Gilbert Corwin Hoover (July 25, 1894 – January 8, 1980) was a United States Naval officer from 1916 to 1947. He served in both world wars, was involved in the early stages of the development of the Atomic Bomb, and managed the Atomic Energy Commission's Boulder facility as a civilian contractor. He was awarded the Navy Cross three times.[1]
Early life
Hoover was born on July 25, 1894, in Columbus, Ohio to Fredrick Maynard Hoover (1868–1930[2]) and Eliza Florence Kinnear Hoover (1876–1955[3]).[4] His parents came from prominent families, and had ancestors from Kingston upon Hull in the United Kingdom.[citation needed] Due to his love of the ocean Hoover attended the United States Naval Academy and graduated in the Class of 1916.[citation needed]
Military service
World War I
After graduation Hoover was assigned to the battleship USS Wyoming (BB-32), which was undergoing dockyard work in New York, around March, 1916.[5]Wyoming returned to service on June26 and was involved in maneuvers off the Virginia Capes for the remainder of the year.
Hoover was promoted to Lieutenant on January 2, 1918.[7] After months of drilling, Wyoming escorted a convoy to Stavanger, Norway, patrolled the North Sea, and covered a minelaying operation.[8] During this time there were multiple false reports of U-boat sightings. Wyoming became Rear Admiral Hugh Rodman's flagship after USS New York (BB-34) was damaged hitting a U-boat. On November21 Wyoming and 370 other warships rendezvoused with the German High Seas Fleet and accepted its surrender. Afterwards she joined the SS George Washington, which was carrying president Woodrow Wilson to the Paris Peace Conference, along with nine other battleships and 28 destroyers off Brest, France. Wyoming then returned to Britain, sailing on to New York on December25. In a roster from December 26, Hoover is listed as having been in European waters for 12 months.[9]
On October1, 1941 Hoover's signal number was 632.[11] He was commander of Destroyer Division 25, part of Destroyer Squadron 13 led by Captain L.H. Thebaud and Lt.Cmdr. H.C. Robinson. Division 25 included USS Woolsey (DD-437) (flagship), USS Ludlow (DD-438), USS Edison (DD-439), and USS Bristol (DD-453). Squadron 13 was part of Flotilla 3, which in October was part of Task Force Four of the Atlantic Fleet.[12][13]
As a result of the night action off Guadalcanal (12-13 November 1942) only six of the thirteen U.S. Navy ships involved were able to steam away under their own power. The six included Helena. By dawn, these survivors had been gathered together by the senior surviving officer, Captain Hoover, in the southeast end of Indispensable Strait. In Captain Hoover's preliminary action report to Vice Admiral William F. Halsey, Commander, South Pacific, Hoover stated that he was concerned that radio emissions might disclose the location of the ships, so he sent the report over to the USS O'Bannon and ordered her north of San Cristobal Island to transmit it by radio. Captain Hoover then turned the five ships south of San Cristobal and, in a loose formation, headed for Espiritu Santo. In the southeast end of Indispensable Strait the USS Juneau was torpedoed by the Japanese submarine I-26. Having received reports that three more Japanese submarines lurked along his route and with a submarine present in his area Hoover made the decision to not search for survivors of the USS Juneau, thereby abandoning 100 survivors, of which only ten survived.[16] Hoover was left with Helena and the USS San Francisco, which was in shambles, and two destroyers, the USS Sterett DD-407 and USS Fletcher DD-445. The Sterett's sonar was out of commission leaving the Fletcher as Hoover's only effective ASW ship. Hoover sent a signal to an overhead USAAF bomber to ask ComSoPac (Halsey) to rescue Juneau's survivors. The message was reportedly never received by Halsey. Admiral William Halsey, angered by Hoover's decision, had Captain Hoover removed from command, effectively ending his career. Halsey later expressed regret about his hasty decision to remove Hoover, but the damage had been done.
Flag in St. Michael's with names of Task Force 17 ships
Later life
Hoover retired from the navy in 1947.[17] In 1951 he returned to government service as a civilian official at the Atomic Energy Commission's (AEC) Sandia Base in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Following this he became manager of the AEC's facility in Boulder, Colorado. He returned to Bristol in 1956.[18] Hoover died on January10, 1980 at the Hattie Ida Chaffee Nursing Home in East Providence, Rhode Island at the age of 85.[citation needed]
