This OrBat compled by David Wright UNITED STATES ASIATIC FLEET DavidX.Wright@mortgagefamily.com
ORDER OF BATTLE,  DECEMBER 1941
STAFF, COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF
  Admiral Thomas Charles Hart Commander-in-Chief  
  Rear Admiral William Reynolds Purnell   Chief of Staff  
  Commander Harry B. Slocum Fleet Operations Officer  
  Commander R. W. Bruner Fleet Maintenance Officer  
  Lt. Commander Robert Lee Dennison Public Relations Officer/Civil Liaison  
  Lt. Commander  James M. Robinson Fleet Gunnery Officer  
  Lt. Commander  Redfield Mason Fleet Intel.Officer  
  Lt. Commander  A. S. MacDill  Flag Sec'y / Pers. Officer  
  Commander   Walter Ellsworth Linaweaver  Fleet Comm.Officer  
  Lt. Commander Charles Adair Flag Lieut. / Fleet Aviation Officer  
  Captain Kenneth Earle Lowman (MC) Fleet Medical Officer  
  Captain B. S. Gantz (SC) Fleet Supply Officer  
  Lt. Colonel William Tardy Clement Fleet Marine Officer  
         

 

    CRUISERS    
  USS HOUSTON (CA-30)  Captain Albert Harold Rooks -1 x SOC-1, 2 x SOC-3, 1 x SON-1 embarked  
  USS MARBLEHEAD (CL-12)  Captain Arthur Granville Robinson -2 x SOC-1 embarked  
  USS BOISE (CL-47)1     Captain Stephen  Brooks Robinson2 -3 x SOC-3, 1 x SON-1 of VCS-9 embarked  

 

DESTROYER SQUADRON 29
Captain Herbert Victor Wiley
USS BLACK HAWK (AD-9) Commander George L. Harriss
USS PAUL JONES (DD-230),  sqn flag  Lt. Commander John J. Hourihan

 

DESTROYER DIVISION 57
Commander Edwin M. Crouch
USS WHIPPLE  (DD-217), div flag Lt. Commander Eugene Simon Karpe
USS ALDEN (DD-211) Lt. Commander Lewis Elliott Coley
USS JOHN D. EDWARDS (DD-216)  Lt. Commander Henry Effingham Eccles
USS EDSALL (DD-219) Lieutenant Joshua James Nix3

  

DESTROYER DIVISION 58
Commander Thomas Howell Binford
USS STEWART (DD-224), div flag Lt. Commander Harold Page Smith
USS PARROTT (DD-218)  Lt. Commander Edward Nelson Parker4
USS BULMER (DD-222)  Commander Leon Jackson Manees
USS BARKER (DD-213) Commander Louis G.  McGlone

 

DESTROYER DIVISION 59
Commander Paul Hopkins Talbot5
USS PEARY (DD-226) Lt. Commander Harry H. Keith6
USS POPE (DD-225) Lt. Commander Welford Charles Blinn
USS JOHN D. FORD (DD-228) Lt. Commander Jacob Elliott Cooper
USS PILLSBURY (DD-227) Lt. Commander Harold C. Pound

  

PATROL WING TEN
Captain Frank Dechant Wagner
Patrol Squadron 101 (VP-101) Lt. Commander Edgar Tilghman Neale -14 x PBY-4
Patrol Squadron 102 (VP-102)7 Lt. Commander John Valdemar Peterson -14 x PBY-4
Utility Squadron  Lieutenant Jack Clayton Renard -1 x J2F-2, 3 x J2F-4,  5 x OS2U-2,  1 x SOC-18
USS LANGLEY (AV-3) Commander Robert P. McConnell -1 x SOC-1
USS CHILDS (AVD-1) Lt. Commander John L. Pratt  
USS WILLIAM R. PRESTON (AVD-7) Lt. Commander Etheridge Grant  
USS HERON (AVP-2) Lieutenant William Leverette Kabler  

 

SUBMARINE SQUADRON 20
Captain Walter Edward Doyle9
USS HOLLAND (AS-3) Captain Joseph W. Gregory
USS CANOPUS (AS-9) Commander Earl Leroy Sackett
USS OTUS (AS-20) Lt. Commander Joel Newsom
USS PIGEON (ASR-6) Lt. Commander Richard Ellington.Hawes10
with YRC-4  embarked  

  

SUBMARINE DIVISION 21
Commander Stuart Shadrick Murray
USS SALMON (SS-182) Lt. Commander Eugene Bradley  McKinney
USS SEAL (SS-183) Lt. Commander Kenneth Charles Hurd
USS SKIPJACK (SS-184) Lt. Commander Charles Lawrence Freeman
USS SARGO (SS-188) Lt. Commander Tyrell Dwight Jacobs
USS SAURY (SS-189) Lt. Commander John Lockwood Burnside
USS SPEARFISH (SS-190) Lt. Commander Roland Fremont Pryce

 

SUBMARINE DIVISION 22
Commander Joseph A. Connolly
USS SNAPPER (SS-185) Lt. Commander Hamilton Laurie Stone
USS STINGRAY (SS-186)  Lt. Commander Raymond Starr Lamb11
USS STURGEON (SS-187) Lt. Commander William Leslie Wright
USS SCULPIN (SS-191) Lt. Commander Lucius Henry Chappell
USS SAILFISH (SS-192) Lt. Commander Morton Claire Mumma, Jr12
USS SWORDFISH (SS-193)  Lt. Commander Chester Carl Smith

 

SUBMARINE DIVISION 201
Lt. Commander Ralston B. Vanzant
USS S-36 (SS-141) Lieutenant John Rowland McKnight, Jr
USS S-37 (SS-142) Lieutenant James Charles Dempsey
USS S-38 (SS-143) Lieutenant Wreford Goss Chapple
USS S-39 (SS-144) Lieutenant James Wiggins Coe
USS S-40 (SS-145) Lieutenant Nicholas Lucker, Jr
USS S-41 (SS-146) Lieutenant George Michael Holley

 

SUBMARINE DIVISION 202
Commander Willis Merritt Percifield
USS SEADRAGON (SS-194) Lt. Commander William Edward Ferrall
USS SEALION (SS-195) Lt. Commander Richard George Voge
USS SEARAVEN (SS-196) Lt. Commander Theodore Charles Aylward, Jr
USS SEAWOLF (SS-197) Lt. Commander Frederick Burdette Warder

 

 

SUBMARINE DIVISION 203
Commander Eliot Hinman Bryant
 USS PORPOISE (SS-172) Lt. Commander Joseph Anthony Callaghan
USS PIKE (SS-173) Lt. Commander William Adolph New
USS SHARK (SS-174)  Lt. Commander Louis Shane, Jr
USS TARPON (SS-175) Lt. Commander Lewis Wallace
USS PERCH (SS-176) Lt. Commander David Albert Hurt
USS PICKEREL (SS-177) Lt. Commander Barton Elijah Bacon, Jr
USS PERMIT (SS-178) Lt. Commander Adrian Melvin Hurst

 

MINE SQUADRON THREE13
Lt. Commander Edward Rymond Joseph Griffin

 

MINE DIVISION EIGHT
Lieutenant Thurlow Weed Davison
USS FINCH (AM-9), div flag Lieutenant Davison
USS BITTERN (AM-36) Lieutenant Thomas Glover Warfield

 

MINE DIVISION NINE
Lt. Commander John Henry Morrill
USS QUAIL (AM-15), div flag Lt. Commander Morrill
USS TANAGER (AM-5) Lieutenant Egbert Adolph Roth
USS LARK (AM-21) Lt. Commander Hugh P. Thomson
USS WHIPPOORWILL (AM-35) Lt. Commander Charles Arthur Ferriter

  

The following vessels were either units of the Yangtze Patrol (Rear Admiral William A. Glassford, Jr), or the South China Patrol (Captain Lester J. Hudson), both of which ceased to exist on the outbreak of war. The exceptions were ISABEL, which was the Asiatic Fleet’s relief flagship, and LANIKAI, which had been acquired to recon the coast of SE Asia immediately prewar. The coastal gunboats generally acted as convoy escorts, heading south early in the war, as did ISABEL and LANIKAI, while the three river gunboats that reached the Philippines were assigned to the Inshore Patrol in Manila Bay (see below). WAKE and TUTUILA, of course, remained in Chinese waters.14

  

COASTAL GUNBOATS
USS ASHEVILLE (PG-21) Lt. Commander Jacob William Britt
USS TULSA (PG-22) Lt. Commander Tillett S. Daniel

 

RIVER GUNBOATS
USS WAKE (PR-3) Lt. Cmdr. Columbus Darwin Smith, D-V(S), USNR
USS TUTUILA (PR-4) Lt. Commander W. A. Bowers
USS OAHU (PR-6) Lt. Commander Douglas Elwin Smith
USS LUZON (PR-7) Lt. Commander George Magruder Brooke
USS MINDANAO (PR-8) Lt. Commander Alan Reed McCracken

 

PATROL YACHT
 USS ISABEL (PY-10) Lieutenant John Walker Payne, Jr

 

UNCLASSIFIED VESSEL

 USS LANIKAI 

Lieutenant Kemp Tolley

 

MOTOR TORPEDO BOAT SQUADRON 315
Lieutenant John D. Bulkeley
USS PT-31 Lieutenant Edward Grover DeLong
USS PT-32 Ensign Vincent E. Schumacher
USS PT-33 Ensign Henry Joseph Brantingham
USS PT-34 Lieutenant (jg) Robert B. Kelly
USS PT-35 Ensign Anthony Bruce Akers, D-V(G), USNR
USS PT-41 Lieutenant Bulkeley

 

INSHORE PATROL
Captain Kenneth Mortimer Hoeffel16
The Inshore Patrol was a pre-war organization, although it did not have any ships specifically assigned to it until war broke out. During the war, its main units were gunboats MINDANAO, OAHU, LUZON, mine-sweepers QUAIL, FINCH, TANAGER, tugs NAPA, GENESEE and VAGA, as well as MTBron 3. The Q-boats of the Philippine Army also operated with the Inshore Patrol, as well as the miscellaneous vessels described under Base Section below.
 
BASE SECTION17 
Lieutenant Fred L. Raymond, D-V(S), USNR
USS RANGER Lieutenant Knut Engeset, D-M, USNR
USS TRABAJADOR Lt.(jg) Trose Emmett Donaldson, D-M, USNR18
USS MARYANNE, section flag  Ensign Fred Rising Newell, Jr, DE-V(G), USNR19
USS YP-97  Ensign George K. Petritz, D-V(G), USNR
PAN AIR XVIII (tender)  
 
added to Base Section after 13 December 1941:20
USS FISHERIES II Chief Boatswain James Charles Oster
USS PERRY ???

 

 TANKERS
USS PECOS (AO-6) Lt. Commander Elmer Paul Abernethy
TRINITY (AO-13) Commander William Hibbs

 

16th NAVAL DISTRICT
COMMANDANT’S OFFICE
Rear Admiral Francis Warren Rockwell Commandant, 16th Naval District
Captain Herbert J. Ray Chief of Staff
Commander Sumner C. Cheever District Legal Officer
Lt. Commander (Ret.) Frederick Baltzly District Personnel Officer
Lt. Commander Francis Joseph Grandfield District Operations Officer
Lt. Commander Richard Swan Baron District Issuing Officer
Captain Robert G. Davis (MC) District Medical Officer
Captain Everett G. Morsell (SC) District Supply Officer
Commander James Dudley Wilson (CEC) District Public Works Officer
Lt. Colonel John Porter Adams District Marine Officer
Lieutenant Denys William Knoll  OinC, Weather Central, Cavite
Commander Warner Phillip Portz Port Director, Manila
Lieutenant David Long Quinn (ChC) District Chaplain
     

 

CAVITE NAVY YARD
Commander Raymond Gregory Deewall21       
Disbursing Office Lieutenant L.L. Lindenmayer
Commissary Stores Ensign Charles Meredith Wilkins (SC)
Ship’s Service Store/Motion Picture Exchange Lt. Benton H. Stearns, D-V(S), USNR
Yard Dispensary  Lt. Cmdr. H.A. Erickson, MC-V(S), USNR
USS NAPA (AT-32) Lieutenant Nathaniel Minter Dial22
USS GENESEE (AT-55) Chief Boatswain Eugene Lorell Boyd
USS VAGA (YT-116) Boatswain Ernest Willard Downey

  

Yard craft assigned to 16th Naval District:
3 x ash lighters: YA-52, 59, 65
3 x miscellaneous yard auxiliaries:23 YAG-2, 3, 4
16 x open lighters YC-178, 181, 537, 643, 644, 646, 647, 648, 649, 652, 653, 654, 669, 683, 714, 716
4 x floating cranes YD-19, 47, 56, 60
12 x covered lighters YF-86, 177, 178, 179, 180, 181, 212, 223,  224, 230, 278, 317
8 x ferryboats SAN FELIPE (YFB-12), SANTA RITA (YFB-681), ROSAL (YFB-682), CAMIA (YFB-683),  DAP DAP (YFB-684), (YFB-687), YACAL (YFB-688)
1 x dredge YM-4
2 x fuel lighters YO-42, 64
1 x aviation fuel lighter YON-42
2 x pontoon stowage lighters YPK-6, 7
10 x salvage pontoons YSP-41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50
1 x sludge removal barge YSR-2

3 x yard tugs

 BANAAG (YT-104), IONA (YT-107),  MERCEDES (YT-108)
1 x water lighter YW-54

None of these district vessels had crews permanently assigned; many were non-self propelled.       

 

RECEIVING STATION, CAVITE Lt. Commander R.C. Strong, Jr
SUBMARINE BASE, CAVITE Lieutenant Daniel Shinton Gothie
DISTRICT COMMUNICATION OFFICE Lt. Commander Fort Hammond Callahan
NAVAL HOSPITAL , CANACAO Captain Robert G. Davis (MC)
SECTION BASE, MARIVELES Cmdr. W.H. Harrington, DE-V(G), USNR
YFD-1 (“Dewey Drydock”) Lieutenant Charles John Weschler
NAVAL STATION, OLONGAPO Lt. (jg) Vance C. Prewitt, D-V(S), USNR
Supply/Disbursing Offices/Commissary Stores Lt.  Joseph R. Lippincott, SC-V(S), USNR
Medical Department Lt. George Riley Hogshire, Jr (MC)
 Communication Intelligence Unit (“Station C”) Lieutenant John Marion Lietwiler
Fleet Radio School Radio Electrician C.A. Walruff
Radio Control Station Radio Electrician Walruff
Radio Station, Canacao Radio Electrician Earl Godfrey Schweizer

 

END NOTES

 

1  USS BOISE was not a unit of the Asiatic Fleet; rather she was a unit of the U.S. Pacific Fleet’s CruDiv 9. She had escorted a convoy to the Phillipines in November 1941 and was borrowed (read “shanghaiied”) to bolster US forces there.
2 Relieved in late January 1942 by Captain Edward Joseph Moran, BOISE’s former XO.
3 Promoted to Lt. Commander at unknown date.
4 Relieved by Lieutenant John N. Hughes (PARROTT’s XO) on 30 January 1942
5 Relieved by Lt. Commander Edward N. Parker on 30 January 1942.
6 Wounded at Cavite 10 December 1941 and replaced as CO by Lt. John Michael Bermingham (former XO of STEWART, who had been waiting for transportation stateside), who was promoted to Lt. Cmdr. On 6 January 1942. Keith escaped the Philippines as a passenger aboard LANIKAI.
7 Merged with VP-101 23 December 1941 due to equipment and personnel losses. VP-102 was formally disestablished at Perth 18 April 1942.
8 Some sources also list 2 x J2F-5, 2 x SOC-1, 1 x SOC-2, and 3 x SOC-3 as assigned to Cavite Navy Yard, presumably some sort of Fleet Pool, but I can find no evidence that these spare aircraft were actually in the Philippines at the start of the war. Possibly they had been intended to be supplied there, but never were.
9 Relieved by former Subron 20 CO Captain John Wilkes 10 December 1941. Doyle went south with the tenders, eventually becoming Commander TF-2 (Service Force) in Australian waters.
10  Hawes was replaced by LCDR Frank Alfred Davis, D-M, USNR on 5 January 1942, becoming First Lieutenant of HOLLAND (AS-3). Davis had been navigator of CANOPUS (AS-9).
11 Relieved January 1942 by Lt. Commander Raymond John Moore, former division engineer of SubDiv 202.
12 Relieved January 1942 by Lt. Commander Richard George Voge, former CO of the lost SEALION.
13 I am unsure if this designation was still in use by December 1941, although the two divisions certainly did still exist.
14 Admiral Glassford became commander of Task Force 5; I am unsure where Captain Hudson was sent. Possibly he became station commander of one of the US bases established in the Dutch East Indies.
15 Command assignments reflect the beginning of the war, before boats began to be lost and commands began to be shuffled.
16 Commander Hoeffel was CO of ASHEVILLE concurrent with his command of the Inshore Patrol until early December 1941, when he was relieved by Lt. Cmdr. Britt, his former XO. I believe Hoeffel was promoted to Captain about this time, as well. He was the highest ranking naval officer captured at the fall of Corregidor.
17 Base Section, Inshore Patrol was formed 13 December 1941 with the vessels listed. Also on this list was USS YAG-4 (MANAPLA), under the command of CBM Galvez, Insular Force. I can find no evidence this vessel completed conversion, so have omitted it in this list. All vessels listed were not officially commissioned in the US Navy, but all are referred to as “USS…” in source documents, and are so called herein.
18 Lt (jg) Donaldson was former gunnery/torpedo officer on OTUS. He was relieved about February 1942 by Lieutenant Edward Grover DeLong (ex-MTBron 3), going on to command US Army tug HENRY KESWICK until killed in action 9 April 1942.
19Newell was assigned to HOUSTON prewar, and was promoted to Lt (jg) sometime in 1942.
20 There was also a small yacht named GEM under naval control during December 1941, but she is mentioned only rarely, under command of Lt. Edward N. Little. Possibly she was renamed PERRY? This vessel is frequently mentioned as being in the Inshore Patrol, but I have been unable to find any concrete information describing her.
21 Some sources list Lt. Commander Rintoul Thomas Whitney as commanding Cavite Navy Yard in December 1941,  but I am unsure when this change took place. Whitney was assistant Captain of the Yard immediately pre-war.
22 Relieved by April1942 by his XO, Ensign Peroneau B. Wingo, D-V(G), USNR.
23 These 3 vessels never completed conversion and were lost with Cavite Navy Yard 2 January 1942.