Ernest Gregor Small (5 November 1888 – 27 December 1944) was an admiral 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 ...

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 ...

Biography

Small was born in

Waltham, Massachusetts Waltham ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, and was an early center for the labor movement as well as a major contributor to the Technological and industrial history of the United States, American Industrial Revoluti ...

, on November 5, 1888. He 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 ...

and received his commission as ensign on June 7, 1912. From 1940–42 he headed the Ordnance and Gunnery Department at the Naval Academy. On April 10, 1942 he assumed command of ''Salt Lake City'' (CA-25) and was subsequently awarded the

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 ...

for extraordinary heroism for his conning of the

cruiser A cruiser is a type of warship. Modern cruisers are generally the largest ships in a fleet after aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships, and can usually perform several operational roles from search-and-destroy to ocean escort to sea ...

against

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

surface units off

Savo Island Savo Island is an island in Solomon Islands in the South Pacific ocean. Administratively, Savo Island is a part of the Central Province of Solomon Islands. It is about from the national capital of Honiara. The principal village is Alialia, i ...

, October 11-12, 1942 in the

Battle of Cape Esperance The Battle of Cape Esperance, also known as the Second Battle of Savo Island and in Japanese sources as the , took place on 11–12 October 1942, in the Pacific War, Pacific campaign of World War II between the Imperial Japanese Navy and United ...

. From January to August 1943 he served eminently as war plans officer on the staff of the Commander-in-Chief, Pacific Fleet. He spent the next year in distinguished performance as Commander Cruiser Division 5. Rear Admiral Small died in

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

on December 27, 1944.

Namesake

In 1945, the

destroyer In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, maneuverable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy, or carrier battle group and defend them against a wide range of general threats. They were conceived i ...

USS ''Ernest G. Small'' (DD-838) was named in his honor.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Small, Ernest 1888 births 1944 deaths United States Navy admirals United States Naval Academy alumni Recipients of the Navy Cross (United States) People from Waltham, Massachusetts United States Navy World War II admirals Military personnel from Massachusetts

Biography

Namesake

See also

References