Robert C. Peniston
Encyclopedia
Captain Robert C. Peniston is a former United States Navy
officer. He graduated with the Class of 1947 from the U.S. Naval Academy. Among other assignments, he served as navigator of the presidential yacht
Williamsburg
in 1952. He commanded the destroyer escort
USS Savage (DE-386)
and the guided missile destroyer
USS Tattnall
. He was the commissioning captain for the guided missile cruiser USS Albany
, which was placed in service on 9 November 1968. He took command of the battleship
USS New Jersey
on 27 August 1969 and helped decommission her on 17 December 1969 with these words: "Rest well, yet sleep lightly; and hear the call, if again sounded, to provide firepower for freedom." (New Jersey was recommissioned in the 1980s). He retired from the Navy as a captain in 1976.
Peniston became director of the Lee Chapel at Washington and Lee University
, retired again, and subsequently began volunteering in the Special Collections section of the college's Leyburn Library, where he transcribed more than 3,000 letters from the library's Robert E. Lee collection and Lee-Jackson Foundation Papers. As well, he occasionally speaks to American History classes at the college.
Peniston recalls tour as CO of USS Savage (DE 386)
University notes Peniston's productive volunteer work
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. He graduated with the Class of 1947 from the U.S. Naval Academy. Among other assignments, he served as navigator of the presidential yacht
Yacht
A yacht is a recreational boat or ship. The term originated from the Dutch Jacht meaning "hunt". It was originally defined as a light fast sailing vessel used by the Dutch navy to pursue pirates and other transgressors around and into the shallow waters of the Low Countries...
Williamsburg
Williamsburg (yacht)
USS Williamsburg was a US Navy gunboat, a former private yacht, that served as a presidential yacht from 1945 to 1953.-Private yacht:The steel-hulled, diesel-powered yacht Aras was laid down on March 19, 1930 by the Bath Iron Works; launched on December 8, 1930; and delivered to wood-pulp magnate...
in 1952. He commanded the destroyer escort
Destroyer 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 Savage (DE-386)
USS Savage (DE-386)
USS Savage was an Edsall-class destroyer escort ship built for the United States Navy during World War II.She was laid down 30 April 1943 by Brown Shipbuilding Co., Houston, Texas; launched 15 July 1943; and commissioned on 29 October 1943 manned by a Coast Guard crew under the command of...
and the guided missile destroyer
Guided missile destroyer
A guided missile destroyer is a destroyer designed to launch guided missiles. Many are also equipped to carry out anti-submarine, anti-air, and anti-surface operations. In the U.S...
USS Tattnall
USS Tattnall (DDG-19)
USS Tattnall was a Charles F. Adams-class guided missile-armed destroyer of the United States Navy. She was named for Commodore Josiah Tattnall, Jr...
. He was the commissioning captain for the guided missile cruiser USS Albany
USS Albany (CA-123)
USS Albany was a United States Navy Oregon City-class heavy cruiser, later converted to the guided missile cruiser CG-10. The converted cruiser was the lead ship the new Albany guided missile cruiser class...
, which was placed in service on 9 November 1968. He took command of the battleship
Battleship
A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of heavy caliber guns. Battleships were larger, better armed and armored than cruisers and destroyers. As the largest armed ships in a fleet, battleships were used to attain command of the sea and represented the apex of a...
USS New Jersey
USS New Jersey (BB-62)
USS New Jersey , is an , and was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named in honor of the U.S. state of New Jersey. New Jersey earned more battle stars for combat actions than the other three completed Iowa-class battleships, and is the only U.S...
on 27 August 1969 and helped decommission her on 17 December 1969 with these words: "Rest well, yet sleep lightly; and hear the call, if again sounded, to provide firepower for freedom." (New Jersey was recommissioned in the 1980s). He retired from the Navy as a captain in 1976.
Peniston became director of the Lee Chapel at Washington and Lee University
Washington and Lee University
Washington and Lee University is a private liberal arts college in Lexington, Virginia, United States.The classical school from which Washington and Lee descended was established in 1749 as Augusta Academy, about north of its present location. In 1776 it was renamed Liberty Hall in a burst of...
, retired again, and subsequently began volunteering in the Special Collections section of the college's Leyburn Library, where he transcribed more than 3,000 letters from the library's Robert E. Lee collection and Lee-Jackson Foundation Papers. As well, he occasionally speaks to American History classes at the college.
External links
The USS Savage- http://theusssavage.homestead.com/SiteIndex.html
Peniston recalls tour as CO of USS Savage (DE 386)
- http://theusssavage.homestead.com/CaptainRobertCPeniston.html
University notes Peniston's productive volunteer work