Apollo Soucek (February 24, 1897 – July 22, 1955) was a

vice admiral Vice admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, usually equivalent to lieutenant general and air marshal. A vice admiral is typically senior to a rear admiral and junior to an admiral. Australia In the Royal Australian Navy, the rank of Vice ...

in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

, who was a record-breaking test pilot during 1929 and 1930, served in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, and was commander of Carrier Division Three during the

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

, ending his career as chief of the

Bureau of Aeronautics The Bureau of Aeronautics (BuAer) was the U.S. Navy's material-support organization for naval aviation from 1921 to 1959. The bureau had "cognizance" (''i.e.'', responsibility) for the design, procurement, and support of naval aircraft and rela ...

Biography

Soucek was born in Lamont, Oklahoma. He was the son of Jan "John" Souček, who had been born in Ovčáry,

Bohemia Bohemia ( ; ; ) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. In a narrow, geographic sense, it roughly encompasses the territories of present-day Czechia that fall within the Elbe River's drainage basin, but historic ...

(then part of

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...

, now in the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

), but had emigrated to the United States at the age of 7 with his family. Arriving in June 1875 aboard the

Norddeutscher Lloyd Norddeutscher Lloyd (NDL; North German Lloyd) was a German shipping company. It was founded by Hermann Henrich Meier and Eduard Crüsemann in Bremen on 20 February 1857. It developed into one of the most important German shipping companies of th ...

ship , the family—Mathias, Maria, and their six children—first settled in

Nebraska Nebraska ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Ka ...

, then moved to

Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...

, before taking part in the

Cherokee Strip Land Run In U.S. history, the Land Run of 1893, also known as the Cherokee Outlet Opening or the Cherokee Strip Land Run, marked the opening to settlement of the Cherokee Outlet in the Oklahoma Territory's fourth and largest land run#In Oklahoma, land ru ...

in 1893 and settling in Medford.

Early career

Soucek entered the

United States Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (USNA, Navy, or Annapolis) is a United States Service academies, federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as United States Secre ...

in 1918 and served with the rank of

midshipman A midshipman is an officer of the lowest Military rank#Subordinate/student officer, rank in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Royal Cana ...

aboard the battleship during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. He was commissioned as an

ensign Ensign most often refers to: * Ensign (flag), a flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality * Ensign (rank), a navy (and former army) officer rank Ensign or The Ensign may also refer to: Places * Ensign, Alberta, Alberta, Canada * Ensign, Ka ...

on 3 June 1921. He then served aboard the . In February 1924, Soucek reported to

Naval Air Station Pensacola Naval Air Station Pensacola or NAS Pensacola (formerly NAS/KNAS until changed circa 1970 to allow Nassau International Airport, now Lynden Pindling International Airport, to have IATA code NAS), "The Cradle of Naval Aviation", is a United Sta ...

for flight training, qualifying as a

naval aviator Naval aviation / Aeronaval is the application of military air power by navies, whether from warships that embark aircraft, or land bases. It often involves '' navalised aircraft'', specifically designed for naval use. Seaborne aviation encompas ...

in October. He was assigned to the Navy's first aircraft carrier in November, and served as assistant flight officer of Observation Squadron 2. In January 1925, he transferred to the to serve as assistant navigator and junior aviation officer of Observation Squadron 1. In May 1927, he was assigned to the

Naval Aircraft Factory The Naval Aircraft Factory (NAF) was established by the United States Navy in 1918 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was created to help solve aircraft supply issues which the United States Department of the Navy, Navy Department faced upon the ...

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, before transferring to the

in July to serve in the Power Plant Design Section. Flying the Wright Apache, Soucek set a series of

flight altitude record This listing of flight altitude records are the records set for the highest aeronautical flights conducted in the atmosphere and beyond, set since the age of ballooning. Some, but not all of the records were certified by the non-profit interna ...

s. On May 8, 1929, he set the world altitude record for landplanes by flying to the height of , and on June 4, he set the altitude record for seaplanes, also in an Apache, reaching the height of . On June 4, 1930, Soucek flew an Apache landplane equipped with a

Pratt & Whitney R-1340 The Pratt & Whitney R-1340 Wasp is an aircraft engine of the reciprocating engine, reciprocating type that was widely used in United States, American aircraft from the 1920s onward. It was the Pratt & Whitney aircraft company's first engine, an ...

radial engine The radial engine is a reciprocating engine, reciprocating type internal combustion engine, internal combustion engine configuration in which the cylinder (engine), cylinders "radiate" outward from a central crankcase like the spokes of a wheel. ...

to a height of over Naval Air Station Anacostia, regaining the world record he had held in 1929. Soucek received the Distinguished Flying Cross for these flights. In June 1930, Soucek returned to sea duty, serving as squadron flight officer of Fighter Squadron 3 on the carrier , and as gunnery officer and executive officer of Fighter Squadron 3 aboard . In June 1932, he returned to the Naval Aircraft Factory to serve as assistant to the superintendent of the Aeronautical Engineering Laboratory. From June 1935, he served as hangar deck, flight deck, and senior watch officer aboard , returning to the ''Lexington'' in June 1937 to serve as the commanding officer of Fighter Squadron 2. Soucek went back to the Bureau of Aeronautics in May 1938 to serve as assistant to the chief of the Personnel Division.

World War II

In May 1940, he was assigned to as navigator, moving to the on October 20, 1941, to serve as air officer. Soucek was appointed executive officer in 1942, and served in that capacity during the Doolittle Raid on Tokyo on April 18 and during the

Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands The Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands, fought during 25–27 October 1942, sometimes referred to as the Battle of Santa Cruz or Third Battle of Solomon Sea, in Japan as the Battle of the South Pacific ( ''Minamitaiheiyō kaisen''), was the fourt ...

. He was later awarded the

Silver Star The Silver Star Medal (SSM) is the United States Armed Forces' third-highest military decoration for valor in combat. The Silver Star Medal is awarded primarily to members of the United States Armed Forces for gallantry in action against a ...

for his efforts during this battle. In January 1943, he was appointed assistant chief of staff for operations in the Pacific Fleet. From July 1943, he served as chief of staff and aide to the chief of Naval Air Intermediate Training Command and deputy chief of Naval Air Training, based at NAS Pensacola. Soucek was awarded the

Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a Awards and decorations of the United States military, military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievemen ...

with Gold Star for his service in this capacity. In March 1945, he was appointed officer-in-charge of the

fitting-out Fitting out, or outfitting, is the process in shipbuilding that follows the float-out/launching of a vessel and precedes sea trials. It is the period when all the remaining construction of the ship is completed and readied for delivery to her o ...

of the carrier , becoming the first commander on her commissioning on October 27, 1945.

Later career

From January 1946, he commanded Carrier Division 14, and from August was commander of Fleet Air Wing 1. On July 15, 1947, he was appointed commander of the Naval Air Test Center at

Naval Air Station Patuxent River Naval Air Station Patuxent River , also known as NAS Pax River, is a United States naval air station in St. Mary’s County, Maryland on the Chesapeake Bay near the mouth of the Patuxent River. It is home to Headquarters, Naval Air Systems Comm ...

. From 1949, he served as assistant chief of Naval Operations for Aviation Plans, and director of the Aviation Plans and Program Division. He spent most of 1951 in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

as U.S. naval attaché for air, before serving in the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations from November until February 1952, when he was appointed commander of Carrier Division 3/ Task Force 77, flying his flag aboard , supporting operations in the

. Rear Admiral Soucek received the Distinguished Service Medal for his service in Korea. On June 18, 1953, Soucek was appointed chief of the Bureau of Aeronautics. However, in February 1955 he became ill, quitting his post on March 4, and was transferred to the Retired List on July 1. He died of a heart attack on July 19, 1955, at the age of 58, and was buried at Arlington National Cemetery on 26 July. He was posthumously promoted to vice admiral. On June 4, 1957,

Naval Air Station Oceana Naval Air Station (NAS) Oceana or NAS Oceana is a United States Navy Naval Air Station located in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The station is located on 23.9 square kilometers. It has total of 250 aircraft deployed and buildings valued at $800 mi ...

was officially named Apollo Soucek Field.

Family

Apollo's younger brother Zeus (1899–1967), also joined the Navy, became an aviator, and set speed, distance and duration records piloting a Naval Aircraft Factory PN-12 in May 1928.

Decorations

References

External links

"Sky High"
''

Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...

''. May 20, 1929.
"How I Broke the World's Altitude Record"
'' Modern Mechanix'', September 1930
Navy and Marine Corps Air Stations and Fields Named for Naval Aviators and Others
{{DEFAULTSORT:Soucek, Apollo 1897 births 1955 deaths American aviation record holders Flight altitude record holders United States Navy admirals United States Naval Academy alumni United States Naval Aviators Aviators from Oklahoma United States Navy personnel of World War I United States Navy personnel of World War II United States Navy personnel of the Korean War Recipients of the Navy Distinguished Service Medal Recipients of the Silver Star Recipients of the Legion of Merit Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United States) People from Grant County, Oklahoma American people of Czech descent Burials at Arlington National Cemetery