Commanding Officers

 

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CDR. Harold T Deutermann (D-30Jun96)

Commissioning 17 August 1943 - 31 October 1944

 Harold Thomas Deutermann graduated with the naval academy class of 1927. He had been the third alternate for an appointment to the naval academy from White Plains, NY, and arrived two weeks after the class went in for plebe summer, after the principal appointee and the first two alternates failed their physicals. Following graduation, he served in the cruiser Richmond, the destroyers Humphries and Smith-Thompson, and in the cruiser Houston in the Asiatic Fleet. He met and married my mother in Manila, where she was living with her father, who was an executive with the Studebaker Corporation. Following a stint on the China Station, where they lived in Shanghai, then Lieutenant Deutermann attended post-graduate school, which was located at the naval academy, from 1934 -1936, and then served in the destroyer Preston for four years. In 1940 he was assigned to the Naval Shipyard, Boston. Following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, he served as chief engineer in the anti-aircraft cruiser San Juan, from early 1942 to August, 1943, when he commissioned and assumed command of the newly built destroyer Cogswell. In November, 1944, he took command of DesDiv 132, and in early 1945, DesRon 50. All of his wartime service was in the Pacific. After the war he served as CO of Naval Training Center, Bainbridge, MD, and then went to the Naval War College in Newport, RI. Following war college, he served as senior naval advisor to the Argentine navy in Buenos Aires for two years. He then was assigned in 1950 as assistant director of the fleet operations division, OPNAV, two weeks before the Korean War broke out. He commanded the cruiser Roanoke for one year before returning to OpNav in 1954. He was selected for Rear Admiral in 1955, and served as Deputy Commandant of the ICAF in Washington, and then as ComCruDesFlot 2 in Newport, RI. In 1958 he was ordered as Commander of the Naval Reserve Training Command in Omaha, NE. In January, 1960, he was promoted to Vice Admiral and assumed command of the Second Fleet in Norfolk, VA. In late 1961 he became the Chief of Staff to SACLANT, and in 1963, Commander Eastern Sea Frontier and the senior member of the United Nations Military Staff Committee in New York City. He retired to Melrose, FL, in 1965, where he taught mathematics at the University of Florida in Gainesville before moving to San Diego, CA, in 1975. VADM Deutermann died in 1996 at the age of 93 and is buried in the family plot at the naval academy.  Return to top

CDR. Robert E. Lockwood
31 October 1944 - 6 April 1945

LCDR. Reuben N. Perley
7 April 1945 - 3 September 1946

CDR. Frederick L. Edwards

4 September 1946 - January 1947

CDR Russell S. Crenshaw, Jr.

Re-commissioned -7 June 1951

Born 5 April, 1920, second son of Captain Russell S. Crenshaw, USNA Class of 1907. 1937-1941 United States Naval Academy, Class of 1941 1941-1944 USS Maury (DD-401), Pacific Fleet, 1st Lt., Gunnery Officer, Executive Officer, 13 Battle stars, Silver Star, Legion of Merit (Combat star), Presidential Unit Citation. 1944-1945 USS Stormes (DD-780), Pacific Fleet, Executive Officer, "Kamikasied" on Picket Station 15, Okinawa, but we got her back to continue her distinguished career. 1945-1946 USS Thomas J. Gary (DE-326), Asiatic Fleet, Commanding Officer and Commander Escort Division 50 (5 DE), South China Force, based in Hong Kong. Returned to be de-commissioned in Charleston, SC, by steaming "around the world." 1946-1949 Postgraduate School, Guided Missile Guidance. Graduated from Massachusetts Institute of Technology with MS (EE), 1949. 1949-1951 USS Columbus (CA-74), Flagship, U.S. Naval Forces, Europe, Gunnery Officer. 1951-1952 USS Cogswell (DD-651), Atlantic Fleet. Commanding Officer. Re-commissioning, Shakedown training, Operation Mainbrace (1st large NATO Naval Operation). 1952--1955 Bureau of Ordnance, Head, Anti-air Guided Missile Production (produced first TERRIERs) then Systems Director of first TALOS systems. 1955-1957 USS Forrest Sherman (DD-931), Commanding Officer. Commissioning, Shakedown, Atlantic Fleet 1957-1958 NATO Defence College, Paris. 1958-1960 Head of Guided Missile Section, NATO International Staff, Paris: then Head, Navy Section, U.S. Delegation to NATO 1960-1962 Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Washington; Head, Ballistic Missile Group (Polaris); Director Anti-air Warfare Division; then Head, Surface Warfare Development, DCNO (Development) 1962-1964 USS Springfield (CLG-7), Sixth Fleet Flagship, Mediterranean, Commanding Officer. 1964-1967 Office of the Secretary of Defense; Plans & Policy, International Programs (NATO), then Operationsl Test and Evaluation sections on staff of Director of Defense Research and Engineering. Legion of Merit. 1967 Retired from the Navy and established the Crenshaw Company of Alexandria, VA, operating as a consultant and representative for defense companies in America, Europe and the far east. Later incorporated as Crenshaw International, Inc. 1990 Retired from business.  Return to top

CDR Emmett P. Bonner (D-Aug75?)

10 October 1952 - 25 August 1954

CDR. Emmett P. Bonner was born in Macon, Georgia. He received his early education in the Lanier High School and attended Mercer University in Macon for one year. His naval career commenced with his enrollment at the U.S. naval Academy at Annapolis from which he was graduated in June of 1939. His first duty station was on board the USS Memphis (CL13) on which he served from 1939 to 1943 in Communications, Engineering, and Fire Control. The Memphis operated with the Neutrality Control in the South Atlantic during the war. From the Memphis he was transferred to the USS Miami (CL89) where he served as Air Defense Officer until 1945 with the fast Carrier Task Forces in the Pacific. In 1945 and 1946 he was Gunnery Officer on the St. Louis (CL49). Then he attended the US Naval War College; served a tour at the Bureau of Ordnance; and as Executive Officer of the USS Shannon (DM25). From the Shannon he was transferred to Fort Bliss, Texas at the Guided Missile Division in the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations. On 8 October 1952 in Piraeus, Greece, CDR Bonner relieved CDR R.S. Crenshaw, Jr. as Commanding Officer of the Cogswell.  Return to top

CDR. Richard N. Billings (D-26Feb97

25 August 1954 - 3 November 1954

Born May 19, 1919, he was one of three or four classmates who stayed in the service post war from Amherst. After Amherst: Midshipmen School in Chicago, Pearl Harbor and Philadelphia, Spring 1941, transfer to Atlantic, "Neutrality patrol," Convoy of British Troops in "Undeclared War." Armed Guard duty to Rangoon with Flying Tiger planes and ammo, diversion to India upon the fall of Burma, Bombay to New York. To DE, North Atlantic Convoys, end of war, Pearl Harbor again to decommission ship. Various tours in Officer Training including Ft. Schuyler, Penn State, OCS Newport, where he was briefly O-in-C. Commanded two destroyers, Naval Attaché to Singapore and Malaya. Retired in 1961 to a career as stockbroker in Laguna Beach, CA. Return to top

CDR. James R. Wilson

3 November 1954 - 25 November 1955

CDR. Frederick C. Wyse, Jr. (D-14Dec91)

26 November 1955 - 31 October 1957

Captain Wyse was born 26 December 1917 in Columbia, SC. He enlisted in the Navy in 1935 and then entered and graduated from the Naval Academy with the class of 1941. His first duty was New Mexico, followed by submarine duty for the next 11 years. He made 5 war patrols during WWII. From 1954 to 1966 he served in various surface and submarine assignments. He commanded Sturgeon, Quillback, Cogswell, Telfair, and was ComSubDiv 32. Captain Wyse served as CoS for ComKWestFoc and ComPhibTraLant. Other shore tours included OpNav. NATO (ComMedNorEast), and NROTC Unit, Georgia Institute of Technology. He retired in November 1966 and attended the American University in Washington, D.C. and became a Professional Real Estate Appraiser in 1968. He worked for Fairfax County from 1970 until retiring a second time in 1981, from the position of supervising assessor for commercial and industrial prosperities. His decorations included the Silver Star and two Bronze Star medals.  Return to top

CDR. Robert Y Gaines (D-28Dec89)

31 October 1957 - 24 October 1959

CDR. Robert Y. Gaines, USN, a native of Illinois entered the Naval Service in 1935.  He assumed command of the USS Cogswell in October 1957.  During WW II he served aboard such ships as the USS West Virginia (BB-48), USS Louisville (CA-28), USS Cascade (AD-16) and USS Baltimore (CA-68). He was commissioned as a Warrant Officer in April 1942, marking the beginning of a rapid rise to his present command. After the war he entered the University of California at Los Angeles and gained a degree in electrical engineering. CDR. Gaines was relieved as commanding officer of the Cogswell in October 1959 and proceeded to his new duty station of the staff of the Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic Fleet.  Return to top

CDR James H. Moore

24 October 1959 - 5 August 1961

CDR. James H. Moore, Jr. USN assumed command of the USS Cogswell in October 1959 in the port of Hong Kong, B.C.C. He is a veteran of World War II and the Korean conflict. Prior to his assignment to the Cogswell, he served as Executive Officer of the troup transport ship USS Noble (APA 218).Enlisting in the Navy 23 February, 1938, he worked in the field of Naval aviation.During the first months of WWII he received his wings and commission, and he flew his way to become commanding officer of VJ-3 an aircraft utility squadron. Some of his decorations include the Air Medal, the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with 3 combat start, and the Korean Service Medal.  Return to top

CDR Charles Neal (D_?)

5 August 1961 - 6 August 1963

CDR James I. Moore

6 August 1963 - 6 June 1964

Cdr. Orlie G. Baird

6 June 1964 - 10 December 1965

Captain Orlie G. Baird entered the Navy in March 1943. After boot camp and radio technician’s school he served in the South Pacific in LCC-48 and USS ALCYONE as a radio technician. In 1945 he was selected for officer training and entered NROTC. In 1949 he graduated from the University of Michigan with a B.S. in Physics and was commissioned as an Ensign in the U.S. Navy Sea duty billets after commissioning included duty as CIC and Electronics officer of the USS @PANGLE@R DE-696, in commissioning and as Operations Officer of the USS HARVESON DER-316, and as Commanding Officer of the USS LORIKEET MSC(O)-49. During 1955-56, Captain Baird completed the Command Communication Course at the Naval Post Graduate School, Monterey, California. He then served for two years on the Staff of Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Fleet in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. In the summer of 1958, Captain Baird was ordered to the USS ROCHESTER CA-124 as Communications officer. In 1959 he became the Executive Officer of the USS RUPERTUS DD-851, a unit of DESRON 3, which became the first U.S. destroyer squadron to be home-ported in Yokosuka. Captain Baird completed the Command and Staff Course at the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island during 1961-62. He was then ordered to OPNAV where he served in the Operations and Readiness Division of the Assistant Chief of Naval Operations for Communications. While serving in OPNAV he received his Master of Arts degree in International Affairs from George Washington University In June 1964 he assumed command of USS COGSWELL DD-651 and in January 1966 he became Commander, Escort Squadron FIVE. Upon graduation in 1968 from the Naval Warfare Course at the Naval War College, he became the Assistant Chief of Staff for Operations and Readiness at the Naval Communications Command, Washington, D.C. In September 1970, he joined the fitting out crew of USS MOUNT WHITNEY (LCC-20) and was the commanding officer of this new class of Amphibious Command Ship until January 1971. He attended the defense Language Institute, East Coast (French language student) prior to reporting as Commanding Officer of the NAVAL COMMUNICATION STATION MOROCCO. In 1975 he reported to the Staff of the Commander in Chief of the U.S. Pacific Fleet as Fleet Communications Officer. He retired from active duty on 1 August 1977, and has made his home in San Diego since. He received his MBA degree from San Diego State University before entering the work force, and retired from the "active work force" in 1991. He is married to the former Gaynor M. McDonald of Victoria, British Columbia, and in 1999 they celebrated their golden wedding anniversary. They have two children: Gordon Baird and Karen McKinley, both of whom also make their home in San Diego with their families, for a total of six grandchildren.  Return to top

CDR. Joseph Baer

10 December 1965 - 9 December 1967

Joseph Baer was Commanding Officer of the USS Cogswell DD 651 from 1965 to 1967, His time aboard, during the Vietnam War, included one deployment to the Western Pacific While deployed, the ship served as plane guard to the USS Kitty Hawk and as a shore bombardment ship. Except for en route periods and liberty calls at Subic Bay and Hong Kong, the ship served its entire deployment in the Tonkin Gulf. Commander Baer graduated from the U. S. Naval Academy in 1946 as a member of the class of 1947. The course of instruction at the Naval Academy was shortened to three years during World War II in order to hasten men to the fleet. His sea duties included assignments to the USS Little Rock CL 92, the USS John R. Pierce DD 785, the USS Siskin AMS 58, the USS Henderson DD 785, and the Cogswell. He completed courses of instruction at the Electronic Repair School, Treasure Island California and the Naval Postgraduate School. He served as Communications Plans Officer on the Staff of Commander Amphibious Group Four and as Communications Officer on the Staff of Commander Carrier Group One. He also served two years in Athens Greece during the Greek Civil War in the late forties and three years in Rio de Janeiro as the communications advisor to the Brazilian Navy. After leaving the Cogswell, he was the Tactical Communications development officer in the Research and Development Section of the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations. He retired from the navy in 1969 with the rank of commander, and then taught for 17 years in the San Diego Unified School District as a secondary school mathematics teacher.  Return to top

CDR. Frederick W. Kraft

9 December 1967 - 28 July 1969

CDR. Frederick W. Kraft was assigned to the Gunnery Department of USS Macon (CA-132) upon graduation from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1952. During his two years in Macon, he also served as Legal Officer. After attending CIC Officers School in Glenview IL., CDR Kraft reported to USS Walke (DD-723) as Gunnery Officer in February, 1955. In July, 1957, he was transferred to the U.S. Naval Academy where he served as an instructor and assistant Soccer Coach in the Department of Physical Education. After two years at the Naval Academy, he joined the staff of COMDESRON 14 as Operations, Gunnery and ASW Officer. As a Lieutenant, CDR Kraft took command of the Fleet Tub USS Ute (ATF-76), home ported in Pearl Harbor in January 1961. A year and a half late he reported to the Staff of CINCPACFLT as Personal Aide and Flag Lieutenant, a position which he held until July, 1964. CDR Kraft's second command was the Ocean Minesweeper, USS Embattle (MSO-434), from September 1964 to September 1966. During this time Embattle participated in the initial stages of the U.S. navy's counter-infiltration patrol, Operations Market Time, off the coast of the Republic of Vietnam from April to August, 1965. In September 1966, CDR Kraft joined the newly formed Staff of Commander River Assault Flotilla ONE as Assistant Operations and Plans Officer. For the next year he served in the Republic of Vietnam helping organize and plan the operation of the Mekong Delta Riverine Force. For his exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding service in Vietnam, CDR Kraft was awarded the Legion of Merit with Combat V, on 9 December 1967, CDR Kraft took command of the USS Cogswell (DD-651).  Return to top

Cdr. Edmunds

 

De-commissioned 1 October 1969
Handed over to the Turkish Navy