Ingersoll (DD 990) - Naval Cruise Book

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Admiral Royal E. Ingersoll was born in 1883 in Washington, DC. and was graduated with distinction from the United States Naval Academy with the class of 1905. standing fourth in his class. From then until his retirement 41 years later. Admiral Ingersoll pursued a distinguished career which took him to the far corners of the world and included service into two world wars. Following his commissioning in 1907. Ensign Ingersoll sailed with the United States battle fleet in the round- the-world cruise of 1907-1909. a geopolitical gambit by President Theodore Roosevelt which established the United States as a great power. Upon completing a subsequent tour of instructor duty at the U.S. Naval Academy. Lieutenant Ingersoll was ordered to duty with the Asiatic Fleet, where he was serving on the staff of the fleet commander at the outbreak of World War I. After a subsequent assignment as Executive Officer in the light cruiser USS Cincinnati, he was ordered to duty with the Chief of Naval Operations, serving as staff Com- munications Officer. At the conclusion of World War I. Commander Ingersoll was assigned as communications officer for the American delegation to the Pans Peace Conference, led by President Woodrow Wilson. In 1924. Commander Ingersoll took command of USS Nokomis. A fleet survey ship. After subsequent sea tours on fleet staffs and shore tours at the Naval War College and on the staff of the Chief of Naval Operations. Captain Ingersoll served in command of the heavy cruiser USS Augusta in 1933, and of the heavy cruiser USS San Francisco in 1934. In 1936, while serving as director of the war plans division in the office of the Chief of Naval Operations. Captain Ingersoll was assigned additional duty as technical advisor to the American delegation at the London Naval Conference. In 1937. President Franklin D. Roosevelt ordered him back to London to participate in preliminary discussions which established the basis for Anglo-American naval cooperation during World War II. In 1938. Admiral Ingersoll was promoted to the rank of Rear Admiral and assumed command of Cruiser Divi- sion Six of the U.S. Pacific Fleet. He subsequently assumed duties as Commander. Cruisers. Hawaii Detach- ment. He returned to Washington in 1940 as the Assistant Chief of Naval Operations, where he was serving when Japan launched a naval air attack on the U.S. Pacific Fleet base at Pearl Harbor. Shortly thereafter, on 1 January 1942. Admiral Ingersoll was promoted to the three-star rank of Vice Admiral, and assumed duties as Commander-in-Chief, U.S. Atlantic Fleet, a post he held for almost three years. During that time, he served as the operational commander of the vital, and eventually successful war against German submarine forces operating against allied shipping in the Atlantic theatre. On 1 July 1942. with World War II in full swing in both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Admiral Ingersoll was promoted to the Four-Star rank of Admiral, a rank shared at the time with Admirals StarK, King and Nimitz. In November 1944, with the naval battle of the Atlantic win- ding down, and with the war effort beginning to shift toward the Pacific campaign. Admiral Ingersoll was assign- ed as Commander. Western Sea Frontier, with responsibilities for the logistic support of the final island cam- paigns in the Pacific theater, and for the planned invasion of Japan. He was serving in this post at the conclu- sion of the war. Admiral Ingersoll ' s significant Decorations include the Navy Cross and the Distinguished Service Medal. His foreign awards include the Grand Cross of the Order of Merit (Brazil) , Grand Officer of the Order of Orange Nassu with swords (The Nertherlands) . Honorary Knight Commander of the British Empire, and Commander of the Legion of Honor of France. INGERSOLL is the second ship to bear the family name. USS INGERSOLL (DD 652) , commissioned in 1943. was named for the Admiral ' s father. RADM Royal R. Ingersoll. and for his son, Lieutenant Royal R. Ingersoll, who was killed in action at the Battle of Midway in 1942. Admiral Ingersoll died in 1976.

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• ADMIRAL ROYAL EASON INGERSOLL 1883-1976

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COMMANDING OFFICER Captain William T. Dannheim received his commission at the Otiicer ' s Candidate School. Newport, Rhode Island, in 1963. He has served at sea exclusively in destroyers, including most recently as commissioning Ex- ecutive Officer In USS Elliot (DD-967) Captain Dannheim assumed command in Ingersoll in May 1982. Captain Dannheim is a graduate of the Georgia Institute of Technology, and holds a Master ' s degree from Georgetown University His awards include the Navy Cross and the Bronze Star.