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August 28, 2024
Today in Texas History
On this day in 1945, Edwina Dealey, the widow of Navy Commander Samuel David Dealey, received his posthumous Medal of Honor.
A member of the prominent Dealey family of Dallas, Samuel was born in 1906. He graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1930, and took command of the submarine USS Harder in December 1942. He quickly proved to be one of the most aggressive and successful American submarine commanders of World War II.
He took the ship, in 1943, to the Pacific and made five highly successful patrols, but failed to return from a sixth. He was particularly noted for heading toward enemy destroyers and discharging the sub's forward tubes before making the standard maneuver of diving into silent running; this effective but dangerous maneuver, which Dealey used by permission from the commander of the Pacific Fleet, sank five Japanese destroyers in four days.
Dealey officially sank 16 enemy vessels in all. He was group commander of a submarine "wolf pack,” consisting of the Harder, the Hake, and the Hado in waters off Luzon, Philippines.
On Aug. 24, 1944, the Harder was heavily and fatally depth-charged. Commander Dealey was declared missing in action and presumed dead on Oct. 2, 1944.
A member of the prominent Dealey family of Dallas, Samuel was born in 1906. He graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1930, and took command of the submarine USS Harder in December 1942. He quickly proved to be one of the most aggressive and successful American submarine commanders of World War II.
He took the ship, in 1943, to the Pacific and made five highly successful patrols, but failed to return from a sixth. He was particularly noted for heading toward enemy destroyers and discharging the sub's forward tubes before making the standard maneuver of diving into silent running; this effective but dangerous maneuver, which Dealey used by permission from the commander of the Pacific Fleet, sank five Japanese destroyers in four days.
Dealey officially sank 16 enemy vessels in all. He was group commander of a submarine "wolf pack,” consisting of the Harder, the Hake, and the Hado in waters off Luzon, Philippines.
On Aug. 24, 1944, the Harder was heavily and fatally depth-charged. Commander Dealey was declared missing in action and presumed dead on Oct. 2, 1944.