United States Merchant Marine Academy - Midships Yearbook (Kings Point, NY)

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Dwight D. Eisenhower PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES

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CADET-MIDSHIPMAN FRANCIS A. DALES Official citation as follows: “The President of the United States takes pleasure in presenting the Merchant Marine Dis- tinguished Service Medal to: Francis A. Dales Cadet-Midshipman (Deck) Citation: For heroism above and beyond the call of duty. His ship was a freighter carrying drums of high- octane gasoline, one of two American ships, in a small British convoy to Malta. Orders were to get through at all costs. Heavily escorted, the convoy moved into the Mediterranean, and before noon of that day the enemy’s attack began. From then on the entire convoy was under constant attack from axis planes and submarines. Assigned the command of an anti-aircraft gun mounted on the bridge. Dales contributed to the successful defense of his ship for three days. At 4:00 A.M. on the morning of the fourth day, torpedo boats succeeded in breaking through and two attacked from opposite sides. Sneaking in close under cover of the dark- ness one opened point-blank fire on Dale’s position with four .50 caliber machine guns, sweeping the bridge and killing three of his gun crew in the first bursts. The other sent its deadly torpedo into the opposite side of the freighter. Neither the heavy fire from the first torpedo boat nor the torpedo from the second drove Dales and his crew from their gun. With only flashes to fire at in the dark- ness, he found the target and the first boat burst into flames and sank. But the torpedo launched by the other had done its deadly work. The high- test gasoline cargo ignited and the American ship was engulfed in flames. Reluctantly orders were given to abandon her. Two hours later, the survi- vors were picked up by a British destroyer, which then proceeded to take in tow a tanker that had been bombed and could not maneuver. After five hours of constant dive-bombing, the tanker was hit again—her crew abandoned her—and the destroyer was forced to cut her loose. But the cargo she carried was most important to the defense of Malta, and it had to get through. The rescue destroyer and another destroyer steamed in—lashed them- selves on either side aboard the tanker and dragged her along in a determined attempt to get her to port. Dales and four others volunteered to go aboard the tanker and man her guns in order to bring more fire power to their defense. The shackled ships, inching along and making a perfect target, were assailed by concentrated enemy air- power. All that day wave after wave of German and Italian bombers dived at them and were beaten off by a heavy barrage. Bombs straddled them, scoring near misses, but no direct hits were made until noon the next day, when the tanker finally received a bomb down her stack which blew out the bottom of her engine room. Though she con- tinued to settle until her decks were awash, they fought her through until dusk that day, which brought them under the protection of the hard fighting air force of Malta. The magnificent courage of this young cadet constitutes a degree of heroism which will be an enduring inspiration to seamen of the United States Merchant Marine everywhere.” For the President Emory Scott Land Chairman, United States Maritime Commission dministration

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84th Congress 1st Session H. R. 6043 IN THE SENATE OF TIIE UNITED STATES May 19 (legislative day, May 2), 1955 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce AN ACT To amend section 216 (b) of the Merchant Marine Act, 1936, as amended, to provide for the maintenance of the Merchant Marine Academy. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That section 216 (b) of the Merchant Marine Act, 1936, as amended (U. S. C., title 46, sec. 1126), is amended to read as follows: (b) (1) The Secretary of Commerce shall maintain a Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, New York, for the instruction and preparation for service in the mer- chant marine of selected persons as officers thereof. Competitive examinations shall be held annually among those persons nominated as candidates to the Academy by Sen- ators and Representatives. The number of vacancies allocated to each State shall be made by the Secretary of Commerce from among qualified candidates nominated from that State in the order of merit established by the examinations. In case vacancies remain after the appointments under the preceding sentence have been made, the Secretary of Commerce shall fill them by appointments from qualified candidates from other States. “(2) In connection with such instruction and as a part thereof, the Secretary of Commerce is authorized to provide for training of merchant marine cadets on Gov- ernment-owned and subsidized vessels and, in cooperation with other governmental and private agencies, on other vessels, and, for instructional purposes only, in ship- yards, plants, and industrial and educational organizations under rules and regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Commerce and upon such terms as the Secretary of Commerce may arrange, and expenditures incident to such training are hereby authorized. “(3) Cadets appointed to the United States Merchant Marine Academy may be appointed by the Secretary of the Navy as Reserve Midshipmen in the United States Navy and may be commissioned as Reserve Ensigns in the United States Navy upon graduation from the Academy. “(4) Cadets at the United States Merchant Marine Academy shall receive allow- ances for all required uniforms and textbooks as prescribed by rules and regulations under this Act, and to transportation, including reimbursement of traveling expenses, while traveling under orders as a cadet. “(5) (a) ‘Representative’ as used in this Act shall include Delegates to the House of Representatives from Alaska and Hawaii and the Resident Commissioner from the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. “(b)” ‘State’ as used in this Act shall include Territories of Alaska, Hawaii, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.” Passed the House of Representatives May 17, 1955. Attest: Ralph R. Roberts, Clerk. 23