James Charles Dempsey (August 30, 1908 – July 9, 1979), was a decorated submarine commander during World War II who reached the rank of Rear Admiral in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

. He died, aged 70, on July 9, 1979, of congestive heart and kidney failure at the Portsmouth Naval Hospital in

Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 cen ...

. As submarine commander of the USS-37, he sank the first enemy destroyer in World War II on February 8, 1942. For this action, he was awarded a Navy Cross. According to the official award citation, it was awarded "For extraordinary heroism and distinguished service in the line of his profession as Commanding Officer of the USS-37, in offensive action in the Straits of Makassar on February 8, 1942...Lieutenant Dempsey attacked four vessels...at close range, completely destroying one of them in the engagement." As commander of the USS Spearfish a few months later, Dempsey helped to evacuate the last Americans from the island of Corregidor before it fell to the Japanese on May 6, 1942. On May 3, Dempsey led the ''Spearfish'' into hostile waters around Corregidor island. According to a historian of submarine operations in World War II, "''Spearfish'' (Lieutenant Commander J.C. Dempsey) was the last submarine to visit crumbling Corregidor. On May 3 she evacuated 12 Army and Navy officers, 11 Army nurses, a Navy nurse and a civilian woman…the last of Corregidor’s defenders to be reprieved. Here again was proof of the submersible’s ability to operate unsupported in waters under enemy control. With Japanese warships on every hand, Spearfish got in and got out, accomplishing one of the war’s most perilous rescue missions...". For Dempsey's "extraordinary heroism and conspicuous devotion to duty", he won a gold star, in lieu of a second Navy Cross, for this accomplishment. His evacuation of Americans from Corregidor, which included Army and Navy nurses, was later fictionalized in the 1959 Hollywood film, "

Operation Petticoat ''Operation Petticoat'' is a 1959 American World War II submarine comedy film in Eastmancolor from Universal-International, produced by Robert Arthur, directed by Blake Edwards, that stars Cary Grant and Tony Curtis. The film tells in flashba ...

," which starred Cary Grant as the commander of the submarine.Operation Petticoat, starring Cary Grant and Tony Curtis, directed by Blake Edwards, 1959. His exploits were also been recreated in the late 1950s TV series,

The Silent Service is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Kaiji Kawaguchi. It was published in Kodansha's ''Weekly Morning'' manga magazine from 1988 to 1996 and collected in 32 ''tankōbon'' volumes. The series was adapted into an anime tele ...

, where he was portrayed in three episodes by

DeForest Kelley Jackson DeForest Kelley (January 20, 1920 – June 11, 1999), known to colleagues as "Dee", was an American actor, screenwriter, poet, and singer. He was known for his roles in Westerns and as Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy of the in the televisi ...

References

1908 births 1979 deaths Military personnel from Maryland United States Navy rear admirals (lower half) Recipients of the Navy Cross (United States) United States Navy personnel of World War II Deaths from kidney failure Recipients of the Silver Star United States Naval Academy alumni {{World-War-II-bio-stub