Samuel David Dealey
Encyclopedia
Samuel David Dealey was a United States Navy
submarine
commanding officer during World War II
. He was among the most decorated naval officers of the war, receiving six awards for valor including the Medal of Honor
for his actions aboard the during her fifth war patrol.
In May 1937, he was assigned as Aide to the Executive Officer at Naval Air Station, Pensacola, Florida. While at the Naval Air Station, he was promoted in June 1938 to Lieutenant. In the Summer of 1939, he was assigned as the Executive Officer on board , transferring to be the Executive Officer on board . In April 1941, he reported to Experimental Division One for duty as the Prospective Commanding Officer of to support at-sea experiments off New London. He commanded for two years, serving onbpard upon during the United States' entry into World War II.
, sent , , and to the Marianas as a wolfpack to attack Japanese shipping in preparation for the invasion of Tarawa (20 November). At that stage of the war, "coordinated operations" among submarines were still hampered by poor communications. Thus, after collaborating with in attacking a freighter on the 12th - with results never clearly established - and sinking a small minesweeper with gunfire that night, Dealey was soon separated from the rest and operating independently. On 19 November, he picked up a convoy of three large freighters with accompanying escorts north of the Marianas and positioned for an attack, altogether firing ten torpedoes in his first attempt, scoring hits on two of his targets. Driven down by the escorts, he surfaced later that night to chase the freighter that had managed to escape undamaged. Eventually firing 11 more torpedoes at the fugitive for two hits and four circular runs - and then driven off by defensive gunfire from the tenacious Japanese crew - Dealey broke off the engagement and returned to Pearl Harbor for lack of torpedoes. Later, it was established that all three ships had sunk, the third - Nikko Maru - late that night, giving Dealey and Harder a total bag of 4 ships and over 15,000 tons for their third war patrol. Once again, however, one of Harder's HOR engines had failed completely, and the other three were only kept alive by cannibalizing spare parts from the fourth. Thus, shortly after she arrived in Hawaii on 30 November, Harder was sent back to Mare Island
to be completely re-engined with General Motors diesels.
, which had been hit that day by an American carrier strike. Under an umbrella of friendly air cover, Dealey nosed toward the beach until he could ground the bow up against the encircling reef and hold it there by working both screws. Then, in the face of Japanese sniper fire only partially suppressed by the circling aircraft, a rubber boat was sent in to retrieve the flier, ENS John Galvin, who was brought to safety in what soon became a legendary rescue. As Blair describes it:
Continuing his war patrol, Dealey next scored his first of four successes against the toughest target of all - a Japanese destroyer. Spotted by an enemy aircraft north of the Western Carolines on 13 April, became the quarry of a patrolling enemy destroyer IJS Ikazuchi, which closed to within 900 yards before Dealey fired a spread of torpedoes that sank his attacker within five minutes. His ensuing contact report quickly became famous: "Expended four torpedoes and one Jap destroyer." Four days later, Dealey also sank the 7,000 ton Matsue Maru near Woleai - and then surfaced again near the island on 20 April to bombard the beleaguered Japanese garrison with his 4-inch deck gun. ended her fourth war patrol at Fremantle, Australia, on 3 May 1944.
In the narrowest part of the Passage, Dealey spotted what appeared to be two more patrolling Japanese destroyers and made an undetected approach. Firing four torpedoes at the overlapping targets, he was rewarded with two hits on the IJS Tanikaze, which sank almost immediately. Dealey thought he had scored a hit and sunk another destroyer also, but post-war records failed to confirm that there was a second one present. On 10 June, sighted a large Japanese task force that included three battleships, four cruisers, and their screening destroyers, but she was spotted by an enemy airplane, and one of the escorts pressed an attack. Dealey sent three torpedoes "down the throat," heard several explosions, and thought he had scored another kill before diving to avoid two hours of relentless depth-charging, but Japanese records later showed that the enemy was able to avoid his torpedoes. Dealey returned to Darwin on 21 June after an outstanding patrol that firmly established his reputation as the "Destroyer Killer," with what was then thought to be a total of six to his credit. (It was really four.) Of greater strategic importance was the ensuing decision by Japanese Admiral Soemu Toyoda to abandon the Tawi Tawi anchorage as too exposed to enemy submarines, a sortie that then precipitated the Battle of the Philippine Sea.
In a curious incident that still raises eyebrows today, RADM Ralph Waldo Christie
, who commanded US submarines at Fremantle
, ordered Harder back to sea on the day she arrived, ostensibly to seek out and attack a Japanese cargo ship that carried nickel ore from Celebes to the homeland once a month - but also to give Christie an opportunity to participate personally in a short war patrol. Assigned on 27 June to intercept a damaged Japanese cruiser returning from the Battle of the Philippine Sea, Dealey was unable to close for an attack and was similarly outmaneuvered by the "nickel ship" three days later, when Japanese patrol aircraft forced him down and kept him there. , Christie, and Dealey returned to Darwin without further incident on 3 July, and the whole episode was treated simply as an extension of the ship's fifth patrol.
During their time together, however, RADM Christie took Dealey aside and noted his opinion that after five successful war patrols, it was time for Dealey to relinquish command of to his Executive Officer and move on to another job. Dealey demurred. With about a third of Harder's crew about to be replaced, he felt a personal responsibility to break in the new men before turning the boat over to a fledgling Commanding Officer. Ultimately, Christie agreed that Dealey could take Harder out for one more patrol, her sixth.
. Hearing that a lucrative Japanese convoy was holed up in Paluan Bay in northern Mindoro
, and joined three other submarines lying in wait, all under Dealey's command. When the convoy came out early on the morning of 21 August, the resulting mêlée - punctuated by intense depth charge barrages by the Japanese - left four enemy merchants totaling 22,000 tons on the bottom, with all five U.S. boats unscathed. Of the four victims, two were attributed to , commanded by Chester Nimitz, Jr., son of Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz
, while Dealey - unusually - failed to score.
Dealey and Nimitz then moved northward to Manila Bay, arriving that same evening, and shortly after midnight picked up three small targets on radar. These were three 900-ton frigates, late of the convoy that had been so badly manhandled off Paluan Bay. and coordinated their attack and by dawn had sunk all three, with subsequent analysis crediting with IJS Sado and giving both submarines a share of IJS Matsuwa and IJS Hiburi. The two boats then moved northward along Luzon to rendezvous with Hake, but on the morning of 23 August, Nimitz expended his last torpedoes in sinking the destroyer Asakaze, which had been escorting a Japanese tanker, and departed for his advance base at Mios Woendi to replenish. Believing that 'Asakaze' had only been crippled and towed into Dasol Bay south of Lingayan, and lay in wait outside.
On the morning of 24 August, two ships emerged from Dasol Bay - a minesweeper and the old Thai destroyer Phra Ruang. maneuvered to attack the destroyer, but broke off when it turned back into the bay. Meanwhile, the Japanese minesweeper continued out, pinging continually, and Hake moved off to evade, as her Commanding Officer, Frank Haylor, caught a last glimpse of Harder's periscope at 0647. At 0728, Haylor heard a string of 15 depth charge explosions in the distance; then nothing.
Remaining in the area all day, Haylor brought Hake to the surface that night and tried to contact , with no success. Over the next two weeks, Haylor continued his search, but no sign of Dealey and ever materialized, and it became apparent that the enemy minesweeper had been successful on 24 August in ending their extraordinary run. Indeed, after the war, Japanese records showed that an antisubmarine attack that morning off Caiman Point had resulted in oil, wood chips, and cork floating in the vicinity. Dealey's death and the loss of the remarkable fighting team he had created in produced waves of shock and grief that engulfed the entire Submarine Force. In the final analysis, Sam Dealey and Harder had sunk 16 enemy ships, with total tonnage in excess of 55,000 - enough to put him among the top five US submarine skippers in World War II. He and his men would be sorely missed.
Of the 72 submarine commanders responsible for more than five Axis
ships sunk in World War 2, Dealey, with 16 ships sunk over six patrols, ranks fifth.
Citation:
to award the Army Distinguished Service Cross
to Dealey for his prior accomplishments in the theater. RADM Christie's proposed nomination was opposed at the time by VADM Thomas Kinkaid, COMSEVENTHFLT and MacArthur's naval commander, and he disapproved Dealey for the Medal of Honor on the grounds that he had already been honored adequately. This dispute was one of several that led to growing personal animosity between Admirals Christie and Kinkaid, culminating eventually in Kinkaid's relieving Christie in December 1944. Only when Christie left Kinkaid's command and returned to Washington was he able to push his case for Dealey's Medal of Honor - with General MacArthur's support - and it was awarded posthumously to Dealey's wife, Edwina, in 1945.
(which was presented by General Douglas MacArthur
), the Silver Star
, and the Purple Heart
. Under his command, Harder was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation (US)
for its performance in combat.
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...
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...
commanding officer 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...
. He was among the most decorated naval officers of the war, receiving six awards for valor including the Medal of Honor
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...
for his actions aboard the during her fifth war patrol.
Early Life and Career
Samuel David Dealey was born on 13 September 1906 in Dallas, Texas. He was appointed to the U.S. Naval Academy from that same state and graduated in June 1930. Dealey was commissioned an Ensign and reported for sea duty on board , where he was promoted in June 1933 to Lieutenant Junior Grade. In March 1934, he briefly transferred to , then reported that summer for submarine training at the Submarine School, New London, Connecticut. After graduating, he served on board the submarines and . Remaining on sea duty, he reported on board then .In May 1937, he was assigned as Aide to the Executive Officer at Naval Air Station, Pensacola, Florida. While at the Naval Air Station, he was promoted in June 1938 to Lieutenant. In the Summer of 1939, he was assigned as the Executive Officer on board , transferring to be the Executive Officer on board . In April 1941, he reported to Experimental Division One for duty as the Prospective Commanding Officer of to support at-sea experiments off New London. He commanded for two years, serving onbpard upon during the United States' entry into World War II.
World War II
However, when war broke out, Dealey's practical qualifications led to assignment as Commanding Officer of the new-construction Gato-class submarine , which he commissioned on 2 December 1942, not quite a year after Pearl Harbor. After a shakedown off the East Coast, Dealey survived a "blue-on-blue" attack by a Navy patrol bomber in the Caribbean to bring to the Pacific in the spring of 1943.First Patrol
left Pearl Harbor on her first war patrol on 7 June, bound for the coast of southern Honshu. In his first attack on a two-ship convoy late on the night of 21 June, Dealey was driven deep by an aggressive escort and crashed into the muddy bottom - an inauspicious beginning, even though it now appears that one target may have been damaged. Dealey backed himself out of the mud, and two nights later had his first real success in torpedoing the ex-seaplane tender Sagara Maru (7,000 tons) and crippling her so badly that she was beached on the Japanese mainland and abandoned as a total loss. Over the next four days, Dealey made seven attacks on three different convoys, but post-war analysis credits him only with possible damage to one ship.Second Patrol
returned to Midway on 7 July with one of her four diesel engines completely broken down. She was one of 12 Gato-class boats fitted originally with the troublesome Hooven-Owens-Rentschler (HOR) engines, whose original design was licensed from the German firm MAN (Maschinenfabrik-Augsburg-Nürnberg) in the 1930s. After some hasty repairs and bearing a generous inventory of spare engine parts, Harder returned to sea for her second war patrol off Honshu in late August and in 14 days made nine attacks, which netted a total of five ships for 15,000 tons in the post-war accounting. Once again, the ship suffered engine problems throughout the patrol but returned safely to Pearl Harbor, via Midway, on 7 October 1943.Third Patrol
At the end of that month, COMSUBPAC, VADM Charles A. LockwoodCharles A. Lockwood
Charles Andrews Lockwood was an admiral of the United States Navy. He is known in submarine history as the legendary commander of Submarine Force Pacific Fleet during World War II...
, sent , , and to the Marianas as a wolfpack to attack Japanese shipping in preparation for the invasion of Tarawa (20 November). At that stage of the war, "coordinated operations" among submarines were still hampered by poor communications. Thus, after collaborating with in attacking a freighter on the 12th - with results never clearly established - and sinking a small minesweeper with gunfire that night, Dealey was soon separated from the rest and operating independently. On 19 November, he picked up a convoy of three large freighters with accompanying escorts north of the Marianas and positioned for an attack, altogether firing ten torpedoes in his first attempt, scoring hits on two of his targets. Driven down by the escorts, he surfaced later that night to chase the freighter that had managed to escape undamaged. Eventually firing 11 more torpedoes at the fugitive for two hits and four circular runs - and then driven off by defensive gunfire from the tenacious Japanese crew - Dealey broke off the engagement and returned to Pearl Harbor for lack of torpedoes. Later, it was established that all three ships had sunk, the third - Nikko Maru - late that night, giving Dealey and Harder a total bag of 4 ships and over 15,000 tons for their third war patrol. Once again, however, one of Harder's HOR engines had failed completely, and the other three were only kept alive by cannibalizing spare parts from the fourth. Thus, shortly after she arrived in Hawaii on 30 November, Harder was sent back to Mare Island
Mare Island
Mare Island is a peninsula in the United States alongside the city of Vallejo, California, about northeast of San Francisco. The Napa River forms its eastern side as it enters the Carquinez Strait juncture with the east side of San Pablo Bay. Mare Island is considered a peninsula because no full...
to be completely re-engined with General Motors diesels.
Fourth Patrol
Dealey brought back to Pearl Harbor in late February 1944 and took he rout for her fourth war patrol on 16 March, accompanied by . Initially assigned lifeguard duty for downed U.S. aviators in the western Caroline Islands, Harder was vectored on 1 April to rescue an injured pilot on a small enemy-held island just west of WoleaiWoleai
Woleai is a coral atoll of twenty-two islands in the eastern Caroline Islands in the Pacific Ocean, and forms a legislative district in Yap State in the Federated States of Micronesia and is located approximately west-northwest of Ifalik and northeast of Eauripik...
, which had been hit that day by an American carrier strike. Under an umbrella of friendly air cover, Dealey nosed toward the beach until he could ground the bow up against the encircling reef and hold it there by working both screws. Then, in the face of Japanese sniper fire only partially suppressed by the circling aircraft, a rubber boat was sent in to retrieve the flier, ENS John Galvin, who was brought to safety in what soon became a legendary rescue. As Blair describes it:
...an aviator went down near the tiny island west of WoleaiWoleaiWoleai is a coral atoll of twenty-two islands in the eastern Caroline Islands in the Pacific Ocean, and forms a legislative district in Yap State in the Federated States of Micronesia and is located approximately west-northwest of Ifalik and northeast of Eauripik...
. Sam Dealey moved in for a rescue. By the time got to the reported position, the aviator, Ensign John R. Galvin, was already stranded high and dry on the beach. Dealey lay alongside a reef. His third officer, Samuel Moore Logan, and two volunteers jumped in the water with a rubber raft, secured to by a line. They fought their way through the surf and coral to the island and picked up Ensign Galvin. As they were attempting to get back to , a navy float plane landed to help. It ran over the line and parted it. Another volunteer jumped in the water and swam another line through he surf and coral to the beach. While navy planes circled overhead, providing protection, and Japanese snipers fired away from the foliage, Harder's men pulled the raft and the five men aboard. The rescue was later hailed as one of the boldest on record.
Continuing his war patrol, Dealey next scored his first of four successes against the toughest target of all - a Japanese destroyer. Spotted by an enemy aircraft north of the Western Carolines on 13 April, became the quarry of a patrolling enemy destroyer IJS Ikazuchi, which closed to within 900 yards before Dealey fired a spread of torpedoes that sank his attacker within five minutes. His ensuing contact report quickly became famous: "Expended four torpedoes and one Jap destroyer." Four days later, Dealey also sank the 7,000 ton Matsue Maru near Woleai - and then surfaced again near the island on 20 April to bombard the beleaguered Japanese garrison with his 4-inch deck gun. ended her fourth war patrol at Fremantle, Australia, on 3 May 1944.
Fifth Patrol - Medal of Honor Action
Next, Dealey was ordered to take on patrol off the Japanese fleet anchorage at Tawi Tawi in the southwestern tip of the Philippines, and he left Fremantle on 26 May. Asked to pick up some friendly guerrilla fighters from nearby northeastern Borneo, Dealey headed into the Sibutu Passage on the night of 6 June and came upon a convoy of three empty tankers and two destroyers, one of which detected him and initiated a pursuit. Again, Dealey let the enemy close to within 1,100 yards before firing three torpedoes, and IJS Minatsuki became his second destroyer victim. Then, although thwarted in both an attack on the second destroyer and his attempt to re-attack the convoy, Dealey came across the destroyer Hayanami the next morning south of Tawi Tawi, attacked with three torpedoes, and toted up another one. Following this encounter, transited the Sibutu Passage to pick up the guerrilla force on the night of 8 June, and headed back early the next day.In the narrowest part of the Passage, Dealey spotted what appeared to be two more patrolling Japanese destroyers and made an undetected approach. Firing four torpedoes at the overlapping targets, he was rewarded with two hits on the IJS Tanikaze, which sank almost immediately. Dealey thought he had scored a hit and sunk another destroyer also, but post-war records failed to confirm that there was a second one present. On 10 June, sighted a large Japanese task force that included three battleships, four cruisers, and their screening destroyers, but she was spotted by an enemy airplane, and one of the escorts pressed an attack. Dealey sent three torpedoes "down the throat," heard several explosions, and thought he had scored another kill before diving to avoid two hours of relentless depth-charging, but Japanese records later showed that the enemy was able to avoid his torpedoes. Dealey returned to Darwin on 21 June after an outstanding patrol that firmly established his reputation as the "Destroyer Killer," with what was then thought to be a total of six to his credit. (It was really four.) Of greater strategic importance was the ensuing decision by Japanese Admiral Soemu Toyoda to abandon the Tawi Tawi anchorage as too exposed to enemy submarines, a sortie that then precipitated the Battle of the Philippine Sea.
In a curious incident that still raises eyebrows today, RADM Ralph Waldo Christie
Ralph Waldo Christie
Ralph Waldo Christie was an admiral in the United States Navy who played a pivotal role in the development of torpedo technologies...
, who commanded US submarines at Fremantle
Fremantle
Freemantle is a suburb of Southampton in England.Fremantle or Freemantle may also refer to:- Places :* Fremantle, the port city to the capital Perth, Western Australia...
, ordered Harder back to sea on the day she arrived, ostensibly to seek out and attack a Japanese cargo ship that carried nickel ore from Celebes to the homeland once a month - but also to give Christie an opportunity to participate personally in a short war patrol. Assigned on 27 June to intercept a damaged Japanese cruiser returning from the Battle of the Philippine Sea, Dealey was unable to close for an attack and was similarly outmaneuvered by the "nickel ship" three days later, when Japanese patrol aircraft forced him down and kept him there. , Christie, and Dealey returned to Darwin without further incident on 3 July, and the whole episode was treated simply as an extension of the ship's fifth patrol.
During their time together, however, RADM Christie took Dealey aside and noted his opinion that after five successful war patrols, it was time for Dealey to relinquish command of to his Executive Officer and move on to another job. Dealey demurred. With about a third of Harder's crew about to be replaced, he felt a personal responsibility to break in the new men before turning the boat over to a fledgling Commanding Officer. Ultimately, Christie agreed that Dealey could take Harder out for one more patrol, her sixth.
Sixth Patrol
Accordingly, after a two-week rest in RADM Christie's quarters, Dealey left Fremantle on 5 August 1944 commanding a three-boat wolfpack, in which was joined by and . Their objective was the destruction of Japanese shipping off the west coast of the Philippines, south of the Luzon StraitLuzon Strait
The Luzon Strait is the strait between the island country of Taiwan and Luzon island of the Philippines. The strait thereby connects the Philippine Sea to the South China Sea in the western Pacific Ocean....
. Hearing that a lucrative Japanese convoy was holed up in Paluan Bay in northern Mindoro
Mindoro
Mindoro is the seventh-largest island in the Philippines. It is located off the coast of Luzon, and northeast of Palawan. The southern coast of Mindoro forms the northeastern extremum of the Sulu Sea.-History:...
, and joined three other submarines lying in wait, all under Dealey's command. When the convoy came out early on the morning of 21 August, the resulting mêlée - punctuated by intense depth charge barrages by the Japanese - left four enemy merchants totaling 22,000 tons on the bottom, with all five U.S. boats unscathed. Of the four victims, two were attributed to , commanded by Chester Nimitz, Jr., son of Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz
Chester Nimitz
Fleet Admiral Chester William Nimitz, GCB, USN was a five-star admiral in the United States Navy. He held the dual command of Commander in Chief, United States Pacific Fleet , for U.S. naval forces and Commander in Chief, Pacific Ocean Areas , for U.S...
, while Dealey - unusually - failed to score.
Dealey and Nimitz then moved northward to Manila Bay, arriving that same evening, and shortly after midnight picked up three small targets on radar. These were three 900-ton frigates, late of the convoy that had been so badly manhandled off Paluan Bay. and coordinated their attack and by dawn had sunk all three, with subsequent analysis crediting with IJS Sado and giving both submarines a share of IJS Matsuwa and IJS Hiburi. The two boats then moved northward along Luzon to rendezvous with Hake, but on the morning of 23 August, Nimitz expended his last torpedoes in sinking the destroyer Asakaze, which had been escorting a Japanese tanker, and departed for his advance base at Mios Woendi to replenish. Believing that 'Asakaze' had only been crippled and towed into Dasol Bay south of Lingayan, and lay in wait outside.
On the morning of 24 August, two ships emerged from Dasol Bay - a minesweeper and the old Thai destroyer Phra Ruang. maneuvered to attack the destroyer, but broke off when it turned back into the bay. Meanwhile, the Japanese minesweeper continued out, pinging continually, and Hake moved off to evade, as her Commanding Officer, Frank Haylor, caught a last glimpse of Harder's periscope at 0647. At 0728, Haylor heard a string of 15 depth charge explosions in the distance; then nothing.
Remaining in the area all day, Haylor brought Hake to the surface that night and tried to contact , with no success. Over the next two weeks, Haylor continued his search, but no sign of Dealey and ever materialized, and it became apparent that the enemy minesweeper had been successful on 24 August in ending their extraordinary run. Indeed, after the war, Japanese records showed that an antisubmarine attack that morning off Caiman Point had resulted in oil, wood chips, and cork floating in the vicinity. Dealey's death and the loss of the remarkable fighting team he had created in produced waves of shock and grief that engulfed the entire Submarine Force. In the final analysis, Sam Dealey and Harder had sunk 16 enemy ships, with total tonnage in excess of 55,000 - enough to put him among the top five US submarine skippers in World War II. He and his men would be sorely missed.
World War II Summary
| Departing From | Date | Days | Wartime Credit Ships/Tonnage |
JANAC Credit Ships/Tonnage |
Patrol Area | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harder-1 | Pearl Harbor, TH | June 1943 | 33 | 3/15,400 | 1/7,000 | Empire |
| Harder-2 | Pearl Harbor, TH | August 1943 | 46 | 4/25,300 | 5/15,272 | Empire |
| Harder-3 | Pearl Harbor, TH | October 1943 | 31 | 5/24,800 | 3/15,273 | Marianas |
| Harder-4 | Pearl Harbor, TH | March 1943 | 47 | 2/5,300 | 2/9,000 | Freemantle |
| Harder-5 | Freemantle, Australia |
May 1943 | 45 | 5/8,500 | 3/6,500 | Celebes |
| Harder-6 | Freemantle, Australia |
August 1944 | lost | 1.5/3,200 | 2/1,760 | South China Sea |
Of the 72 submarine commanders responsible for more than five Axis
Axis Powers
The Axis powers , also known as the Axis alliance, Axis nations, Axis countries, or just the Axis, was an alignment of great powers during the mid-20th century that fought World War II against the Allies. It began in 1936 with treaties of friendship between Germany and Italy and between Germany and...
ships sunk in World War 2, Dealey, with 16 ships sunk over six patrols, ranks fifth.
| Ranking | Number of Patrols | Ships/Tons Credited |
Ships/Tons JANAC |
| 5 | 6 | 20.5/82,500 | 16/54,002 |
Medal of Honor citation
Rank and organization: Commander, U.S. Navy. Born: September 13, 1906, Dallas, Tex. Appointed from: Texas. Other Navy awards: Navy Cross with 3 Gold Stars, Silver Star Medal.Citation:
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as Commanding Officer of the U.S.S. Harder during her 5th War Patrol in Japanese-controlled waters. Floodlit by a bright moon and disclosed to an enemy destroyer escort which bore down with intent to attack, Comdr. Dealey quickly dived to periscope depth and waited for the pursuer to close range, then opened fire, sending the target and all aboard down in flames with his third torpedo. Plunging deep to avoid fierce depth charges, he again surfaced and, within 9 minutes after sighting another destroyer, had sent the enemy down tail first with a hit directly amidship. Evading detection, he penetrated the confined waters off Tawi Tawi with the Japanese Fleet base 6 miles away and scored death blows on 2 patrolling destroyers in quick succession. With his ship heeled over by concussion from the first exploding target and the second vessel nose-diving in a blinding detonation, he cleared the area at high speed. Sighted by a large hostile fleet force on the following day, he swung his bow toward the lead destroyer for another "down-the-throat" shot, fired 3 bow tubes and promptly crash-dived to be terrifically rocked seconds later by the exploding ship as the Harder passed beneath. This remarkable record of 5 vital Japanese destroyers sunk in 5 short-range torpedo attacks attests the valiant fighting spirit of Comdr. Dealey and his indomitable command.
Medal of Honor Controversy
Perhaps smarting from his decision to allow Dealey to undertake a sixth war patrol at a time when several colleagues thought he was tired and overly fatigued, RADM Christie nominated Dealey for a posthumous Medal of Honor immediately after the loss was reported. This action became mired in a controversy that stemmed from an earlier decision by General Douglas MacArthurDouglas MacArthur
General of the Army Douglas MacArthur was an American general and field marshal of the Philippine Army. He was a Chief of Staff of the United States Army during the 1930s and played a prominent role in the Pacific theater during World War II. He received the Medal of Honor for his service in the...
to award the Army Distinguished Service Cross
Distinguished Service Cross (United States)
The Distinguished Service Cross is the second highest military decoration that can be awarded to a member of the United States Army, for extreme gallantry and risk of life in actual combat with an armed enemy force. Actions that merit the Distinguished Service Cross must be of such a high degree...
to Dealey for his prior accomplishments in the theater. RADM Christie's proposed nomination was opposed at the time by VADM Thomas Kinkaid, COMSEVENTHFLT and MacArthur's naval commander, and he disapproved Dealey for the Medal of Honor on the grounds that he had already been honored adequately. This dispute was one of several that led to growing personal animosity between Admirals Christie and Kinkaid, culminating eventually in Kinkaid's relieving Christie in December 1944. Only when Christie left Kinkaid's command and returned to Washington was he able to push his case for Dealey's Medal of Honor - with General MacArthur's support - and it was awarded posthumously to Dealey's wife, Edwina, in 1945.
Decorations and awards
In addition to his Medal of Honor, his other awards include the Navy Cross with three gold stars, the Army's Distinguished Service CrossDistinguished Service Cross (United States)
The Distinguished Service Cross is the second highest military decoration that can be awarded to a member of the United States Army, for extreme gallantry and risk of life in actual combat with an armed enemy force. Actions that merit the Distinguished Service Cross must be of such a high degree...
(which was presented by General Douglas MacArthur
Douglas MacArthur
General of the Army Douglas MacArthur was an American general and field marshal of the Philippine Army. He was a Chief of Staff of the United States Army during the 1930s and played a prominent role in the Pacific theater during World War II. He received the Medal of Honor for his service in the...
), the Silver Star
Silver Star
The Silver Star is the third-highest combat military decoration that can be awarded to a member of any branch of the United States armed forces for valor in the face of the enemy....
, and the Purple Heart
Purple Heart
The Purple Heart is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those who have been wounded or killed while serving on or after April 5, 1917 with the U.S. military. The National Purple Heart Hall of Honor is located in New Windsor, New York...
. Under his command, Harder was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation (US)
Presidential Unit Citation (US)
The Presidential Unit Citation, originally called the Distinguished Unit Citation, is awarded to units of the Armed Forces of the United States and allies for extraordinary heroism in action against an armed enemy on or after 7 December 1941...
for its performance in combat.
Medal of HonorMedal of HonorThe Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...
Navy CrossNavy CrossThe 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...
with three Gold Stars
Distinguished Service CrossDistinguished Service Cross (United States)The Distinguished Service Cross is the second highest military decoration that can be awarded to a member of the United States Army, for extreme gallantry and risk of life in actual combat with an armed enemy force. Actions that merit the Distinguished Service Cross must be of such a high degree...
Silver StarSilver StarThe Silver Star is the third-highest combat military decoration that can be awarded to a member of any branch of the United States armed forces for valor in the face of the enemy....
Purple HeartPurple HeartThe Purple Heart is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those who have been wounded or killed while serving on or after April 5, 1917 with the U.S. military. The National Purple Heart Hall of Honor is located in New Windsor, New York...- Navy & Marine Corps Presidential Unit Citation
Posthumous Honors
- Commander Dealey was awarded the Silver Star posthumously for Harder's sixth war patrol.
- In 1953, was named in his honor; she was the lead shipLead shipThe lead ship or class leader is the first of a series or class of ships all constructed according to the same general design. The term is applicable military ships and larger civilian craft.-Overview:...
of her classDealey class destroyer escortThe Dealey class destroyer escorts were the first post-World War II escort ships built for the United States Navy.Slightly faster and larger than the escort destroyers of the previous era, they were fitted with twin-mounted 3 inch guns, ASW rockets, a depth charge rack and 6 depth charge launchers...
of destroyer escortDestroyer escortA 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...
.
- There is a plaque in Dealey's honor in the Science Place in Fair Park, Dallas, Texas. Dealey was nephew to George B. Dealey, the namesake of Dealey PlazaDealey PlazaDealey Plaza , in the historic West End district of downtown Dallas, Texas , is the location of the assassination of John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963...
, Dallas, Texas, .
See also
- List of Medal of Honor recipients for World War II