Momsen (DDG 92) - Naval Cruise Book

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Momsen continued to distinguish himself during World War II in both the surface and subsurface Na ies. He as responsible for the destruction of thousands of tons of hostile shipping. His achie ements include commanding groups of attack submarines in the East China Sea. whjile doing so he de ised and implemented U.S. Navy Wolf Pack tactics, sinking man thousands of tons of Japanese shipping. As Commander. Submarine Squadron Two. he identified and corrected a significant flaw in U.S. Navy torpedo detonators, greatly improving their wartime performance. During the final year of the war, he commanded the battleship USS SOUTH DAKOTA in the Pacific Theater The battleship made numerous attacks on the Japanese homeland and supported the assault on Okinawa. B K ,« S ' Vi L flP F ' Bpt H H From 1945-1951 Rear Admiral Momsen administered the Japanese Merchant Marine, was Commandant of the Nav al Operating Base at Guam, serv ed on the Navy ' s General Board and was Assistant Chief of Nav al Operations for Undersea Warfare. In May 1 95 1 . he took command of the Submarine Force. Pacific Fleet and held that position until June 1 953, when he became Commandant of the First Nav al District. During this period, he conceived and designed USS ALB.4C0RE. a rev olutionarv ' nevs submarine that became the basis for modem submarine design. For his final tour. Vice Admiral Momsen serv ed as Commander, Joint Task Force Seven. He retired with a meritorious promotion to Vice Admiral (Three Stars) September 1 955, based on his combat awards. He died on May 25. 1 967. VADM Momsen s awards include: the Nav y Cross; the Distinguished Serv ice Medal, Nav y; the Distinguished Serv ice Medal. Army; the Legion of Ment with two Gold Stars and Combat V ; the Commendation Ribbon with Combat V ; the World War 1 Victory Medal, Escort Clasp; the American Defense Sen ice Medal. Fleet Clasp; the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal; the American Campaign Medal; the World War II Victory Medal; the Navy Occupation Serv ice Medal, Asia Clasp; the National Defense Sen, ice Medal; and the Philippine Liberation Ribbon w ith one bronze star.

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Perhaps his most note worthy achievcmcin. LCDR Momsen ' s most dramatic professional test occurred in the hours tbllow ing the sini ing of USS SOUALUS(SS-192) in 240 feet of water off New Hampshire ' s Isles of Shoals on May 23. 1 939. He and the rescue ship USS FALCON rushed to save the 33 imprisoned survivors. Thirty-nine hours later, in the first ever submarine rescue attempt . ail surviving crewmembers were safely brought to the surface in a rescue chamber that Momsen had developed. For the next 113 days, LCDR Momsen superv ised the salvage of USS SQUALUS. which v as returned to Portsmouth Na y Shipyard for repair and re- commissioned as USS S.MLFISH.

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In the begining... Construction of a Warship Naming of a Warship On September 19, 2000, Secretarx ' of the Navy, the Honorable Richard Danzig, announced the decision to name the 42 ship of the Arleigh Burke class of guided missile destroyers. MOMSEN. The name MOMSEN honors retired Vice Admiral Charles Bow ers Swede Momsen. best know for his efforts in the successfijj rescue of 33 crewmembers and the subsequent salvage of submarine USS SQU.A.LUS after sinking in 240 feet of water in May 1 939. The ship was constructed at Bath Iron Works (BIW) in Bath, Maine. BUIT BY BATH RON WORKS A GD«AL DYNAMICS COMPANY