
of Oahu
Oahu
Oahu or Oahu , known as "The Gathering Place", is the third largest of the Hawaiian Islands and most populous of the islands in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital Honolulu is located on the southeast coast...
, then at Naval Air Station Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii, whence the squadron
Squadron (aviation)
A squadron in air force, army aviation or naval aviation is mainly a unit comprising a number of military aircraft, usually of the same type, typically with 12 to 24 aircraft, sometimes divided into three or four flights, depending on aircraft type and air force...
trained and continued to stand alerts.
On 30 May 1942, assigned to the air group of the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown (CV-5)
USS Yorktown (CV-5)
was an aircraft carrier commissioned in the United States Navy from 1937 until she was sunk at the Battle of Midway in June 1942. She was named after the Battle of Yorktown in 1781 and the lead ship of the Yorktown class which was designed after lessons learned from operations with the large...
, replacing Torpedo Squadron 5 aboard that carrier, Torpedo Squadron 3 flew on board as Yorktown departed Pearl Harbor to participate in what would become known as the Battle of Midway
Battle of Midway
The Battle of Midway is widely regarded as the most important naval battle of the Pacific Campaign of World War II. Between 4 and 7 June 1942, approximately one month after the Battle of the Coral Sea and six months after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States Navy decisively defeated...
. During that battle, on 4 June 1942, Yorktown launched Torpedo Squadron 3 and Bombing Squadron 3, covered by fighters
Fighter aircraft
A fighter aircraft is a military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat with other aircraft, as opposed to a bomber, which is designed primarily to attack ground targets...
from Fighting Squadron 3, to attack the Japanese aircraft carrier force in concert with a strike from aircraft carriers USS Enterprise (CV-6)
USS Enterprise (CV-6)
USS Enterprise , colloquially referred to as the "Big E," was the sixth aircraft carrier of the United States Navy and the seventh U.S. Navy ship to bear the name. Launched in 1936, she was a ship of the Yorktown class, and one of only three American carriers commissioned prior to World War II to...
and USS Hornet (CV-8)
USS Hornet (CV-8)
USS Hornet CV-8, the seventh ship to carry the name Hornet, was a of the United States Navy. During World War II in the Pacific Theater, she launched the Doolittle Raid on Tokyo and participated in the Battle of Midway and the Buin-Faisi-Tonolai Raid...
. Circumstances, however, dictated that only the Yorktown Air Group attacked as a unit, with Torpedo Squadron 3 following Torpedo Squadron 8 and Torpedo Squadron 6 as the last of the three torpedo squadrons to execute their brave low-level attacks. Japanese Mitsubishi A6M2 Type 00 carrier fighters, however, overwhelmed the six-plane Fighting Squadron 3 covering element, and, in concert with heavy antiaircraft fire from the Japanese aircraft carriers and their screening ships, shot down ten of the twelve Torpedo Squadron 3 Douglas
Douglas Aircraft Company
The Douglas Aircraft Company was an American aerospace manufacturer, based in Long Beach, California. It was founded in 1921 by Donald Wills Douglas, Sr. and later merged with McDonnell Aircraft in 1967 to form McDonnell Douglas...
TBD-1 Devastator
TBD Devastator
The Douglas TBD Devastator was a torpedo bomber of the United States Navy, ordered in 1934, first flying in 1935 and entering service in 1937. At that point, it was the most advanced aircraft flying for the USN and possibly for any navy in the world...
torpedo bomber
Torpedo bomber
A torpedo bomber is a bomber aircraft designed primarily to attack ships with aerial torpedoes which could also carry out conventional bombings. Torpedo bombers existed almost exclusively prior to and during World War II when they were an important element in many famous battles, notably the...
s. Howard, piloting one of the Devastators, and his radio gunner, Aviation Radioman
Radioman
Radioman was a rating for United States Navy and United States Coast Guard enlisted personnel, specializing in communications technology.-History of the rating:...
3rd Class Charles L. Moore, perished in the attack.
Awards
Howard was awarded the Navy Cross posthumously for his "self-sacrificing gallantry and fortitude...in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service..."Namesake
The U.S. Navy destroyer escortDestroyer escort
A destroyer escort is the classification for a smaller, lightly armed warship designed to be used to escort convoys of merchant marine ships, primarily of the United States Merchant Marine in World War II. It is employed primarily for anti-submarine warfare, but also provides some protection...
USS Curtis W. Howard (DE-752)
USS Curtis W. Howard (DE-752)
USS Curtis W. Howard was a United States Navy proposed during World War II but never completed.DE-752 was laid down by the Western Pipe and Steel Company at San Pedro, California, on 18 August 1943 and named USS Curtis W. Howard on 3 September 1943. She was launched on 26 March 1944, sponsored...
, launched
Ship naming and launching
The ceremonies involved in naming and launching naval ships are based in traditions thousands of years old.-Methods of launch:There are three principal methods of conveying a new ship from building site to water, only two of which are called "launching." The oldest, most familiar, and most widely...
in 1944 but never completed, was named for Lieutenant, junior grade, Howard.