Last updated: November 4, 2024
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Commanders of USS CASSIN YOUNG
Over the course of USS Cassin Young's varied and illustrious service career, it took a select group of leaders to navigate the crew through some of the toughest challenges a warship could face. Through both eras of the ship's career (World War II and Cold War) each commanding officer (CO) brought their own ability and experience to the table. Let's take a dive into the lives of these commanders and explore their stories of service and sacrifice for the good of the nation.
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Commander Earl Tobias Schreiber
Commissioned in 1929, retired as Rear Admiral. Served as CO 12/31/1943 to 10/31/1944.
Native to Elk County, Pennsylvania, Rear Admiral Schreiber grew up working on his father’s farm and was an avid hunter and fisherman. He graduated from the US Naval Academy in 1929 and served as USS Cassin Young’s first commanding officer upon the ship’s commissioning on December 31, 1943. The ship was immediately called upon to aid in the war effort of the Pacific Theater of WWII against the Imperial Japanese Navy. Schreiber commanded Cassin Young while it served as part of the Fast Carrier Task Force (TF 58/TF 38). He led the crew through the invasions of Saipan, Tinian, Rota, and Guam. Cassin Young also participated the Formosa Air Battle under his command. The final action Schreiber saw aboard was during the Battle of Leyte Gulf. Here, he led the crew of Cassin Young as they assisted in the rescue of sailors from USS Princeton (CVL-23). At the tail end of his career, Schreiber taught at the Navy’s post graduate school in Monterey, California. He ultimately retired from a position at the Pentagon. He enjoyed retirement in Roxbury, New York, with his wife Winifred Hofner.[1]
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Commander John William Ailes III
Commissioned in 1930, retired as Rear Admiral. Served as CO 10/31/1944 to 08/29/1945.
Ailes graduated from the Naval Academy in 1930 and first served on USS New Mexico (BB-40). He also spent time aboard several battleships: USS Pennsylvania (BB-38), USS Dent (DD-116), USS Crowninshield (DD-134), USS Philip (DD-76) and USS Arctic IV (AF-7). He returned to Annapolis for further training in 1936 and then served on USS Honolulu (CL-48). Ailes relieved Commander Schreiber of command of USS Cassin Young on August 29, 1944.
When Ailes took command of the ship, the US Navy began to face a new threat from the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN): Kamikazes. In the face ofthis danger, crew members considered Ailes to be an effective and capable, yet determined, officer who guided the ship through many air raids.On several occasions, he strategically maneuvered Cassin Young in ways that saved the ship from being struck. Unfortunately, under his command Cassin Young suffered both of its kamikaze strikes during the Battle of Okinawa. Thankfully, the surviving crew pulled through and made it back to port safe, saving the ship in the process. For his ability, courage, leadership, and determination, Ailes was awarded the Bronze Star, Silver Star, and Navy Cross over the course of his career.[2]
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Lieutenant Commander Alfred Brunson “Mike” Wallace
Commissioned in 1939. Prospective Commanding Officer, Killed in Action 07/31/1945.
A Gulfport, Mississippi native, Wallace graduated from the US Naval Academy in 1939. While at school, he earned areputation for being a terrific boxer and played on the Navy Football team. Before boarding Cassin Young during the Okinawa Campaign, he saw action aboard USS Tennessee (BB-43), USS Charles F. Hughes (DD-428), USS Hilary Herbert (DD-160), USS Lucien Young (DD-580), and USS Gwin (DD-433). Originally chosen to relieve Commander John Ailes as the new CO, Wallace had only been on board for three days when a kamikaze struck Cassin Young on July 30, 1945, off the coast of Okinawa. The explosion caused by the attack took his life. By the time the ship reached a safe harbor for repair, the war had ended.[3]
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Lieutenant Commander Carl Ferdinand Pfeifer
Commissioned in 1939. Served as CO 08/29/1945 to 05/28/1946.
Hailing from Springfield, Ohio, Pfeifer joined the class of 1939 at the US Naval Academy. In the first few years of his career, Pfeifer served aboard USS Cummings (DD-793) during the attack on Pearl Harbor and was awarded the Silver Star for his actions as an Engineer Officer aboard USS O’Bannon (DD-450) during the Battle of Guadalcanal. In October of 1945, he relieved Ailes of command of Cassin Young. He commanded Cassin Young until the ship’s decommissioning at the end of the war on May 28, 1946.
Pfeifer continued his Navy career during the Korean and Vietnam Wars. He saw service aboard USS Valley Forge (CV-45) from June 25, 1950 to March 22, 1951. Pfeifer displayed his administrative skills through the next two decades, serving as a naval aide to both President Truman and President Eisenhower. In the late 1960s, he held his last post in the Navy as Inspector General of the Military Sea Transpiration Service Office from July 20, 1966 to June 3, 1967. By the end of his career, Pfeifer was a veteran of three wars and had earned the Silver Star and the Legion of Merit twice (once with a valor device). In retirement, he remained active in veteran groups and spent his time volunteering for the Smithsonian.[4]
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Commander James Boyce Denton
Commissioned in 1937. Served as CO 09/07/1951 to 11/21/1952.
A Naval Academy graduate from 1937, Denton served as Cassin Young’s first CO after the ship’s recommissioning in 1951. In this role, he also became the first CO to see the ship into Boston Harbor and the Charlestown Navy Yard.
Upon Cassin Young’s arrival on January 4, 1952, Denton oversaw the ship’s refitting by Navy Yard workers. These workers facilitated the modernization of ship systems and installation of new equipment, drastically updating Cassin Young in preparation for the next era of its career.[5]
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Commander Thomas Joseph Rudden Jr.
Commissioned in 1939, retired as Rear Admiral. Served as CO 11/21/1952 to 07/10/1954.
Born in Newark, New Jersey in 1915, Rudden’s Navy career began upon his graduation from the Naval Academy in 1939. The Navy first assigned him to USS California (BB-44). While aboard, he assisted in the defense of Pearl Harbor when the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) attacked. He played a pivotal role in rebuilding the defense of the naval base by coordinating the salvage of AA guns from the sunken ships. Rudden was then transferred to USS Cleveland (CL-55) and participated in the landing at Casablanca. When recalled for training, he attended both the Naval Academy graduate school and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He returned to sea upon graduation, serving aboard USS Gurke (DD-783) as XO and USS McCook (DD-496). In 1952, Rudden arrived aboard USS Cassin Young as CO. He briefly held this position before being sent back to the Naval War College for additional education. Rudden then served as the Command Detail Officer in the Bureau of Naval Personnel. Before his final command aboard USS Galveston (CL-93/CLG-3) he also worked as Deputy Director of the Polaris Project.
Throughout his expansive career, Rudden was awarded the American Defense Service Medal, European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal (one star), Pacific Campaign Medal (nine stars), American Campaign Medal, WWII Victory Medal, Navy Occupation Service Medal, Korean Service Medal, and United Nations Ribbon.[6]
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Commander Kenneth Barth Brown
Commissioned in 1942. Served as CO 10/07/1954 to 08/17/1956.
From Evanston, Illinois, Captain Brown served in the Navy during multiple conflicts, including WWII, Korea, and Vietnam. Beginning his career in 1942 at the beginning of World War II, Brown’s first command was aboard USS Gillette (DE-681) at the age of 26. During the war, he served in the Atlantic and Mediterranean, most notably aboard USS Plunkett (DD-431) at the action of Anzio during the Italian Campaign in 1944.
While aboard Cassin Young in the mid-1950s, Brown oversaw the ship through patrols of the Mediterranean Sea as well as port visits to many European nations. Later, the Navy installed him as the CO of USS Prairie (AD-15) while the ship participated in the “Pony Express” exercises held by the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO) off the coast of Borneo.[7]
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Commander Clifton Bledsoe Cates, Jr.
Commissioned in 1943. Served as CO 08/17/1956 to 09/14/1958.
Originally from San Francisco, California, Cates graduated from the Naval Academy as a member of the class of 1943. He served the rest of World War II on board USS Pennsylvania (BB-38). During this conflict, Cates saw action at Midway, the Aleutians, Marshalls, Marianas, Leyte and Luzon (among others). For his service on the Pennsylvania, he became entitled to the Navy Unit Commendation earned by the ship. In the years after the war, Cates served aboard USS Adirondack (ACG-15), taught at the Naval Academy (1948-1950), and held the position of XO of the USS Harwood (DD-861) and USS Hugh Purvis (DD-709).
From 1953 to 1956, Cates studied and subsequently taught at the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island. In 1956, the Navy designated him as Commanding Officer of USS Cassin Young. In this role, he commanded the ship and its crew during training exercises in the Caribbean as well as patrols in the Mediterranean Sea. He ended his career in the Navy by serving in the Joint Staff Office, as CO of Destroyer Division 262, and in the Bureau of Naval Weapons. For his service, Cates was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation Ribbon, American Defense Service Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (with 8 stars), WWII Victory Medal, National Defense Service Medal, and the Philippines Defense, Liberation and Independence Ribbons.[8]
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Commander John Homer Hooper
Commissioned in 1944. Served as CO 09/14/1958 to 04/29/1960.
John Hooper graduated from the Naval Academy in 1943. He had an impressive 28-year career in the US Navy. He first served aboard USS Mustin (DD-413), stationed in the Pacific for the last year of the war. He saw the ship off at Operation Crossroads. After the war, Hooper served as XO on USS Charles S. Sperry (DD-687) before boarding Cassin Young.
Under his command, USS Cassin Young received the Battle Efficiency Award (also known as the Battle “E” award). He also oversaw the continuation of the ship’s presence in Europe through a tour of ports of Northern European nations. During these operations, a critical rudder malfunctioned, requiring Cassin Young to enter a drydock in France. In 1960, the ship returned to the US for decommissioning at Norfolk Naval Shipyard. Hooper served as the last commanding officer of USS Cassin Young. After disembarking from CassinYoung, he served as the CO of USS Benham (DD-796), Commander of Destroyer Division 242, and Chief of Staff of Cruiser-Destroyer Flotilla Six and Destroyer Squadron 32. Before his retirement, Hooper served ashore in a multitude of teaching roles, helping to instruct the next generation of naval officers.
In retirement, Hooper enjoyed restoring old cars, playing ice hockey, golfing, and woodworking. He also found time to relive his time aboard the Cassin Young by attending reunions thrown by the Junior Officers who served under him.[9]
Contributed by: Collin "CJ" McLaughlin, Park Ranger
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Footnotes
[1] Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/141127692/earl_tobias-schreiber: accessed October 3, 2024), memorial page for Earl Tobias Schreiber (22 Mar 1907–5 Dec 1996), Find a Grave Memorial ID 141127692, citing Roxbury Cemetery, Roxbury, Delaware County, New York, USA; Maintained by rbdixtour (contributor 48521359).
[2] “Ailes, John William, III.” Naval History and Heritage Command, January 3, 2018, https://www.history.navy.mil/.; Casimer Rosiecki, “Commander John W. Ailes, III (U.S. National Park Service)” National Park Service, January 25, 2022, https://www.nps.gov/people/john-ailes-iii.htm.
[3] Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/136633906/alfred_brunson-wallace: accessed October 3, 2024), memorial page for Alfred Brunson “Mike” Wallace (2 Mar 1916–30 Jul 1945), Find a Grave Memorial ID 136633906, citing Evergreen Cemetery, Gulfport, Harrison County, Mississippi, USA; Maintained by rbdixtour (contributor 48521359); “Alfred Brunson Wallace (U.S. National Park Service).” National Park Service, January 22, 2024, https://www.nps.gov/people/alfred-brunson-wallace.htm; “Alfred B. Wallace, LCDR, USN.” VMH: ALFRED B. WALLACE, LCDR, USN, November 3, 2023, https://usnamemorialhall.org/index.php/ALFRED_B._WALLACE,_LCDR,_USN.
[4] Michael Robert Patterson, “Carl Ferdinand Pfeifer - Captain, United States Navy.” Arlington National Cemetery, March 4, 2024, https://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/cfpfeifer.htm.
[5] Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/49228054/james_boyce-denton: accessed October 3, 2024), memorial page for James Boyce Denton (10 Feb 1914–2 May 1992), Find a Grave Memorial ID 49228054, citing Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Arlington County, Virginia, USA; Maintained by John C. Anderson (contributor 47208015).
[6] USS Galveston Cruise Book 1963-1964.
[7] James Sullivan, Unsinkable, (Simon & Schuster, 2020).
[8] “Cates, Clifton Bledsoe Jr.” Naval History and Heritage Command, May 4, 2021, https://www.history.navy.mil/research/library/research-guides/modern-biographical-files-ndl/modern-bios-c/cates-clifton-bledsoe-jr.html.
[9] "DD793: USS Cassin Young Charlestown Navy Yard," National Park Service, accessed October 28, 2024, DD 793: USS CASSIN YOUNG.