Worrall R. Carter

Worrall Reed Carter (11 January 1885 – 21 July 1975) was an American naval officer during World War II. A graduate of the United States Naval Academy, the Naval Postgraduate School and Columbia University, his early career was in submarines. In World War I, he served on the staff of the commander of US Naval Forces in Europe, Rear Admiral William S. Sims, as an expert on submarine detection devices. During World War II, as commander of Service Squadron Ten, he was responsible for naval logistics in the Pacific Theater. After the war he wrote ''Beans, Bullets, and Black Oil'' (1953) about naval logistics in the Pacific, and co-wrote ''Ships, Salvage, and Sinews of War'' (1954), about naval logistics in the Atlantic and Mediterranean.

Early life and career

Worrall Reed Carter was born at sea on the sailing ship ''Storm King'' on 11 January 1885. He was educated at Bath, Maine, High School, and at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, which he entered in June in 1904. He graduated in June 1908, ranked 169th in his class of 201.

After graduation, Carter joined the crew of the battleship , serving with the Great White Fleet and the Atlantic Fleet. In those days, midshipmen had to serve at sea for two years before being commissioned as an ensign, which he duly was on 6 June 1910. In April 1911, he was assigned to the submarine tender for instruction in submarines. He commanded the submarine from November 1911 to September 1912, and then the submarine until September 1913, with the rank of lieutenant (junior grade) from 6 June 1913.

Carter studied mechanical engineering at the Naval Postgraduate School in Annapolis and then at Columbia University in New York City, where he earned a Master of Science degree in June 1915. He help fit out the new submarine , which was commissioned on 15 August 1915, and was promoted to lieutenant on 29 August 1916. He was its commander until June 1917, when he left to become an instructor in mechanical engineering on the submarine tender at the Naval Submarine Base New London. In January 1918, with the United States now involved in World War I, Carter was assigned to the staff of the commander of US Naval Forces in Europe, Rear Admiral William S. Sims, as an expert on submarine detection devices.

Between the wars

After the Armistice of 11 November 1918 that ended the war, Carter returned to the United States. From January to August 1919, he was the engineer officer on the battleship . He was the assigned to the Norfolk Navy Yard. He had held the temporary rank of lieutenant commander during the war, and this became substantive on 1 January 1921. In June 1922, he became the executive officer of the cargo ship . He then served as executive office of the battleship from September 1923 and to January 1925.

Carter served afloat with the Brazilian Navy as part of the US Naval Mission to Brazil from February 1925 until December 1926. He was promoted to commander on 4 June 1925. Then followed duty ashore in the Office of Naval Intelligence in Washington, D.C. and at the Naval Station Norfolk in Virginia and Naval Air Station Pensacola in Florida.

Following the usual pattern of duty afloat alternating with duty ashore, he commanded the destroyer in the Atlantic from September 1927 until June 1929 and then spent two years as an instructor in the Department of Engineering and Aeronautics at the Naval Academy. He commanded the hydrographic survey vessel in the Caribbean Sea from July 1931 to May 1933 and then returned to the Naval Norfolk, Virginia as its executive officer from February 1934 until September 1936.

Carter commanded the destroyer from October 1936 to April 1938, and the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba from June 1938 until August 1940, with the rank of captain from 1 February 1937. His next assignment was as commander of Submarine Squadron 4 and the submarine base at Pearl Harborin the Territory of Hawaii. In January 1941, he became Chief of Staff and Aide to the Commander, Battleships, Battle Force, Rear Admiral Walter S. Anderson.

World War II

His experience commanding naval bases led to his first active assignment in World War II in October 1942, as commander of the Navy's advanced base in the South Pacific Area. In June 1943, he went to the North Pacific Area, where he oversaw logistical arrangements for the Aleutian Islands campaign. In October, he organised Service Squadron Ten, which provided logistical support for the naval forces in the Gilbert and Marshall Islands campaign.

As the aircraft carriers of Task Force 58 moved forward, so too did Service Squadron Ten, displacing to Eniwetok to support the Mariana and Palau Islands campaign, to Ulithi to support the Philippines campaign, and Leyte for the Volcano and Ryūkyū Islands campaign, flying his flag on the barracks ship . He was promoted to the wartime rank of commodore on 1 June 1944.

For his services, Carter was awarded the Legion of Merit. His citation read:

He was also awarded the Navy Distinguished Service Medal. His citation read:

On 31 July 1945, Carter was relieved as commander of Service Squadron Ten. His final assignment was in the Bureau of Naval Personnel, with the Board of Medals and Awards. He left active duty on 8 December 1946.

Later life

Carter was promoted to rear admiral on his retirement from the Navy on 21 February 1947 but returned to active duty in May 1949 to write about wartime logistics. He produced two book on the subject, about logistics in the Pacific in ''Beans, Bullets, and Black Oil'' (1953) and in the Atlantic in ''Ships, Salvage, and Sinews of War'' (1954), which he co-wrote. He died at Portsmouth Naval Hospital on 21 July 1975. He was survived by a sister, a son and a daughter.

Dates of rank

Bibliography

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Carter, Worrall Reed
1885 births
1975 deaths
People born at sea
United States Navy commodores
United States Navy personnel of World War I
United States Navy personnel of World War II
Recipients of the Legion of Merit
United States Naval Academy alumni
Columbia University alumni
Burials in Virginia
American naval historians