Des Moines (CA 134) - Naval Cruise Book

Page 11 text:

CAPT William Heald Groverman Commanding Officer The ultimate responsibility of the USS Des Moines lies upon this one man--her Commanding Officer. In his hands lies the destiny and well being of every man aboard his ship. Captain Groverman has been groomed for his assignment as Skipper of the USS Des Moines by a distinguished career that goes back to his graduation from the U. S. Naval Academy in 1932. His first assignment was to the USS Saratoga, soon to be followed by the USS Mississippi, a showpiece of tlie pre-war Navy. In 1934 he was assigned to a small combatant, the USS Yarnall. Prior to Peari Harbor he was assigned to the USS Charleston and the USS Wicks. After Pearl Harbor, Captain Groverman became Executive Officer of the destroy- er Radford, In the battle of Kula Gulf in the Solomon Islands, the Radford was active in the destruction of a Japanese cruiser and destroyers. The Radford also rescued survivors of the cruiser Helena, for which Captain Groverman received the Silver Star and the Presidential Unit Citation. In 1943 he assumed his first command, the USS Phillip, at Guadalcanal. During this command he received his second Silver Star in the action Vella LaVella. After serving on the Staff, Commander Destroyers, U. S. Atlantic Fleet, for which he received a Bronze Star, Captain Groverman was made Commanding Of- ficer of the USS DeHaven. He was awarded his second Bronze Star when he led an attack on Japanese shipping in Sagaimi Wan, Japan. After World War H he served as Head of the Undersea Warfare Branch of the Office of Naval Research. During the Korean conflict ' he assumed command of Destroyer Division 122, during which he received his third Bronze Star. In 1952 he became Operational Readliness Officer on the Staff of the Commander in Chief, U. S. Atlantic Fleet. Prior to taking command of the USS Des Moines, Captain Groverman served as Commanding officer of the USS Mississinewa.

Page 10 text:

VADM Charles Randell Brown COMSIXTHFLT The U. S. Sixth Fleet is his; it is his responsibility and his pride. The USS Des Moines serves as his flagshi{i, allowing him to keep an alert eye on his fleet. Affectionately nicknamed Cat , Admiral Brown has amassed an enviable re- cord since his graduation from the U. S. Naval Academy in 1921. Afterserving on his first ships, the USS Arkansas and the USS Columbia, he was assigned to the USS Langley. He then took flight training to become a Naval Aviator at Pensacola. Following duty with Aircraft Squadrons and Fighter Squadron 6, Aircraft Squadrons Battle Fleet based on the USS Saratoga, he returned to shore duty in the Bureau of Aeronautics of the Navy Department, and then in the Ad- ministration Section of the Bureau of Navigation. After returning to sea as Commanding Officer of the minesweeper USS Gannet, he served with squadrons attached to the USS Wright and the USS San Francisco. After a year of instruction at the Naval War College, he returned to the Naval Air Station at Pensacola. In 1939 he joined the USS Saratoga as Carrier Air Group Commander, then as Air Officer. After Pearl Harbor he returned to the United States for duty at the Headquart- ers of the Commander in Chief, U. S. Fleet, Navy Department. At the end of 1943 he took command of the newly outfitted escort carrier, USS Kalinin Bay, and received the Bronze Star with Combat V for his share on the assault on the southern Marianas Islands. Admiral Brown was then made Chief of Staff to the Commander Carrier Division One and participated in the sea-air battle of Leyte Gulf in October, 1944, for which he received the Legion of Merit with Com- bat V . He next assumed command of the giant USS Hornet. After World War II he had duty as the Head of Naval Division of the Air Uni- versity at Maxwell Field, Montgomery, Alabama. A year and a half later he was ordered to the Staff of the Naval War College t Newport, Rhode Island, where he was promoted to the Chief of Staff to the President of the College. After two years as Deputy Director of the Joint American Military Advisory Group, London, England, he assumed command of Carrier Division Six. Thereafter he was or- dered to duty in the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Navy Department, where he became Deputy Director of the Joint Strategic Plans Group, the Joint Staff Office, Joint Chiefs of Staff, Washington, D.C. After serving as Deputy Commander in Chief, Atlantic Fleet and Chief of Staff, Admiral Brown assumed, his present duties as Commander Sixth Fleet and as NATO Commander Naval Striking and support Forces, Southern Europe. The excellenceof Vice Admiral Brown ' s record has been acknowledged by his forthcoming promotion to full Admiral.

Page 12 text:

A princess smiles invitingly within her house of flowers. Fair dame, what treacherous bee has stung thy frame? (Shakespeare) A spangle of colors - floral orange, red, and green adorns a Nicoise parade beside the sea. A lovely, fur-draped belle.