Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

Arnold J. Isbell, USN (September 22, 1899 – March 19, 1945) was a

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 ...

officer and

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 ...

who was killed near the end of

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 ...

Early life and career

Isbell was born September 22, 1899, in

Oto, Iowa Oto is a city in Woodbury County, Iowa, United States. It is part of the Sioux City, IA– NE– SD Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 72 at the time of the 2020 census. Geography Oto is situated near the Little Sioux ...

. Raised in

Logan, Iowa Logan is a city and county seat of Harrison County, Iowa, United States, along the Boyer River. The population was 1,397 at the time of the 2020 census. History Logan was platted in 1867 when Chicago and North Western Railway was extended ...

, he was appointed to the

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

Annapolis, Maryland Annapolis ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of Maryland. It is the county seat of Anne Arundel County and its only incorporated city. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east ...

, in 1917, graduating and being commissioned as an ensign in 1920. He was graduated a year early because of accelerated training received 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 served in various vessels in the Pacific until 1923, at which time he was ordered to duty in

flight instruction Flight training is a course of study used when learning to pilot an aircraft. The overall purpose of primary and intermediate flight training is the acquisition and honing of basic airmanship skills. Flight training can be conducted under a str ...

. He received his wings and appointment as

(Seaplane) on January 11, 1924. From 1924 to 1926 his duty involved

flying Flying may refer to: * Flight, the process of flying * Aviation, the creation and operation of aircraft Music Albums * '' Flying (Cody Fry album)'', 2017 * ''Flying'' (Grammatrain album), 1997 * ''Flying'' (Jonathan Fagerlund album), 2008 * ...

in various categories, the most notable being on the Navy's first carrier, USS ''Langley''. From 1926 to 1929 he undertook the

postgraduate Postgraduate education, graduate education, or graduate school consists of academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications usually pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate (bachelor' ...

course in ordnance at Annapolis, Maryland. Isbell's duty from 1929 until 1940 when he was promoted to the rank of

commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank as well as a job title in many army, armies. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countri ...

was principally concerned with flying and ordnance. He served on the original carrier '' Lexington'', placed the carrier '' Ranger'' in commission and served on the staff of the Commander Aircraft, attached to the

Battle Force The United States Battle Fleet or Battle Force was part of the organization of the United States Navy from 1922 to 1941. The General Order of 6 December 1922 organized the United States Fleet, with the Battle Fleet as the Pacific presence. Thi ...

. At

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 ...

, Isbell assumed command of Training Squadron VN-4D8 in September 1937 and Training Squadron VN-2D8 in January 1939.

World War II service

Prior to the actual entrance of the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, Captain Isbell was actively engaged in operations vitally connected with the expansion of US bases. He was awarded the

Air Medal The Air Medal (AM) is a military decoration of the United States Armed Forces. It was created in 1942 and is awarded for single acts of heroism or meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight. Criteria The Air Medal was establi ...

for "meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight as Commanding Officer of Patrol Squadron 54 during the initial selection and survey of

US Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...

and

Navy A navy, naval force, military maritime fleet, war navy, or maritime force is the military branch, branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral z ...

Bases in

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the population ...

in September and October 1940." Isbell was promoted to captain in 1942 while in command of the Naval Air Station,

Sitka, Alaska Sitka (; ) is a municipal home rule, unified Consolidated city-county, city-borough in the southeast portion of the U.S. state of Alaska. It was under Russian America, Russian rule from 1799 to 1867. The city is situated on the west side of Ba ...

. In 1943, Isbell took command of the USS ''Card'', an escort carrier, for which duty he was awarded the

Navy Distinguished Service Medal The Navy Distinguished Service Medal is a military decoration of the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps which was first created in 1919 and is presented to Sailors and Marines to recognize distinguished and exceptionally meritorio ...

for a notable record of German submarine sinkings in the Central Atlantic convoy routes during World War II. Following his successful command of the ''Card'', Isbell was on duty with the Tenth Fleet, Anti-submarine Warfare, Navy Department,

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, for a year. He then reported to the Pacific Fleet for assignment as Commanding Officer of USS ''Yorktown''. It was while taking passage on USS ''Franklin'' prior to assuming command that Isbell lost his life when the carrier was hit by bombs from a Japanese plane off

Okinawa most commonly refers to: * Okinawa Prefecture, Japan's southernmost prefecture * Okinawa Island, the largest island of Okinawa Prefecture * Okinawa Islands, an island group including Okinawa itself * Okinawa (city), the second largest city in th ...

on March 19, 1945.

Namesake and honors

The destroyer USS ''Arnold J. Isbell'' (DD-869) was named in Captain Isbell's honor. In addition, the Captain Arnold Jay Isbell Trophy, a US Navy award to recognize superior air antisubmarine warfare (ASW) squadrons, is also named in his honor.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Isbell, Arnold J. 1899 births 1945 deaths People from Woodbury County, Iowa People from Logan, Iowa United States Naval Academy alumni United States Navy officers United States Naval Aviators Recipients of the Air Medal Recipients of the Navy Distinguished Service Medal United States Navy personnel killed in World War II Military personnel from Iowa Deaths by Japanese airstrikes during World War II