Robert Edson Dornin
| Robert Edson Dornin | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born |
1912 California |
| Died | 1982 |
| Allegiance |
 United States |
| Service/branch |
.svg.png){kind=small} United States Navy |
| Years of service | 1935-1965 |
| Rank |
 Captain |
| Commands held |
USS Trigger (SS-237) USS Sea Fox (SS-402) USS Nereus (AS-17) USS Los Angeles (CA-135) |
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards |
Navy Cross (2) Silver Star (4) |
Robert Edson Dornin (1912, California – 1982[1]), nicknamed "Dusty", was a United States Navy officer who served in the Pacific Theater of World War II as a very successful submarine commander.[1] He remained in the Navy until his retirement in 1965.
Pre-war
Dornin entered the United States Naval Academy in 1931.[2] He was an outstanding athlete on the basketball and lacrosse teams, but made his biggest mark in sports as a football end[3] or wide receiver,[2] teaming with Buzz Borries and Slade Cutter to form a powerful "troika"[3] (numerous sources state he was an All-American,[2][4][5] though he is not mentioned in the 1935 College Football All-America Team or any prior 1930s teams). Both his teammates would also distinguish themselves in the coming war, with Cutter also making his mark as a submariner. Cutter would later recall that Dornin "studied all the time"; he graduated 48th out of 442[2] in the Class of 1935.[1]
After serving on the battleship USS New Mexico (BB-40) (1935–37) and the destroyer USS Perry (DD-340) (1937–38), he graduated from Submarine School (1938–39).[6][7] He was a lieutenant aboard the submarine USS Plunger (SS-179) from 1939 to 1941.[6]
World War II
Dornin held the rank of lieutenant commander on USS Gudgeon (SS-211) from 1941 to 1943. After the sneak attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, Gudgeon left four days later on the first American submarine war patrol of World War II, with Dornin as the fire control officer.[4] The submarine I-173 became the first enemy warship sunk by an American submarine, courtesy of Gudgeon.[4] Dornin eventually became the executive officer.[4]
He was given command of USS Trigger (SS-237) in 1943.[4][6] In September of that year, he left on his first patrol in Trigger, prowling the East China Sea north of Formosa. On September 17, Trigger sank the Japanese freighter Yowa Maru. Four days later, the tankers Shiriya and Shoyo Maru and the freighter Argun Maru fell victim to the submarine. Though faulty torpedoes had prevented an even higher score, Trigger concluded a very successful patrol, returning to Midway Island on September 30.
For Dornin's next patrol, he departed from Midway on October 22, bound for the East China and Yellow Seas. On November 1, Trigger scored hits on two freighters, one of which was seen to sink, before being forced to dive to evade depth-charge attacks by Japanese escort ships. The next day, the freighters Yawata Maru and Delagoa Maru were sent to the bottom several hours apart. On November 13, Trigger located a convoy and sank the largest ship, believed to be a transport. The last victim of the patrol was the freighter Eizan Maru on November 21. Trigger reached Pearl Harbor on December 8.
The third patrol began on January 1, 1944, targeting the Truk-Guam shipping lanes. On January 27, Trigger encountered an enemy Ro-class submarine. Neither managed to inflict any damage on the other before contact was lost. Four days later, Trigger sank the coastal minelayer Nasami and the converted submarine tender Yasukuni Maru. The patrol concluded with a return to Pearl Harbor on February 23.
USS Trigger was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation for her fifth, sixth and seventh patrols. Dornin was in command of the sixth and seventh.
With initial reluctance, after nine patrols (six in Gudgeon, three in Trigger), Commander Dornin became an aide to Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Ernest King,[1][4] beginning in 1944; he accompanied King to the Yalta and Potsdam Conferences[8] in 1945.
The Joint Army–Navy Assessment Committee credited him with ten ships (54,595 tons) sunk in three patrols in command of Trigger, putting him in a tie among American submarine commanders for 15th-21st by number of ships; his first Trigger patrol was also rated the 16th most successful of the war by tonnage (four ships totaling 27,095 tons).[9]
Post-war
After Admiral King retired in December 1945, Dornin became Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz's aide.
Post-war postings include:[6]
- Commanding Officer, USS Sea Fox (SS-402) (1946–47)
- Assistant Director of Athletics at the Naval Academy (1947–49)
- Commander Submarine Division 22 (1949–50)
- Chief of Staff, Officer Submarine Development Group (1950–52)
- Executive Officer, U. S. Naval Station, Treasure Island (1952–54)
- Commanding Officer, USS Nereus (AS-17) (1954–55)
- Commander Submarine Squadron Three, Pacific Fleet (1955–56)
- Commanding Officer, Recruit Training Command, at the U. S. Naval Training Center in San Diego (1956–59)
- Commanding Officer, USS Los Angeles (CA-135) (1960–61).
He retired in June 1965, his last position being the head of Long Beach Naval Station.[10]
Decorations
- Navy Cross with gold star (two awards)
- Silver Star with three gold stars (four awards) [11]
- Presidential Unit Citation
- Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal
- World War II Victory Medal
- National Defense Service Medal with star (two awards)
References
- 1 2 3 4 Ostlund, Mike (November 8, 2011). Find 'Em, Chase 'Em, Sink 'Em: The Mysterious Loss of the WWII Submarine USS Gudgeon. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 38. ISBN 9780762784295. Retrieved April 13, 2015.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Sturma, Michael (June 30, 2009). The USS Flier: Death and Survival on a World War II Submarine. University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 9780813138718. Retrieved April 11, 2015.
- ↑ LaVO, Carl (2011). The Galloping Ghost: The Extraordinary Life of Submarine Captain Eugene Fluckey. Naval Institute Press. p. 111. ISBN 9781612510460. Retrieved April 13, 2015.
- 1 2 3 4 "Dornin, Robert Edson, Capt". navy.togetherweserved.com. Retrieved April 15, 2015.
- ↑ "Capt. Robert E. Dornin". uss-la-ca135.org. Retrieved April 11, 2015.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain. - ↑ "US Navy Fleet Admiral Ernest J. King and Commander R. E. Dornin climbing the steps to their quarters during Potsdam Conference, Germany, 15 Jul 1945 (photograph)". United States National Archives. Retrieved April 10, 2015.
- ↑ Blair, Clay (January 2001). Silent Victory: The U.S. Submarine War Against Japan. Naval Institute Press. pp. 984–9. ISBN 9781557502179. Retrieved April 12, 2015.
- ↑ "Capt. Lytle Takes Over Command of Naval Station". Long Beach Independent. July 1, 1965 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Robert Edson Dornin". valor.militarytimes.com. Retrieved April 11, 2015.