Creed Cardwell Burlingame (27 February 1905 – 21 October 1985) was a
Rear Admiral
Rear admiral is a flag officer rank used by English-speaking navies. In most European navies, the equivalent rank is called counter admiral.
Rear admiral is usually immediately senior to commodore and immediately below vice admiral. It is ...
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 ...
. He served as a
submarine
A submarine (often shortened to sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. (It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability.) The term "submarine" is also sometimes used historically or infor ...
commander in the
Pacific Theater
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...
during
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
Burlingame was born in
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the List of cities in Kentucky, most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeastern United States, Southeast, and the list of United States cities by population, 27th-most-populous city ...
, on 27 February 1905, and grew up in the Midwest.
Naval career
In June 1927, Burlingame graduated from 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 ...
as an ensign and served aboard the battleship . Some of his classmates were
William Brockman,
Eugene Lindsey, and
John Thatch. He subsequently graduated from the
Submarine School in
New London, Connecticut
New London is a seaport city and a port of entry on the northeast coast of the United States, located at the outlet of the Thames River (Connecticut), Thames River in New London County, Connecticut, which empties into Long Island Sound. The cit ...
, in 1930.
[ Submarine-related commands immediately prior to and during World War II included captain of the from 8 May 1936 to 1 January 1939, duty at Submarine Base New London from 1 July 1939 to 1 July 1940, captain of the from 31 August 1940 to 7 December 1941, commissioning and first commanding officer of the from 15 December 1941 to 20 July 1943, commander of Submarine Division One Hundred Eighty Two from 1 November 1943 to 15 July 1945, and acting commander of Submarine Squadron Eighteen from 17 December 1944 to 8 January 1945.]attack on Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Empire of Japan on the United States Pacific Fleet at Naval Station Pearl Harbor, its naval base at Pearl Harbor on Oahu, Territory of ...
, Burlingame was immediately transferred to the USS ''Silversides'' for its commissioning at Mare Island
Mare Island (Spanish language, Spanish: ''Isla de la Yegua'') is a peninsula in the United States in the city of Vallejo, California, about northeast of San Francisco. The Napa River forms its eastern side as it enters the Carquinez Strait junc ...
, California on 15 December 1941. It was his sixth submarine and third command. After a brief shakedown
Shakedown or Shake Down may refer to:
* Shakedown (continuum mechanics), a type of plastic deformation
* Shakedown (testing) or a shakedown cruise, a period of testing undergone by a ship, airplane or other craft before being declared operational ...
off the California coast, he sailed ''Silversides'' for Hawaii, arriving at Pearl Harbor on 4 April 1942, and left for his first combat patrol on 30 April.[ He was promoted to commander on 10 September. Burlingame commanded ''Silversides'' for a total of five patrols, sinking eight enemy ships for a total 44,000 tons. While commanding the ''Silversides'', the ship and crew received a presidential citation and Burlingame earned two ]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 ...
s and three Navy Cross
The Navy Cross is the United States Naval Service's second-highest military decoration awarded for sailors and marines who distinguish themselves for extraordinary heroism in combat with an armed enemy force. The medal is equivalent to the Army ...
es. As commander of the 182d Submarine Division in the Pacific, he 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 ...
.[
Following World War II, Burlingame served in various assignments, including command of from 15 September 1953, to 3 March 1955.][
]
Awards and decorations
Navy Cross citations
First
Second
Third
Silver Star citations
First
Second
Legion of Merit citation
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Burlingame, Creed C.
1905 births
1985 deaths
United States Navy personnel of World War II
Burials at Arlington National Cemetery
Recipients of the Legion of Merit
Recipients of the Navy Cross (United States)
Recipients of the Silver Star
United States Navy rear admirals (lower half)
United States submarine commanders
Military personnel from Louisville, Kentucky