William M. Callaghan

William McCombe Callaghan (August 8, 1897 – July 8, 1991) was a United States Navy officer who served as the first captain of the battleship Template:USS<ref name="Fowler1991">Fowler, G. (1991): William M. Callaghan dies at 93; headed Logistics Service for Navy Template:Webarchive New York Times (July 9, 1991). Retrieved on September 2, 2009.</ref><ref name="BusinessWire2001">Battleship Missouri ceremony to honor ship's first commander, Captain William M. Callaghan, April 12 Business Wire (March 27, 2001). Retrieved on September 5, 2009.</ref><ref name="JapanTimes2001">USS Missouri to honor kamikaze: Memorial to pay respects to fallen aviators in '45 attack Template:Webarchive Japan Times Online (March 20, 2001). Retrieved on September 5, 2009.</ref><ref name="Burlingame2001">Burlingame, B. (2001): Navy captain honored for tribute to kamikaze: Even in war, William Callaghan gave the pilot a dignified burial Template:Webarchive Honolulu Star-Bulletin (April 13, 2001). Retrieved on September 5, 2009.</ref> and the inaugural commander of the Military Sea Transportation Service.<ref name="Fowler1991"/><ref name="MilitarySealiftCommand">Military Sealift Command: MSC Timeline 1949–1959 Template:Webarchive Retrieved on September 8, 2009.</ref> Through the course of almost 40 years, he served his country in three wars. His naval career began on a destroyer in the final months of World War I. Following command of the destroyer Template:USS and logistical work prior to World War II, he took command of Missouri in 1944.

Callaghan is perhaps best known for ordering, despite disagreement from some of his crew, that an honorable burial at sea be held for an enemy pilot who died during a suicide attack on Missouri in 1945.<ref name="JapanTimes2001"/><ref name="Burlingame2001"/> Following World War II, he directed the US Navy's transportation service and filled senior command roles in eastern Asia, including Commander, Amphibious Force, Pacific Fleet during the Korean War. He retired from the US Navy at the rank of vice admiral in 1957 and worked in civilian maritime transport before retiring to Maryland.

Early life

Callaghan was born on August 8, 1897, the son of businessman Charles William Callaghan and Rose Wheeler Callaghan.<ref name="Murphy1954a">Murphy, F. X. (1954): Fighting admiral: The story of Dan Callaghan Template:Webarchive (Prologue). New York: Vantage. Retrieved on September 8, 2009.</ref><ref name="Murphy1954b">Murphy, F. X. (1954): Fighting admiral: The story of Dan Callaghan Template:Webarchive (Chapter 2). New York: Vantage. Retrieved on September 8, 2009.</ref> The family were devout Roman Catholics.<ref name="Murphy1954a"/><ref name="Murphy1954b"/> His elder brother, Daniel Callaghan (1890–1942), would later become a US Navy rear admiral and posthumous Medal of Honor recipient.<ref name="BusinessWire2001"/> Both brothers studied at Saint Ignatius College Preparatory in San Francisco, Daniel graduating in the class of 1907 and William seven years later.<ref name="SaintIgnatius2005a">History Supplement: Admiral William Callaghan '14 Template:Webarchive Genesis IV: The alumni magazine of Saint Ignatius College Preparatory (2005), pp. 34–35. Retrieved on September 8, 2009.</ref> Both men also subsequently attended the United States Naval Academy, Daniel graduating in 1911 and William in the class of 1918.<ref name="Fowler1991"/> That class was ordered to active service with the entrance of the United States into World War I.

Military career

Early service

Callaghan served on a destroyer during the last six months of World War I.<ref name="Fowler1991"/> He received a Master of Science degree in electrical engineering from Columbia University in 1925, and would become a Knight of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta.<ref name="Fowler1991"/> In the mid-1920s, he served as assistant engineering officer on board the light cruiser Template:USS, which was then performing scouting duties.<ref name="Murphy1954c">Murphy, F. X. (1954): Fighting admiral: The story of Dan Callaghan Template:Webarchive (Chapter 4). New York: Vantage. Retrieved on September 11, 2009.</ref> From 1932 to 1933, he was a lieutenant aboard the aircraft carrier Template:USS.<ref name="Dyer1969">Dyer, G. C. (1969): The Amphibians came to conquer: The story of Admiral Richmond Kelly Turner (Chapter 4) Template:Webarchive Retrieved on May 27, 2010.</ref>

Ship commands

File:USS Missouri from bow.jpg

USS Missouri permanently anchored as a museum ship at Pearl Harbor in 2002

At the rank of commander, Callaghan captained the destroyer USS Reuben James from June 1936 to March 1938,<ref name="NavSourceDD245">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and subsequently joined the staff of the Chief of Naval Operations in 1939.<ref name="ArlingtonCemetery">Arlington National Cemetery: William M. Callaghan, Rear Admiral, United States Navy Template:Webarchive Retrieved on September 5, 2009.</ref> Before the US entered World War II, he was stationed in London in a logistical role.<ref name="Fowler1991"/> During the first part of World War II, he served as a logistics officer on the staff of the commander in chief, US Pacific Fleet,<ref name="LATimes1991">W. M. Callaghan; led U. S. Navy in Far East Los Angeles Times (July 15, 1991). Retrieved on September 8, 2009.</ref> Admiral Chester Nimitz.<ref name="USPF2009">United States Pacific Fleet: Previous commanders (c. 2009). Retrieved on May 28, 2010.</ref><ref name="Morison2001">Morison, S. E. (2001): History of United States naval operations in World War II: Vol. 7 – Aleutians, Gilberts and Marshalls, June 1942 – April 1944 (p. 104). Urbana, IL: University of Illinois Press. (Template:ISBN)</ref> He received the Legion of Merit for this work.<ref name="SaintIgnatius2005a"/>

On June 11, 1944, Callaghan became the first captain of USS Missouri,<ref name="USNavy2009">The US Navy: USS Missouri (BB 63) Template:Webarchive Retrieved on September 8, 2009.</ref><ref name="Turner1998a">USS Missouri (BB-63): "The Mighty Mo" (1998, p. 10). Nashville, TN: Turner. (Template:ISBN)</ref> the last battleship commissioned by the US Navy. He commanded Missouri in engagements at Iwo Jima and Okinawa.<ref name="Fowler1991"/>

Attack on USS Missouri

File:Kamikaze zero.jpg

Japanese A6M Zero about to strike the side of USS Missouri on April 11, 1945

At 2:42 PM on April 11, 1945, off the coast of Kikaijima Island, a Japanese fighter pilot in an A6M5c Zero launched a kamikaze attack on USS Missouri.<ref name="Turner1998b">USS Missouri (BB-63): "The Mighty Mo" (1998, p. 11). Nashville, TN: Turner. (Template:ISBN)</ref> Bill Obitz, a seaman at the time, recalled that the attacking plane approached at an extreme angle and estimated that it was 20 feet (6 m) above the water.<ref name="Cole2008">Cole, W. (2008): Ceremony marks 63rd anniversary of surrender: Battleship Missouri hosts crewmen who were aboard that day Template:Webarchive Honolulu Advertiser (September 3, 2008). Retrieved on September 9, 2009.</ref> Although struck by intense antiaircraft fire, the plane survived and struck the ship's starboard side at frame 169 below the main deck.<ref name="JapanTimes2001"/><ref name="Burlingame2001"/><ref name="Turner1998b"/> While the impact of one of the plane's wings started a fire at 5-inch mount number 3,<ref name="Turner1998b"/><ref name="DANFS">Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships: Missouri Template:Webarchive Retrieved on September 8, 2009.</ref> its 500-pound bomb did not detonate, so the damage was minimal. There were no American casualties, but the Japanese pilot died.<ref name="Fahr2009">Fahr, H. (2009): The Ivan Dexter story ... Template:Webarchive The Jerseyman (No. 63, 3rd Quarter 2009, pp. 7–8). Retrieved on May 30, 2010.</ref>Template:Ref label Parts of the plane's wreckage and the top half of the pilot's body landed on board Missouri.<ref name="Turner1998b"/><ref name="Fahr2009"/> The plane's wing was turned over to the crew to be cut up for souvenirs.<ref name="Turner1998c">USS Missouri (BB-63): "The Mighty Mo" (1998, p. 29). Nashville, TN: Turner. (Template:ISBN)</ref>

Despite protests from crewmen, who wanted the remains hosed over the deck, Callaghan insisted that the young Japanese airman had done his job to the best of his ability, with honor, and deserved a military burial.<ref name="Burlingame2001"/> Stephen Cromwell, a corpsman at the time, later recalled, "I was able to recover his body and I called up to the bridge to ask if I should throw it overboard ... Captain Callaghan said, 'No, when we secure, take it down to the sick bay, and we'll have a burial for him tomorrow.'"<ref name="Yi2005">Yi, S. (2005): Veterans remember tragedy of war in Pacific Template:Webarchive Voice of America (August 11, 2005). Retrieved on September 5, 2009.</ref> Ivan Dexter, another crew member, gave his account of events to Herb Fahr, recalling that the top half of the Japanese pilot's body was scattered over the deck, while the bottom half fell with the rest of the plane into the sea.<ref name="Fahr2009"/> What remained of the body was brought to sick bay for examination, and various Missouri crew took souvenirs from the clothing, including the helmet, scarf, and jacket.<ref name="Fahr2009"/> Following examination, the remains were placed in a canvas bag with dummy shell casings to weigh it down.<ref name="Fahr2009"/>

The following day, the Japanese pilot received a military burial at sea. An improvised Japanese flag, sewn by one of the ship's bosun's mates, covered the bag holding the man's remains.<ref name="Fahr2009"/> The ship's chaplain committed the body to the sea and the six pallbearers let it slide overboard, accompanied by a volley of rifle fire.<ref name="Fahr2009"/> Fahr wrote, "There was still much bitterness on the part of many in the crew, but now, the honorable thing was done."<ref name="Fahr2009"/> According to Lee Collins, visitor operations director for the Battleship Missouri Memorial, Callaghan said that the ceremony was simply a tribute to "a fellow warrior who had displayed courage and devotion, and who had paid the ultimate sacrifice with his life, fighting for his country."<ref name="Tsutsumi2001">Tsutsumi, C. C. (2001): USS Missouri has a moving story: From World War II to Desert Storm, the Mighty Mo holds a distinguished record Template:Webarchive Honolulu Star-Bulletin (June 17, 2001). Retrieved on September 8, 2009.</ref>

On May 14, 1945, Callaghan passed command of Missouri on to Captain Stuart Murray, who had been a classmate of his at the US Naval Academy.<ref name="Turner1998d">USS Missouri (BB-63): "The Mighty Mo" (1998, p. 30). Nashville, TN: Turner. (Template:ISBN)</ref><ref name="Mason2003">Mason, J. T. (2003): The Pacific War remembered: An oral history collection (p. 345). Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press. (Template:ISBN)</ref><ref name="UMA2008">USS Missouri (BB-63) Association: Commanding officers of the USS Missouri (BB-63) Template:Webarchive (July 17, 2008). Retrieved on May 28, 2010.</ref>

Senior commands

In 1946, Callaghan held the rank of rear admiral, and in that year he gave a presentation to the Naval War College on his experience in the Naval Transportation Service before the war.<ref name="Mercogliano2001">Mercogliano, S. R. (2001): The United States merchant shipping offensive during the Second World War Template:Webarchive The Northern Mariner, 11(4):27–47. Retrieved on May 28, 2010.</ref> On October 1, 1949, he was appointed the first commander of the Military Sea Transportation Service,<ref name="Fowler1991"/><ref name="MilitarySealiftCommand"/> which would later become the Military Sealift Command. He was promoted from rear admiral to vice admiral around this time.<ref name="Mercogliano2000a">Mercogliano, S. R. (2000): Korea: The first shot Template:Webarchive (November 29, 2000). Retrieved on May 28, 2010.</ref><ref name="Mercogliano2009">Mercogliano, S. R. (2009): MSC: 60 years strong Template:Webarchive NDTAGram (October 2009). Retrieved on May 27, 2010.</ref><ref name="TBCWD1962">Tanker & bulk carrier world directory (1962, p. 41). Terminus Publications.</ref>Template:Ref label From 1953 to 1954, during the Korean War, he commanded the Amphibious Force, Pacific Fleet.<ref name="NavyLibrary2006a">Navy Department Library: Amphibious Force, US Pacific Fleet Template:Webarchive (December 4, 2006). Retrieved on September 8, 2009.</ref> From 1954 to 1956, he served as commander, US Naval Forces Far East.<ref name="NavyLibrary2006b">Navy Department Library: Japan, Commander US Naval Forces Template:Webarchive (December 11, 2006). Retrieved on September 8, 2009.</ref> He then replaced retiring Vice Admiral Francis S. Low as commander of the Western Sea Frontier.<ref name="TIME1956">National Affairs: Who's the genius? TIME (May 21, 1956). Retrieved on May 27, 2010.</ref> He retired from the US Navy at the rank of vice admiral in 1957.<ref name="SaintIgnatius2005a"/><ref name="LATimes1991"/>

Later life

Following retirement from military service, Callaghan served as vice president of American Export Lines, and then as chairman of the Maritime Transportation Research Board under the National Academy of Sciences.<ref name="Fowler1991"/> He would later have a transport ship named after him: Template:GTS.<ref name="NavSourceAKR1001">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="Polmar2005">Polmar, N. (2005): The Naval Institute guide to the ships and aircraft of the US Fleet (p. 313). Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press. (Template:ISBN)</ref><ref name="HancockHeiss2009">Hancock, A., & Heiss, R. (2009): MSC ships provide international training platforms Template:Webarchive Sealift (May 2009). Retrieved on September 8, 2009.</ref><ref name="Fukugaki1995">Fukugaki, A. (1995): Review of shipboard energy technology: Thoughts and facts behind the scene Template:Webarchive Scheepswerktuigkunde (May 1995). Retrieved on September 8, 2009.</ref>

Late in life, Callaghan resided in Chevy Chase, Maryland. Following a stroke, he died on July 8, 1991, at Bethesda Naval Hospital.<ref name="Fowler1991"/> His first wife, Helen Brunett Callaghan (1896–1970), and second wife, Martha Rawlins Callaghan (1905–1973), predeceased him.<ref name="Fowler1991"/><ref name="ArlingtonCemetery"/> He was survived by his third wife, Sarah Duerson Callaghan (1914–2011), and two children, William M. Callaghan Jr. (a retired US Navy rear admiral)<ref name="BusinessWire2001"/><ref name="NavalAviationNews1978">Naval Aviation News: Change of Command Template:Webarchive (August 1978, p. 29). Retrieved on September 8, 2009.</ref> and Jane Callaghan Gude (c. 1925–2008), wife of former member of Congress, Gilbert Gude,<ref name="Holley2008">Holley, J. (2008): Jane Gude; Congressman's widow was active in GOP Template:Webarchive Washington Post (April 1, 2008). Retrieved on September 9, 2009.</ref> as well as eight grandchildren.<ref name="Fowler1991"/> Callaghan's grandchildren include William Callaghan III, Chad Callaghan, and A. Carey Callaghan.<ref name="WP2009">Elizabeth R. Callaghan Washington Post (October 2009). Retrieved on November 23, 2009.</ref> His great-grandchildren include Caitlin Callaghan, Larkin Callaghan, and Connor Callaghan,<ref name="SaintIgnatius2005b">History Supplement: Admiral Daniel Callaghan (SI 1907) Template:Webarchive Genesis IV: The alumni magazine of Saint Ignatius College Preparatory (2005), pp. 32–34. Retrieved on September 8, 2009.</ref> and many others.

Legacy

Callaghan's decision on the Japanese pilot's funeral in 1945 would receive praise years later, although a memorial service aboard the Missouri in April 2001 attracted controversy.Template:Ref label Leading up to the service, Callaghan's son said, "My father believed a burial at sea for the pilot was the right thing to do. He felt it would set a good example for the crew in showing respect for the life of people, even for the people you are opposing."<ref name="BusinessWire2001"/>

Junko Kamata, a niece of one of the Japanese pilots killed in the April 1945 battle, said, "I want to thank Captain Callaghan for his humanitarian consideration for kamikaze soldiers."<ref name="JapanTimes2001"/> Minoru Shibuya, Japanese Consul General, called Callaghan's actions "a glorious deed, to salute the [pilot's] bravery."<ref name="Burlingame2001"/> Daniel Inouye, US Senator from Hawaii, reflected that "from the dawn of civilization, warriors respected their adversaries; it was an unspoken code of honor. When Callaghan saw the broken body of his sworn enemy lying upon his ship, he saw him not as an enemy, but simply as a man."<ref name="Burlingame2001"/>

At a 1998 reunion of Missouri veterans, many of those present who had served during World War II felt that, on reflection, their captain had acted correctly.<ref name="BusinessWire2001"/> Robert Kihune, a retired US Navy vice admiral, said, "In wartime, courage is measured as much by one's actions as their strength of leadership during the heat of battle ... I think the leadership qualities showed by Captain Callaghan illustrate the ideal of what we want our military leaders to follow."<ref name="BusinessWire2001"/>

See also

• Burial at sea
• Template:Sclass
• Template:Sclass
• Sealift

Notes

Template:Refbegin a. Template:Note label Three volunteers from the USS Missouri Memorial Association narrowed the identity of the Japanese pilot to three possibilities: Lieutenant Junior Grade Shigeju Yaguchi, Petty Officer Second Class Takashi Sogabe, and Petty Officer Second Class Template:Nihongo.<ref name="BusinessWire2001"/> Yaguchi was aged 23 years at the time, while Sogabe and Ishino were both aged 19 years.<ref name="JapanTimes2001"/> An information plaque on board USS Missouri in December 2011 advocates the view that the pilot was probably Ishino.<ref name="MissouriPlaque2011">Photograph of information plaque on board the USS Missouri on December 22, 2011. Retrieved on December 23, 2011.</ref>

b. Template:Note label Two sources state that Callaghan was promoted to the rank of vice admiral soon after his appointment to command the MSTS. Historian Salvatore Mercogliano (c. 2000) states that the initial commander of the MSTS was "Rear Admiral William M. Callaghan (subsequently promoted to Vice Admiral)"<ref name="Mercogliano2000b">Mercogliano, S. R. (c. 2000): One hundred years in the making: The birth of Military Sea Transportation Service (MSTS) Template:Webarchive Retrieved on May 27, 2010.</ref> and a 1962 ship directory states that "[MSTS's] first commander, Rear-Admiral William Callaghan, was soon promoted to vice-admiral, and the M.S.T.S. has been a ' three-star' command ever since" (p. 41).<ref name="TBCWD1962"/> Another article by Mercogliano (2000) states that Callaghan was still ranked a rear admiral in early July 1950.<ref name="Mercogliano2000a"/> Two other sources, a later article by Mercogliano (2009)<ref name="Mercogliano2009"/> and Military Sealift Command's timeline,<ref name="MilitarySealiftCommand"/> state that MSTS's first commander was Vice Admiral William M. Callaghan. It is not clear whether these last two sources were simply reporting Callaghan's rank at the time of writing, well after 1949, or whether they were implying that Callaghan was already a vice admiral before taking command of the MSTS.

c. Template:Note label Commenting on the decision to hold a memorial service for the Japanese pilots aboard USS Missouri, US veteran Lloyd Prang said, "If the Japanese want to memorialize their pilots and soldiers, let them do it on THEIR soil."<ref name="Burlingame2001"/> Marine Corps veteran Rand Potts considered it "a promotional deal to excite Japanese visitors into visiting the Missouri."<ref name="Burlingame2001"/> Template:Refend

External links

• Template:Navsource includes photographs of Callaghan on the bridge of the Missouri in 1944 and at a Missouri reunion in Annapolis in 1985.
• The Jerseyman (No. 63, 3rd Quarter 2009, p. 8) includes a photograph showing the dent in the side of the Missouri (resulting from the attack of April 1945), still visible as of May 16, 2009.