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| Captain
Hugh H. Goodwin: First Commanding Officer of the USS Gambier Bay (CVE-73) was Captain Hugh H. Goodwin, USN. Although he had moved on to another assignment a few months before the ship's last battle, "his strict training while we were preparing for combat, his insistence that everyone aboard do every job right every time, made us fight our ship at her best and also saved many lives," according to Anthony Potochniak, an aviation technician aboard ship. Captain Goodwin continued his Naval career to become Vice Admiral. |
| Captain
Walter V.R. Vieweg: Commanding Officer of the Gambier Bay in her final action. After skillfully handling his ship while under virtually constant bombardment from a Japanese fleet for more than two hours, he had to order "Abandon Ship" when his carrier was finally "in a sinking condition, surrounded by three enemy cruisers firing at point blank range," as his official ACTION REPORT stated. He retired from the Navy in 1954, as a Rear Admiral and died of a heart attack in 1960. |
| Rear
Admiral Richard "Dick" Ballinger Retired 1959 after 35 years of service. Executive Officer USS Belleau Wood (CVL-16); Director Naval Air Testing Center in Patuxent River; Chief of Staff Patrol Wing FOUR in Seattle and Alaska; Commanding Officer USS Kula Gulf (CVE-108); Staff, Supreme Commander NATO; Commanding Officer NAS Seattle. Decorations: Silver Star; Presidential Citation (2 Ships) |
| Captain
Edward Huxtable: Click to read more |
| Captain H. Burt Bassett: Click to read more |