Stephen W. Groves
Encyclopedia
Ensign
Stephen W. Groves, USN (1917 – June 4, 1942) was a United States Navy
aviator
during World War II
who was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross
for his heroism in the Battle of Midway
.
, Maine
. He graduated from Schenck High School in East Millinocket, Maine, and received a mechanical engineering
degree from the University of Maine
in 1939.
Hornet (CV-8)
in December 1941. He was aboard Hornet when she transported Lieutenant Colonel
James Doolittle
's bomber
s for the April 1942 Doolittle Raid
on Japan
, setting the stage for the Battle of Midway, considered one of the most crucial Allied
victories of World War II.
During that battle, Ensign Groves took off nine times from Hornet; his was one of six American fighters
that fought off a vastly superior Japanese force that was trying to finish off the damaged carrier USS Yorktown (CV-5)
on June 4, 1942. The small group of U.S. fighters was credited with shooting down 14 Japanese planes and causing six others to retreat.
Groves was declared missing and presumed dead on June 5, 1942. Ensign Groves was the first Millinocket or East Millinocket serviceman to be killed in World War II.
Groves' Navy Cross citation reads:
Post in East Millinocket is named the Feeney-Groves Post, partially in his memory.
During World War II, the destroyer escort
USS Groves (DE-543)
was named for Ensign Groves, but her construction was cancelled in 1944 before she could be launched
.
In 1981, the guided missile frigate
USS Stephen W. Groves (FFG-29)
was named in his honor at the Bath Iron Works
in Bath
, Maine. She has been in commission
since 1982.
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....
Stephen W. Groves, USN (1917 – June 4, 1942) was a United States Navy
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...
aviator
Aviator
An aviator is a person who flies an aircraft. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887, as a variation of 'aviation', from the Latin avis , coined in 1863 by G. de la Landelle in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne...
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...
who was posthumously awarded 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...
for his heroism in 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...
.
Early life
Stephen William Groves was born on January 29, 1917 in MillinocketMillinocket, Maine
Millinocket is a former mill town in Penobscot County, Maine, United States. The population was 5,203 at the 2000 census. Millinocket is both a forest products and recreational area.-History:...
, Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
. He graduated from Schenck High School in East Millinocket, Maine, and received a mechanical engineering
Mechanical engineering
Mechanical engineering is a discipline of engineering that applies the principles of physics and materials science for analysis, design, manufacturing, and maintenance of mechanical systems. It is the branch of engineering that involves the production and usage of heat and mechanical power for the...
degree from the University of Maine
University of Maine
The University of Maine is a public research university located in Orono, Maine, United States. The university was established in 1865 as a land grant college and is referred to as the flagship university of the University of Maine System...
in 1939.
Navy career
Groves joined the U.S. Navy in December 1940 and was commissioned in August 1941. He boarded the aircraft carrierAircraft 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...
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...
in December 1941. He was aboard Hornet when she transported Lieutenant Colonel
Lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
James Doolittle
Jimmy Doolittle
General James Harold "Jimmy" Doolittle, USAF was an American aviation pioneer. Doolittle served as a brigadier general, major general and lieutenant general in the United States Army Air Forces during the Second World War...
's bomber
Bomber
A bomber is a military aircraft designed to attack ground and sea targets, by dropping bombs on them, or – in recent years – by launching cruise missiles at them.-Classifications of bombers:...
s for the April 1942 Doolittle Raid
Doolittle Raid
The Doolittle Raid, on 18 April 1942, was the first air raid by the United States to strike the Japanese Home Islands during World War II. By demonstrating that Japan itself was vulnerable to American air attack, it provided a vital morale boost and opportunity for U.S. retaliation after the...
on Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, setting the stage for the Battle of Midway, considered one of the most crucial Allied
Allies of World War II
The Allies of World War II were the countries that opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War . Former Axis states contributing to the Allied victory are not considered Allied states...
victories of World War II.
During that battle, Ensign Groves took off nine times from Hornet; his was one of six American 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...
that fought off a vastly superior Japanese force that was trying to finish off the damaged 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...
on June 4, 1942. The small group of U.S. fighters was credited with shooting down 14 Japanese planes and causing six others to retreat.
Groves was declared missing and presumed dead on June 5, 1942. Ensign Groves was the first Millinocket or East Millinocket serviceman to be killed in World War II.
Groves' Navy Cross citation reads:
- "He fearlessly plunged into aerial combat against large formations of enemy aircraft threatening the American carriers in the Battle of Midway. Contributing decisively to the disruption of the enemy, he continued determined counterattacks against desperate odds until, finally overcome by sheer aerial superiority, he was shot down from the skies. He gallantly gave his life to the fulfillment of a mission important to the great victory at Midway."
Commemoration
Today the American LegionAmerican Legion
The American Legion is a mutual-aid organization of veterans of the United States armed forces chartered by the United States Congress. It was founded to benefit those veterans who served during a wartime period as defined by Congress...
Post in East Millinocket is named the Feeney-Groves Post, partially in his memory.
During World War II, 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 Groves (DE-543)
USS Groves (DE-543)
USS Groves was a proposed World War II United States Navy John C. Butler-class destroyer escort that was never completed.Groves was laid down at the Boston Navy Yard in Boston, Massachusetts. Her construction was cancelled on 5 September 1944 before she could be launched. The incomplete ship was...
was named for Ensign Groves, but her construction was cancelled in 1944 before she could be 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 1981, the guided missile frigate
Frigate
A frigate is any of several types of warship, the term having been used for ships of various sizes and roles over the last few centuries.In the 17th century, the term was used for any warship built for speed and maneuverability, the description often used being "frigate-built"...
USS Stephen W. Groves (FFG-29)
USS Stephen W. Groves (FFG-29)
USS Stephen W. Groves , twenty-first ship of the Oliver Hazard Perry class of guided-missile frigates, was named for Ensign Stephen W...
was named in his honor at the Bath Iron Works
Bath Iron Works
Bath Iron Works is a major American shipyard located on the Kennebec River in Bath, Maine, United States. Since its founding in 1884 , BIW has built private, commercial and military vessels, most of which have been ordered by the United States Navy...
in Bath
Bath, Maine
Bath is a city in Sagadahoc County, Maine, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 9,266. It is the county seat of Sagadahoc County. Located on the Kennebec River, Bath is a port of entry with a good harbor. The city is popular with tourists, many drawn by its...
, Maine. She has been in commission
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...
since 1982.