Paul X. Rinn
Encyclopedia
Captain Paul X. Rinn, USN (Ret.), was the first Commanding officer
of the and was in command when the ship struck a mine in the Persian Gulf
on April 14, 1988.
graduating in 1964. He then attended Marist College
graduating in 1968.
River and was involved in combat on land. He was the weapons officer on , a . He graduated from the Naval War College
with distinction in 1981. He then served as executive officer
on , another Knox- class frigate. Rinn was chief staff officer of Destroyer Squadron 36.
As a Commander
, he was selected to command Samuel B. Roberts and was involved in her construction at Bath Iron Works
as early as fall 1984. She was commissioned April 12, 1986 with Rinn commanding. Only months after the mining of FFG-58, he turned over Samuel B. Roberts to CDR John Townes III on June 20, 1988 at the end of his tour as previously planned.
Following his tour on Samuel B. Roberts, he headed up the navy's ship survivability program. Later, he was promoted to Captain and served as an assistant to the navy's surface warfare chief. In 1994 he commanded , a named for the battle in which was sunk. He deployed to the Persian Gulf
on Leyte Gulf and received the United States Navy League's John Paul Jones Leadership Award. Following his tour on CG-55, he served as special assistant to the Chief of Naval Operations
. After being passed over twice for promotion to Rear Admiral
, Rinn retired in 1997. He then took an executive position at a consulting firm in the Washington D.C. area. Rinn was recently inducted into the Surface Warfare Hall of Fame.
Commanding officer
The commanding officer is the officer in command of a military unit. Typically, the commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitude to run the unit as he sees fit, within the bounds of military law...
of the and was in command when the ship struck a mine in the Persian Gulf
Persian Gulf
The Persian Gulf, in Southwest Asia, is an extension of the Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.The Persian Gulf was the focus of the 1980–1988 Iran-Iraq War, in which each side attacked the other's oil tankers...
on April 14, 1988.
Background
Rinn was born in the Bronx in 1946. His father was a law school graduate and his mother was a grade school teacher. His older brother Greg was also a naval officer and inspired Rinn to follow in his footsteps. He attended an all-boys Roman Catholic high school in the Bronx Mount Saint Michael AcademyMount Saint Michael Academy
Mount Saint Michael Academy, also known as The Mount, is an all-boys Roman Catholic High School in the northeast part of the Bronx, New York, on the Mount Vernon city line, . The 22-acre campus is a non-boarding college preparatory school for some 1,100 boys grades 6 through 12...
graduating in 1964. He then attended Marist College
Marist College
Marist College is a private liberal arts college on the east bank of the Hudson River near Poughkeepsie, New York. The site was established in 1905 by Marist Brothers, and the college was chartered in 1929...
graduating in 1968.
Career
Rinn received his commission in 1968 through the navy's Reserve Officer Candidate program. He served on , a more than 20 years old at the time. In the early 1970s, Rinn worked as a counter insurgency adviser and military trainer along the MekongMekong
The Mekong is a river that runs through China, Burma, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. It is the world's 10th-longest river and the 7th-longest in Asia. Its estimated length is , and it drains an area of , discharging of water annually....
River and was involved in combat on land. He was the weapons officer on , a . He graduated from the Naval War College
Naval War College
The Naval War College is an education and research institution of the United States Navy that specializes in developing ideas for naval warfare and passing them along to officers of the Navy. The college is located on the grounds of Naval Station Newport in Newport, Rhode Island...
with distinction in 1981. He then served as executive officer
Executive officer
An executive officer is generally a person responsible for running an organization, although the exact nature of the role varies depending on the organization.-Administrative law:...
on , another Knox- class frigate. Rinn was chief staff officer of Destroyer Squadron 36.
As a Commander
Commander
Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...
, he was selected to command Samuel B. Roberts and was involved in her construction at Bath Iron Works
Bath Iron Works
Bath Iron Works is a major American shipyard located on the Kennebec River in Bath, Maine, United States. Since its founding in 1884 , BIW has built private, commercial and military vessels, most of which have been ordered by the United States Navy...
as early as fall 1984. She was commissioned April 12, 1986 with Rinn commanding. Only months after the mining of FFG-58, he turned over Samuel B. Roberts to CDR John Townes III on June 20, 1988 at the end of his tour as previously planned.
Following his tour on Samuel B. Roberts, he headed up the navy's ship survivability program. Later, he was promoted to Captain and served as an assistant to the navy's surface warfare chief. In 1994 he commanded , a named for the battle in which was sunk. He deployed to the Persian Gulf
Persian Gulf
The Persian Gulf, in Southwest Asia, is an extension of the Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.The Persian Gulf was the focus of the 1980–1988 Iran-Iraq War, in which each side attacked the other's oil tankers...
on Leyte Gulf and received the United States Navy League's John Paul Jones Leadership Award. Following his tour on CG-55, he served as special assistant to the Chief of Naval Operations
Chief of Naval Operations
The Chief of Naval Operations is a statutory office held by a four-star admiral in the United States Navy, and is the most senior uniformed officer assigned to serve in the Department of the Navy. The office is a military adviser and deputy to the Secretary of the Navy...
. After being passed over twice for promotion to Rear Admiral
Rear admiral (United States)
Rear admiral is a naval commissioned officer rank above that of a commodore and captain, and below that of a vice admiral. The uniformed services of the United States are unique in having two grades of rear admirals.- Rear admiral :...
, Rinn retired in 1997. He then took an executive position at a consulting firm in the Washington D.C. area. Rinn was recently inducted into the Surface Warfare Hall of Fame.