Thomas Ross Cooley (June 26, 1893 – November 28, 1959) was a decorated officer 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 ...

with the rank of

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 ...

. A veteran of two world wars, he distinguished himself as commanding officer of battleship USS ''Washington'' during

Mariana Islands campaign The Mariana and Palau Islands campaign, also known as Campaign Plan Granite II, was an offensive launched by the United States against Imperial Japanese forces in the Pacific between June and November 1944 during the Pacific War. The campaign ...

and later as Commander, Battleship Division Six during the battles of

Iwo Jima is one of the Japanese Volcano Islands, which lie south of the Bonin Islands and together with them make up the Ogasawara Subprefecture, Ogasawara Archipelago. Together with the Izu Islands, they make up Japan's Nanpō Islands. Although sout ...

and

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 ...

. Following the War, Cooley served as Commander,

United States Fourth Fleet The U.S. Fourth Fleet is a United States Navy numbered fleet. It is the Naval Component Command of U.S. Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM). The Fourth Fleet is headquartered at Naval Station Mayport in Jacksonville, Florida. It is responsible fo ...

and Commandant,

Naval Station Newport Naval Station Newport (NAVSTA Newport) is a United States Navy base located in the city of Newport, Rhode Island, Newport and the town of Middletown, Rhode Island. Naval Station Newport is home to the Naval War College and the Naval Justice Scho ...

and completed his service as Deputy Commander,

Western Sea Frontier Sea Frontiers were several, now disestablished, commands of the United States Navy as areas of defense against enemy vessels, especially submarines, along the U.S. coasts. They existed from 1 July 1941 until in some cases the 1970s. Sea Frontiers ...

and Deputy Commander Pacific Reserve Fleet with headquarters in

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

in June 1952.

Early career

Thomas R. Cooley was born on June 26, 1893, in

Grass Valley, California Grass Valley is a city in Nevada County, California, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, its population was 14,016. Situated at roughly in elevation in the western foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountain range, this norther ...

, the son of

Piano A piano is a keyboard instrument that produces sound when its keys are depressed, activating an Action (music), action mechanism where hammers strike String (music), strings. Modern pianos have a row of 88 black and white keys, tuned to a c ...

s commission agent, Thomas R. Cooley Sr. and Mary Adelaide Cota. He graduated from the high school in his hometown and earned an appointment to 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 ...

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 summer 1913. While at the academy, Cooley was active in German Class committee and was nicknamed "Ross" and "Sosh". Among his classmates were future four star admirals

Donald B. Duncan : ''This is about the American naval officer. For others, see Donald Duncan (disambiguation).'' Donald Bradley Duncan (1896–1975) was an List of United States Navy four-star admirals, admiral in the United States Navy, who played an important ...

, Frank G. Fahrion, Albert G. Noble, Harold B. Sallada,

Felix B. Stump Felix Budwell Stump (December 15, 1894 – June 13, 1972) was an admiral in the United States Navy and Commander, United States Pacific Fleet from July 10, 1953 until July 31, 1958. Early life and career Stump was born in Parkersburg, West Virgini ...

; Vice admirals Francis C. Denebrink, Carl F. Holden, Ingolf N. Kiland, Allan R. McCann; and Rear admirals Guy W. Clark, Merrill Comstock, Elliott M. Senn and Robert G. Tobin. Due to the

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 ...

, his class was speeded up and Cooley graduated with

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, B.S., B.Sc., SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree that is awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Scienc ...

degree on March 29, 1917. He was commissioned

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 that date and was attached to the battleship USS ''Florida'', which was later assigned to the Sixth Battleship Squadron of the

British Grand Fleet The Grand Fleet was the main battlefleet of the Royal Navy during the First World War. It was established in August 1914 and disbanded in April 1919. Its main base was Scapa Flow in the Orkney Islands. History Formed in August 1914 from the F ...

. Cooley participated in the escorting of convoys and was promoted consecutively to the temporary ranks of

Lieutenant (junior grade) Lieutenant junior grade is a junior commissioned officer rank used in a number of navies. United States Lieutenant (junior grade), commonly abbreviated as LTJG or, historically, Lt. (j.g.) (as well as variants of both abbreviations), i ...

and

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

. He also witnessed surrender of German

High Seas Fleet The High Seas Fleet () was the battle fleet of the German Empire, German Imperial German Navy, Imperial Navy and saw action during the First World War. In February 1907, the Home Fleet () was renamed the High Seas Fleet. Admiral Alfred von Tirpi ...

on November 21, 1918. Cooley returned to the United States in October 1920 and was ordered to the

Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation Bethlehem Steel Corporation Shipbuilding Division was created in 1905 when the Bethlehem Steel Corporation of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, acquired the San Francisco-based shipyard Union Iron Works. In 1917, it was incorporated as Bethlehem Shipbuil ...

for duty in connection with fitting out of destroyer USS ''Sumner''. The ''Sumner'' was commissioned in May 1921 with Lieutenant Commander Donald B. Beary in command and Cooley served as ship's navigator during the patrol cruises with the Pacific Fleet. He later served in the same capacity aboard destroyer USS ''Shirk'' prio he was detached in October 1922. Cooley was then ordered back to the Naval Academy, where he served as an instructor in the Department of Ordnance and Gunnery until July 1924. He was subsequently ordered to the

Asiatic Station The Asiatic Squadron was a squadron (naval), squadron of United States Navy warships stationed in East Asia during the latter half of the 19th century. It was created in 1868 when the East India Squadron was disbanded. Vessels of the squadron w ...

, where he joined destroyer USS ''Pruitt'' under Lieutenant Commander Joel W. Bunkley as his navigator and then executive officer. Cooley began his second tour at the Naval Academy as an instructor in the Department of Ordnance and Gunnery in March 1927 and was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant commander on November 6, 1928. In April 1929, Cooley was attached to the staff of Commander,

Special Service Squadron The Special Service Squadron was a component of the United States Navy during the earlier part of the 20th century. The squadron patrolled the Caribbean Sea as an instrument of gunboat diplomacy. It was headquartered in Balboa, Panama Canal Zone. ...

and served as Aide and Flag lieutenant to Rear admiral Edward H. Campbell. He served in this capacity aboard cruiser USS ''Rochester'' and participated in the patrols in the

Caribbean The Caribbean ( , ; ; ; ) is a region in the middle of the Americas centered around the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, mostly overlapping with the West Indies. Bordered by North America to the north, Central America ...

during the

United States occupation of Nicaragua The United States occupation of Nicaragua from August 4, 1912, to January 2, 1933, was part of the Banana Wars, when the U.S. military invaded various Latin American countries from 1898 to 1934. The formal occupation began on August 4, 1912, ...

for which he won Nicaraguan Presidential Medal of Merit with Diploma. Cooley assumed command of destroyer USS ''Yarnall'' in January 1932 and operated her with the

Scouting Fleet The Scouting Fleet is an important part of the U.S. Navy, established in 1922 as part of the reorganization of the Navy after World War I. It is one of the four core units of the newly formed "American Fleet", which together with the battle Fleet ...

along the East Coast and Atlantic until May that year, when he was ordered to

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 duty in

Bureau of Navigation The Bureau of Navigation, later the Bureau of Navigation and Steamboat Inspection and finally the Bureau of Marine Inspection and Navigation — not to be confused with the United States Navys Bureau of Navigation — was an agency of the Unite ...

. He was ordered back for sea duty in June 1934, when he joined light cruiser USS ''Concord'' as

Gunnery officer The gunnery officer of a warship was the officer responsible for operation and maintenance of the ship's guns and for safe storage of the ship's ammunition inventory. Background The gunnery officer was usually the line officer next in rank to the ...

under Captain Alexander Sharp Jr. He took part in the patrols off

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...

Alaska Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...

, and in the

Panama Canal Zone The Panama Canal Zone (), also known as just the Canal Zone, was a International zone#Concessions, concession of the United States located in the Isthmus of Panama that existed from 1903 to 1979. It consisted of the Panama Canal and an area gene ...

, before he was promoted to

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 ...

on June 30, 1937, and ordered back to the Naval Academy for duty in the Department of Seamanship and Navigation. Cooley was appointed Executive officer of heavy cruiser USS ''Wichita'' in June 1940 and took part as the part of Cruiser Division 7 in goodwill cruise to South America.

World War II

Cooley assumed command of newly commissioned

attack cargo ship Attack may refer to: Warfare and combat * Attack (fencing) * Charge (warfare) * Offensive (military) * Strike (attack) Books and publishing * ''The Attack'' (novel), a book * '' Attack No. 1'', comic and animation * Attack! Books, a publis ...

USS ''Almaack'' in June 1941 and took part in the transporting of troops and supplies to

Iceland Iceland is a Nordic countries, Nordic island country between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the regi ...

. Following the United States entry into World War II, Cooley was promoted to the temporary rank of

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 ...

on January 1, 1942, and commanded ''Almaack'' during transports of

Army An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...

troops to

Belfast Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...

, and sailors to man the new naval operating base being established at

Derry Derry, officially Londonderry, is the second-largest City status in the United Kingdom, city in Northern Ireland, and the fifth-largest on the island of Ireland. Located in County Londonderry, the city now covers both banks of the River Fo ...

. The ''Almaack'' was transferred to South Pacific in April 1942 and after completing convoy duty to

Tonga Tonga, officially the Kingdom of Tonga, is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania. The country has 171 islands, of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in the southern Pacific Ocean. accordin ...

in the

Polynesia Polynesia ( , ) is a subregion of Oceania, made up of more than 1,000 islands scattered over the central and southern Pacific Ocean. The indigenous people who inhabit the islands of Polynesia are called Polynesians. They have many things in ...

, Cooley was transferred to

for duty as Director of Officer Distribution at the

Bureau of Naval Personnel The Bureau of Naval Personnel (BUPERS) in the United States Department of the Navy is similar to the human resources department of a corporation. The bureau provides administrative leadership and policy planning for the Office of the Chief of N ...

under Rear admiral

Randall Jacobs Randall Jacobs (1895-1967) was a United States Navy officer. He reached the rank of Vice-Admiral. Early life and education He was born in 12 December 1895 at Danville in Pennsylvania. He attended the United States Naval Academy graduating in 1 ...

. Cooley was subsequently appointed Director of Officer Personnel during the height of the War Mobilization Period and received

Navy Commendation Medal The Commendation Medal is a mid-level United States military decoration presented for sustained acts of heroism or meritorious service. Each branch of the United States Armed Forces issues its own version of the Commendation Medal, with a fift ...

for his service at the Bureau of Personnel. In April 1944, Cooley was ordered back to South Pacific and assumed command of battleship USS ''Washington'', a part of Battleship Division 6 (CruDiv6) under Vice admiral

Willis Augustus Lee Willis Augustus "Ching" Lee Jr. (May 11, 1888 – August 25, 1945) was a vice admiral of the United States Navy during World War II. Lee commanded the American ships during the second night of the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal (November 14–15, 19 ...

. He led ''Washington'' during the

in June–August 1944 and participated in the capture of

Saipan Saipan () is the largest island and capital of the Northern Mariana Islands, an unincorporated Territories of the United States, territory of the United States in the western Pacific Ocean. According to 2020 estimates by the United States Cens ...

Tinian Tinian () is one of the three principal islands of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). Together with uninhabited neighboring Aguiguan, it forms Tinian Municipality, one of the four constituent municipalities of the Northern ...

, and

Guam Guam ( ; ) is an island that is an Territories of the United States, organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. Guam's capital is Hagåtña, Guam, Hagåtña, and the most ...

. The ''Washington'' then conducted the preliminary raids softening

Luzon Luzon ( , ) is the largest and most populous List of islands in the Philippines, island in the Philippines. Located in the northern portion of the List of islands of the Philippines, Philippine archipelago, it is the economic and political ce ...

, preceding its capture, and took part in the

Battle of Leyte Gulf The Battle of Leyte Gulf () 23–26 October 1944, was the largest naval battle of World War II and by some criteria the largest naval battle in history, with over 200,000 naval personnel involved. By late 1944, Japan possessed fewer capital sh ...

, where CruDiv6 (including ''Washington'') went north and prevented the northern Japanese Force from joining the other Japanese ships in the Battle of Surigao Strait. Cooley was promoted to the temporary rank of

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 November 1944 and relieved admiral Lee in command of Battleship Division 6 (CruDiv6). His command consisted of his previous command, ''Washington'' and ''North Carolina'', and he subsequently led his division to

Ulithi Ulithi (, , or ; pronounced roughly as YOU-li-thee) is an atoll in the Caroline Islands of the western Pacific Ocean, about east of Yap, within Yap State. Name The name of the island goes back to Chuukic languages, Proto-Chuukic ''*úlú-diw ...

for repairs and loading of ammunition. Cooley's division returned to the combat zone in late December 1944 and then took part in the support of the landings on

and

in early 1945. For his service in South Pacific, Cooley received

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 Combat "V" and second

Postwar career

Following the

surrender of Japan The surrender of the Empire of Japan in World War II was Hirohito surrender broadcast, announced by Emperor Hirohito on 15 August and formally Japanese Instrument of Surrender, signed on 2 September 1945, End of World War II in Asia, ending ...

, Cooley took part in the

ceremony A ceremony (, ) is a unified ritualistic event with a purpose, usually consisting of a number of artistic components, performed on a special occasion. The word may be of Etruscan language, Etruscan origin, via the Latin . Religious and civil ...

aboard battleship USS ''Missouri'' in

Tokyo Bay is a bay located in the southern Kantō region of Japan spanning the coasts of Tokyo, Kanagawa Prefecture, and Chiba Prefecture, on the southern coast of the island of Honshu. Tokyo Bay is connected to the Pacific Ocean by the Uraga Channel. Th ...

on September 2, 1945. He then returned to the United States for duty as Commander Cruisers and Battleship, Atlantic Fleet and later assumed duty as Commander-in-Chief,

, which was responsible for the transportation of troops returning stateside from European battlefield. His command later served as a Reserve Fleet and Cooley was responsible for the Reserve Training Program in support of National Emergency Plan. He was placed in command of a task unit and made Commander of the

Midshipmen A midshipman is an officer of the lowest rank in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Canada (Naval Cadet), Australia, Bangladesh, Namibia, New Zealand, South Afric ...

's Practice Squadron, before he was appointed Commander of

, a home to the

Naval War College The Naval War College (NWC or NAVWARCOL) is the staff college and "Home of Thought" for the United States Navy at Naval Station Newport in Newport, Rhode Island. The NWC educates and develops leaders, supports defining the future Navy and associa ...

and the

Naval Justice School The Naval Justice School (NJS) is an educational institution of the United States Navy whose mission is to instruct Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard officers and enlisted personnel in the fundamental principles of military justice, civil and ...

in January 1947. While in this capacity, he served as acting

President of the Naval War College The president of the Naval War College is a flag officer in the United States Navy. The President's House in Newport, Rhode Island is their official residence. The functions of the president of the Naval War College actually predate the estab ...

following the retirement of Vice admiral Donald B. Beary. In October 1950, he was ordered to

Treasure Island, San Francisco Treasure Island is a man-made island in San Francisco Bay, and a neighborhood in the City and County of San Francisco. Built in 1936–37 for the 1939 Golden Gate International Exposition, the island was named by Clyde Milner Vandeburg, part ...

for duty as Deputy Commander

and Deputy Commander Pacific Reserve Fleet under Vice admiral John L. Hall Jr. and remained in this capacity until then end of June 1952, when he retired after 35 years of service. Cooley was advanced to the rank of

on the retired list for having been specially commended in combat.

Death

Following the retirement from the Navy, Cooley settled in

Menlo Park, California Menlo Park ( ) is a city at the eastern edge of San Mateo County, California, San Mateo County in the San Francisco Bay Area of California, United States. It is bordered by San Francisco Bay on the north and east; East Palo Alto, California, Eas ...

and was active in the

Naval Order of the United States The Naval Order of the United States was established in 1890 as a hereditary organization in the United States for members of the American sea services. Its primary mission is to encourage research and writing on naval and maritime subjects and p ...

, was a member of the

United States Naval Institute The United States Naval Institute (USNI) is a private non-profit military association that offers independent, nonpartisan forums for debate of national security issues. In addition to publishing magazines and books, the Naval Institute holds s ...

, and United States Naval Academy Alumni Association. He died from a heart attack on November 28, 1959, while on the visit of his youngest daughter, Mary Lawrence Aitken at

Quantico, Virginia Quantico (; formerly Potomac) is a town in southeastern Prince William County, Virginia, United States. The population was 578 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Quantico is approximately 35 miles southwest of Washington, D.C., bound ...

at the age of 66. Vice admiral Cooley was buried together with his wife, at Monticello National Park Grounds in

Charlottesville, Virginia Charlottesville, colloquially known as C'ville, is an independent city (United States), independent city in Virginia, United States. It is the county seat, seat of government of Albemarle County, Virginia, Albemarle County, which surrounds the ...

. They had three daughters Adelaide, Mary and Margaret.

Decorations

Here is the ribbon bar of Vice admiral Cooley:

References