Harry Hubbard
Encyclopedia
Harry Enson Hubbard was an officer in the United States Navy
.
in June 1925, served 3 years in battleship
, then qualified in submarine
s at New London, Connecticut
. Following duty in submarine S-34
, he completed Naval Academy postgraduate work, then served in submarine tender , and, was executive officer of destroyer
. He served at the Naval Torpedo Station at Newport, Rhode Island
then commanded destroyer 1939 to 1940, before assignment as staff gunnery officer for destroyers in the Atlantic. The latter duty terminated 1 March 1942 when Hubbard took command of destroyer .
In command of Meredith, Hubbard helped screen carrier off Japan
for the famed Doolittle bombing raids
on Tokyo
18 April 1942. Thereafter he conned his destroyer on-arduous patrol and escort from Hawaii
to the Samoa
n, Fiji
, and Solomon Islands
. His destroyer helped cover transports landing reinforcements on bitterly contested Guadalcanal
18 September 1942.
During the Solomons Campaign, Hubbard joined in maintaining the lifeline of supplies to fighting men holding their ground on Guadalcanal. On 15 October 1942 he fought his ship against Japanese carrier-based scouting planes, then fought off 18 Japanese dive bombers and 12 torpedo planes launched by Japanese aircraft carrier Zuikaku
. His gunners shot down five of the attackers, all the destroyermen following the example of Hubbard who carried on the fight though blinded by burns about his face. When his men had cleared the bridge, he abandoned the sinking Meredith scant moments before she made her final plunge. He perished on a life raft at sea the morning of 16 October 1942.
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...
.
Biography
Born in Baltimore, Maryland, Hubbard graduated from the United States Naval AcademyUnited States Naval Academy
The United States Naval Academy is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located in Annapolis, Maryland, United States...
in June 1925, served 3 years in battleship
Battleship
A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of heavy caliber guns. Battleships were larger, better armed and armored than cruisers and destroyers. As the largest armed ships in a fleet, battleships were used to attain command of the sea and represented the apex of a...
, then qualified in submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
s at New London, Connecticut
New London, Connecticut
New London is a seaport city and a port of entry on the northeast coast of the United States.It is located at the mouth of the Thames River in New London County, southeastern Connecticut....
. Following duty in submarine S-34
USS S-34 (SS-139)
USS S-34 was an S-class submarine of the United States Navy.S-34 was laid down on 28 May 1918 by the Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation in San Francisco, California. She was launched on 13 February 1919 sponsored by Miss Florence Hellman, and commissioned on 12 July 1922 with Lieutenant Elroy L...
, he completed Naval Academy postgraduate work, then served in submarine tender , and, was executive officer of destroyer
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
. He served at the Naval Torpedo Station at Newport, Rhode Island
Newport, Rhode Island
Newport is a city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States, about south of Providence. Known as a New England summer resort and for the famous Newport Mansions, it is the home of Salve Regina University and Naval Station Newport which houses the United States Naval War...
then commanded destroyer 1939 to 1940, before assignment as staff gunnery officer for destroyers in the Atlantic. The latter duty terminated 1 March 1942 when Hubbard took command of destroyer .
In command of Meredith, Hubbard helped screen carrier off Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
for the famed Doolittle bombing raids
Doolittle Raid
The Doolittle Raid, on 18 April 1942, was the first air raid by the United States to strike the Japanese Home Islands during World War II. By demonstrating that Japan itself was vulnerable to American air attack, it provided a vital morale boost and opportunity for U.S. retaliation after the...
on Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
18 April 1942. Thereafter he conned his destroyer on-arduous patrol and escort from Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
to the Samoa
Samoa
Samoa , officially the Independent State of Samoa, formerly known as Western Samoa is a country encompassing the western part of the Samoan Islands in the South Pacific Ocean. It became independent from New Zealand in 1962. The two main islands of Samoa are Upolu and one of the biggest islands in...
n, Fiji
Fiji
Fiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...
, and Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands is a sovereign state in Oceania, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands. It covers a land mass of . The capital, Honiara, is located on the island of Guadalcanal...
. His destroyer helped cover transports landing reinforcements on bitterly contested Guadalcanal
Guadalcanal
Guadalcanal is a tropical island in the South-Western Pacific. The largest island in the Solomons, it was discovered by the Spanish expedition of Alvaro de Mendaña in 1568...
18 September 1942.
During the Solomons Campaign, Hubbard joined in maintaining the lifeline of supplies to fighting men holding their ground on Guadalcanal. On 15 October 1942 he fought his ship against Japanese carrier-based scouting planes, then fought off 18 Japanese dive bombers and 12 torpedo planes launched by Japanese aircraft carrier Zuikaku
Japanese aircraft carrier Zuikaku
Zuikaku was a Shōkaku-class aircraft carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy. Her complement of aircraft took part in the attack on Pearl Harbor that formally brought the United States into the Pacific War, and she fought in several of the most important naval battles of the war, finally being sunk...
. His gunners shot down five of the attackers, all the destroyermen following the example of Hubbard who carried on the fight though blinded by burns about his face. When his men had cleared the bridge, he abandoned the sinking Meredith scant moments before she made her final plunge. He perished on a life raft at sea the morning of 16 October 1942.