David Sinton Ingalls
Encyclopedia
David Sinton Ingalls, DSC
and DFC
(28 January 1899, Cleveland, Ohio
- 26 April 1985, Chagrin Falls, Ohio
) was the only United States Navy
Flying Ace
of World War I
, with six credited victories; thus he was the first ace in U. S. Navy history. He was the son of Albert S. Ingalls; his mother, Jane Taft, was the niece of President
William Howard Taft
. He was the grandson of railroad executive Melville E. Ingalls
. He was the great-grandson of industrialist David Sinton
, for whom he was named.
in Cleveland, and later attended St. Paul's
. He entered Yale
in 1916, where he studied as a medical student (he would eventually graduate in 1920 with a BA
in English) and joined the First Yale Unit
. As such, Ingalls became a member of the US Naval Reserve Flying Corps
and by 1917 had obtained his pilot's license.
. On 3 June he was sent to Huntington
, Long Island, New York for more training. His training was completed on 1 September 1917 and he was made a Lieutenant (Junior Grade.)
Ingalls arrived in Paris on 12 September 1917 and was sent to report to the Commander of United States Naval Forces Operating in European waters in London
on 10 December 1917 and was sent to the RFC training facility at RAF Gosport from 13 December 1917 until February 1918. From there he was sent to the RFC Station in Ayr
for squadron formation flying. On completion of this course, he was sent to Paris and arrived in Dunkirk on 18 March 1918. From Dunkirk he was sent to Clermont
for a course in flying day bombing and gunnery. He arrived back in Dunkirk on 2 July, where he was attached to 213 Squadron
of the Royal Air Force
.
and flew Sopwith Camels in attacks on German
submarine bases. He was temporarily reassigned to No. 17 Naval Squadron for experience flying bombers, between April and August 1918. Once back with 213 Squadron, Ingalls began his victories. On 11 August 1918 Ingalls, along with his flight leader Colin Peter Brown
, shot down a German observation plane behind enemy lines. Two days later he was involved in a surprise attack on a German aerodrome, which destroyed thirty-eight planes. On 21 August, Ingalls shared a win over an LVG
two-seater with Brown and fellow ace George Stacey Hodson
.
On 15 September, he destroyed a Rumpler
in company with fellow ace Harry Smith. Three days later, he teamed with Smith and Hodson to become a balloon buster
. Two days after that, Ingalls lost his engine and knew he had to crash land. As he was descending to land, he saw a woman sitting in a field smoking a pipe. He had never seen a woman smoking a pipe, so he tried to land in that field. Then his engine kicked back in and he was able to fly again. But by now he was well behind enemy lines. As a result, he was able to come at the Germans from behind and he destroyed a Fokker D.VII
to become an ace. On a later attack on a German aerodrome Ingalls destroyed more planes. On his way back to base, on 24 September 1918, he spotted a German observation plane, which was shot down by himself and Hodson. His last flight of the war came on 3 October 1918. The following day, he headed home and was awarded the Navy Distinguished Service Medal
for exceptionally and meritorious Service as chase pilot operating with No. 213 Squadron RAF
while attached to the Northern Bombing Group. Ingalls was also decorated by Great Britain with the Distinguished Flying Cross
and by France with the Legion of Honour. On 1 January 1919 he was also Mentioned in Despatches by the British. He was released from the military on 2 January 1919.
and revived an LLD from Harvard in 1923. After graduating he joined Squire, Sanders & Dempsey as an associate. In 1926 he was elected to the Ohio General Assembly
, where he co-sponsored the Ohio Aviation Code. Ingalls also served as a member of the Ohio House of Representatives
from 1927 to 1929. He was a good friend of Jack Towers, who recommended Ingalls the job as Assistant Secretary of the Navy (AIR)
. He asked Newton Baker, a friend of his father to recommend him to Herbert Hoover. The recommendation was a success and he got the job in early 1929. He became a good friend of Herbert Hoover
, who invited him to the White House
and to his camp. Fellow Bonesman F. Trubee Davison
would often accompany them. On his way home in his plane from Washington
in June 1929 Ingalls crashed his plane into a fence, but was unharmed. As Assistant Secretary he tripled the number of naval aircraft and pushed for a fully deployable carrier task force. In 1932 he made an unsuccessful campaign to become Governor of Ohio. He left in 1933 to become director of the Cleveland's Department of Public Health and Welfare.
In the mid 1930's Ingalls was appointed a lieutenant commander in the Naval Reserves. He was made Vice President and General Manager of Pan Am Air Ferries in 1941. After the attack on Pearl Harbor
by the Japanese
he helped develop the Naval Air Station at Honolulu; and ended up reporting for duty. In 1943 he became Chief of Staff for the Forward Area Air Center Command and later Commander of the Pearl Harbor Naval Air Station.
, he became a director of Pan Am World Airways and managed Robert A. Taft's campaign to be the Republican nominee for president in 1952. In 1954 he became President and publisher of the Cincinnati Times-Star and Vice Chairman of the now defunct Taft Broadcasting Company. He left the Cincinnati Times-Star in 1958 to practice law.
Ingalls was a friend of the aviator, Charles Lindbergh
whom he helped solve navigation and communication problems in charting new air routes to the east for Pan Am.
He was a director of the Cleveland Trust Company; director of South Eleuthera Properties; Vice President of Virginia Hot Springs, Inc.; President of the Central Eyebank for Sight Restoration; trustee of Laurel School and an honorary trustee of the Young Men's Christian Association.
In organizations, Ingalls was a member of the American Legion
, Chagrin Valley Hunt Club, Freemasons, Jekyll Island Club, Kirtland Country Club, Pepper Pike Club of Pepper Pike, Queen City Club of Cincinnati, River Club of New York, Skull and Bones
and the Union Club of Cleveland.
Ingalls was sportsman and a co-owner of two quail plantations, Ring Oak Plantation
and Foshalee Plantation
, whom he shared with Robert Livingston Ireland, Jr.
The Ingalls Rink
used for hockey at Yale University is named after David Ingalls as well as his son, David S. Ingalls, Jr.
Distinguished Service Cross (United States)
The Distinguished Service Cross is the second highest military decoration that can be awarded to a member of the United States Army, for extreme gallantry and risk of life in actual combat with an armed enemy force. Actions that merit the Distinguished Service Cross must be of such a high degree...
and DFC
Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)
The Distinguished Flying Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force and other services, and formerly to officers of other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active operations against...
(28 January 1899, Cleveland, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
- 26 April 1985, Chagrin Falls, Ohio
Chagrin Falls, Ohio
Chagrin Falls is a village in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. It is a suburb of Cleveland in the Northeast Ohio region, the 14th largest Combined Statistical Area nationwide. The village was established and has grown around a natural waterfall on the Chagrin River. As of the 2010 census,...
) was the only United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
Flying Ace
Flying ace
A flying ace or fighter ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down several enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The actual number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an "ace" has varied, but is usually considered to be five or more...
of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, with six credited victories; thus he was the first ace in U. S. Navy history. He was the son of Albert S. Ingalls; his mother, Jane Taft, was the niece of President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
William Howard Taft
William Howard Taft
William Howard Taft was the 27th President of the United States and later the tenth Chief Justice of the United States...
. He was the grandson of railroad executive Melville E. Ingalls
Melville E. Ingalls
Melville Ezra Ingalls , commonly abbreviated M.E. Ingalls, was a Massachusetts state legislator who went on to become president of the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad .-Career:...
. He was the great-grandson of industrialist David Sinton
David Sinton
David Sinton was a pig-iron industrialist, born in County Armagh, Ireland, who became one of the wealthiest men in America....
, for whom he was named.
Education
Ingalls received his secondary education at the University SchoolUniversity School
University School, commonly referred to as US, is an all-boys K - 12 school with two campus locations in the Greater Cleveland, Ohio area...
in Cleveland, and later attended St. Paul's
St. Paul's School (Concord, New Hampshire)
St. Paul's School is a highly selective college-preparatory, coeducational boarding school in Concord, New Hampshire affiliated with the Episcopal Church. The school is one of only six remaining 100% residential boarding schools in the U.S. The New Hampshire campus currently serves 533 students,...
. He entered Yale
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
in 1916, where he studied as a medical student (he would eventually graduate in 1920 with a BA
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in English) and joined the First Yale Unit
First Yale Unit
The First Yale Unit was started by then Yale sophomore F. Trubee Davison in 1915. The First Yale Unit is considered to be the first naval air reserve unit. Davison and 11 other Yale students were fascinated with the possibilities of aviation in general and of naval aviation specifically...
. As such, Ingalls became a member of the US Naval Reserve Flying Corps
United States Navy Reserve
The United States Navy Reserve, until 2005 known as the United States Naval Reserve, is the Reserve Component of the United States Navy...
and by 1917 had obtained his pilot's license.
Training Phase
On 26 March 1917 Ingalls was enlisted into Naval Aviation as Naval Aviator No. 85. He was called to active duty on 4 April 1917. Before heading to Europe, Ingalls received aviation training at West Palm Beach in FloridaFlorida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. On 3 June he was sent to Huntington
Huntington, New York
The Town of Huntington is one of ten towns in Suffolk County, New York, USA. Founded in 1653, it is located on the north shore of Long Island in northwestern Suffolk County, with Long Island Sound to its north and Nassau County adjacent to the west. Huntington is part of the New York metropolitan...
, Long Island, New York for more training. His training was completed on 1 September 1917 and he was made a Lieutenant (Junior Grade.)
Ingalls arrived in Paris on 12 September 1917 and was sent to report to the Commander of United States Naval Forces Operating in European waters in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
on 10 December 1917 and was sent to the RFC training facility at RAF Gosport from 13 December 1917 until February 1918. From there he was sent to the RFC Station in Ayr
Ayr
Ayr is a town and port situated on the Firth of Clyde in south-west Scotland. With a population of around 46,000, Ayr is the largest settlement in Ayrshire, of which it is the county town, and has held royal burgh status since 1205...
for squadron formation flying. On completion of this course, he was sent to Paris and arrived in Dunkirk on 18 March 1918. From Dunkirk he was sent to Clermont
Clermont
-In Canada:*Clermont, Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Quebec*Clermont, Capitale-Nationale, Quebec-In France:* Clermont, Ariège, in the Ariège département* Clermont, Haute-Savoie, in the Haute-Savoie département* Clermont, Landes, in the Landes département...
for a course in flying day bombing and gunnery. He arrived back in Dunkirk on 2 July, where he was attached to 213 Squadron
No. 213 Squadron RAF
No. 213 Squadron was a squadron of the Royal Air Force. The squadron was formed on 1 April 1918 from No. 13 Squadron of the Royal Naval Air Service...
of the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
.
Operational Activity
Ingalls was attached to the British 213 SquadronNo. 213 Squadron RAF
No. 213 Squadron was a squadron of the Royal Air Force. The squadron was formed on 1 April 1918 from No. 13 Squadron of the Royal Naval Air Service...
and flew Sopwith Camels in attacks on German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
submarine bases. He was temporarily reassigned to No. 17 Naval Squadron for experience flying bombers, between April and August 1918. Once back with 213 Squadron, Ingalls began his victories. On 11 August 1918 Ingalls, along with his flight leader Colin Peter Brown
Colin Brown (aviator)
Air Vice Marshal Colin Peter Brown began his military career as a flying ace in the Royal Naval Air Service during World War I, being credited with 14 aerial victories. He remained in the RAF postwar and served until invalided from the service on 15 March 1954.Colin Brown was educated at Dulwich...
, shot down a German observation plane behind enemy lines. Two days later he was involved in a surprise attack on a German aerodrome, which destroyed thirty-eight planes. On 21 August, Ingalls shared a win over an LVG
LVG
Luftverkehrsgesellschaft m.b.H. was a German aircraft manufacturer based in Berlin-Johannisthal, which began constructing aircraft in 1912, building Farman-type aircraft. The company constructed many reconnaissance and light bomber biplanes during World War I.The raid on London in 1916 was...
two-seater with Brown and fellow ace George Stacey Hodson
George Stacey Hodson
Air Vice Marshal George Stacey Hodson began his military career as an English World War I flying ace credited with 10 aerial victories. In the course of his 34 years service to his nation, he rose to become a major commander during World War II....
.
On 15 September, he destroyed a Rumpler
Rumpler
The Rumpler Tropfenwagen was a car developed by Austrian engineer Edmund Rumpler.Rumpler, born in Vienna, was a designer of aircraft when on the 1921's Berlin car show he introduced the Tropfenwagen. It was to be the first streamlined car . The Rumpler had a Cw-value of only 0.28...
in company with fellow ace Harry Smith. Three days later, he teamed with Smith and Hodson to become a balloon buster
Balloon buster
Balloon busters were military pilots known for destroying enemy observation balloons. These pilots were noted for their fearlessness. Seventy-six fighter pilots in World War I were each credited with destroying five or more balloons, and thus were balloon aces....
. Two days after that, Ingalls lost his engine and knew he had to crash land. As he was descending to land, he saw a woman sitting in a field smoking a pipe. He had never seen a woman smoking a pipe, so he tried to land in that field. Then his engine kicked back in and he was able to fly again. But by now he was well behind enemy lines. As a result, he was able to come at the Germans from behind and he destroyed a Fokker D.VII
Fokker D.VII
The Fokker D.VII was a German World War I fighter aircraft designed by Reinhold Platz of the Fokker-Flugzeugwerke. Germany produced around 3,300 D.VII aircraft in the summer and autumn of 1918. In service, the D.VII quickly proved itself to be a formidable aircraft...
to become an ace. On a later attack on a German aerodrome Ingalls destroyed more planes. On his way back to base, on 24 September 1918, he spotted a German observation plane, which was shot down by himself and Hodson. His last flight of the war came on 3 October 1918. The following day, he headed home and was awarded the Navy Distinguished Service Medal
Navy Distinguished Service Medal
The Navy Distinguished Service Medal is a military award of the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps which was first created in 1919. The decoration is the Navy and Marine Corps equivalent to the Army Distinguished Service Medal, the Air Force Distinguished Service Medal, and the Coast...
for exceptionally and meritorious Service as chase pilot operating with No. 213 Squadron RAF
No. 213 Squadron RAF
No. 213 Squadron was a squadron of the Royal Air Force. The squadron was formed on 1 April 1918 from No. 13 Squadron of the Royal Naval Air Service...
while attached to the Northern Bombing Group. Ingalls was also decorated by Great Britain with the Distinguished Flying Cross
Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)
The Distinguished Flying Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force and other services, and formerly to officers of other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active operations against...
and by France with the Legion of Honour. On 1 January 1919 he was also Mentioned in Despatches by the British. He was released from the military on 2 January 1919.
Post-war
Ingalls returned to YaleYALE
RapidMiner, formerly YALE , is an environment for machine learning, data mining, text mining, predictive analytics, and business analytics. It is used for research, education, training, rapid prototyping, application development, and industrial applications...
and revived an LLD from Harvard in 1923. After graduating he joined Squire, Sanders & Dempsey as an associate. In 1926 he was elected to the Ohio General Assembly
Ohio General Assembly
The Ohio General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Ohio. It consists of the 99-member Ohio House of Representatives and the 33-member Ohio Senate...
, where he co-sponsored the Ohio Aviation Code. Ingalls also served as a member of the Ohio House of Representatives
Ohio House of Representatives
The Ohio House of Representatives is the lower house of the Ohio General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Ohio; the other house of the bicameral legislature being the Ohio Senate....
from 1927 to 1929. He was a good friend of Jack Towers, who recommended Ingalls the job as Assistant Secretary of the Navy (AIR)
Assistant Secretary of the Navy (AIR)
The Assistant Secretary of the Navy was a civilian office of the United States Department of the Navy. The Assistant Secretary of the Navy initially reported to the Assistant Secretary of the Navy and later to the Under Secretary of the Navy....
. He asked Newton Baker, a friend of his father to recommend him to Herbert Hoover. The recommendation was a success and he got the job in early 1929. He became a good friend of Herbert Hoover
Herbert Hoover
Herbert Clark Hoover was the 31st President of the United States . Hoover was originally a professional mining engineer and author. As the United States Secretary of Commerce in the 1920s under Presidents Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge, he promoted partnerships between government and business...
, who invited him to the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
and to his camp. Fellow Bonesman F. Trubee Davison
F. Trubee Davison
Frederick Trubee Davison , usually known as F. Trubee Davison, or Trubee Davison, was an American World War I aviator, Assistant US Secretary of War, Director of Personnel for the Central Intelligence Agency, and President of the American Museum of Natural History.Davison was the brother-in-law of...
would often accompany them. On his way home in his plane from Washington
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
in June 1929 Ingalls crashed his plane into a fence, but was unharmed. As Assistant Secretary he tripled the number of naval aircraft and pushed for a fully deployable carrier task force. In 1932 he made an unsuccessful campaign to become Governor of Ohio. He left in 1933 to become director of the Cleveland's Department of Public Health and Welfare.
In the mid 1930's Ingalls was appointed a lieutenant commander in the Naval Reserves. He was made Vice President and General Manager of Pan Am Air Ferries in 1941. After the attack on Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...
by the Japanese
Empire of Japan
The Empire of Japan is the name of the state of Japan that existed from the Meiji Restoration on 3 January 1868 to the enactment of the post-World War II Constitution of...
he helped develop the Naval Air Station at Honolulu; and ended up reporting for duty. In 1943 he became Chief of Staff for the Forward Area Air Center Command and later Commander of the Pearl Harbor Naval Air Station.
Other interests
On his return to OhioOhio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, he became a director of Pan Am World Airways and managed Robert A. Taft's campaign to be the Republican nominee for president in 1952. In 1954 he became President and publisher of the Cincinnati Times-Star and Vice Chairman of the now defunct Taft Broadcasting Company. He left the Cincinnati Times-Star in 1958 to practice law.
Ingalls was a friend of the aviator, Charles Lindbergh
Charles Lindbergh
Charles Augustus Lindbergh was an American aviator, author, inventor, explorer, and social activist.Lindbergh, a 25-year-old U.S...
whom he helped solve navigation and communication problems in charting new air routes to the east for Pan Am.
He was a director of the Cleveland Trust Company; director of South Eleuthera Properties; Vice President of Virginia Hot Springs, Inc.; President of the Central Eyebank for Sight Restoration; trustee of Laurel School and an honorary trustee of the Young Men's Christian Association.
In organizations, Ingalls was a member of the American Legion
American Legion
The American Legion is a mutual-aid organization of veterans of the United States armed forces chartered by the United States Congress. It was founded to benefit those veterans who served during a wartime period as defined by Congress...
, Chagrin Valley Hunt Club, Freemasons, Jekyll Island Club, Kirtland Country Club, Pepper Pike Club of Pepper Pike, Queen City Club of Cincinnati, River Club of New York, Skull and Bones
Skull and Bones
Skull and Bones is an undergraduate senior or secret society at Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut. It is a traditional peer society to Scroll and Key and Wolf's Head, as the three senior class 'landed societies' at Yale....
and the Union Club of Cleveland.
Ingalls was sportsman and a co-owner of two quail plantations, Ring Oak Plantation
Ring Oak Plantation
Ring Oak Plantation is a large quail hunting plantation located in northeast Leon County, Florida.- Origins :Ring Oak originally was the land of antebellum cotton plantations Blakely Plantation and Ingleside Plantation....
and Foshalee Plantation
Foshalee Plantation
Foshalee Plantation was a large quail hunting plantation located in northern Leon County, Florida, United States.First called Incochee, it was purchased in 1824 by Hezekiah and Ann Graham Ponder. Hezekiah and Ann are buried in a cemetery near U.S. 319....
, whom he shared with Robert Livingston Ireland, Jr.
Robert Livingston Ireland, Jr.
Robert Livingston Ireland, Jr. was a businessman from Cleveland, Ohio, United States.- Education :...
The Ingalls Rink
Ingalls Rink
David S. Ingalls Rink is a hockey rink in New Haven, CT designed by architect Eero Saarinen and built between 1953 and 1958 for Yale University. It is commonly referred to as The Whale, due to its appearance. The rink stands at the intersection of Prospect and Sachem Streets. The building was...
used for hockey at Yale University is named after David Ingalls as well as his son, David S. Ingalls, Jr.