USS Little Rock Captain Henry George Moran Bio Page

U.S.S. Little Rock CL 92
Commanding Officer Biography

Rear Admiral Henry G. Moran

24 May 48 - 13 May 49

Page last updated: 12 April, 2020

REAR ADMIRAL HENRY GEORGE MORAN, RETIRED

U. S. NAVY, 58136

TRANSCRIPT OF NAVAL SERVICE - 7 August 1953
(with additions noted: (*)

04 May l899   Born in West Haven, Connecticut
20 Jun 1919   Midshipman, U. S. Navy Ensign, U. S. Navy
08 Jun 1923   Ensign, U.S. Navy
07 Aug 1947   Captain, U.S. Navy, to rank from 15 May 1943
01 Jul 1953   Transferred to the Retired List with rank of Rear Admiral

SHIPS AND STATIONS

* USS OSB0RNE Jun 1923 to Aug 1926
* USS NEVADA Nov 1926 to Nov 1927
* USS NEW YORK Nov 1927 to Jun 1928
* U. S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, MD. ( instruction.)   Jul 1928 to Jun 1929
* Temporary duty at various places   Jun 1929 to Sep 1930
* USS HOUSTON Oct 1930 to Jul 1931
* Headquarters, SIXTEENTH Naval District   Jul 1931 to Apr 1933
* Staff, Commander Submarine Squadron FIVE   Apr 1933 to Dec 1933
* Navy Yard, New York Mar 1934 to Jun 1934
* U.S. Naval Air Station, Lakehurst, N. J.   Jun 1934 to Jan 1936 (Notes 1 and 2.)
* USS ELLIS (Executive Officer)   Jan 1936 to Sep 1936
* USS ELLIS (Commanding) Sep 1936 to Dec 1936
* Naval Inspector of Machinery, Quincy, Mass. cfo USS GRIDLEY and on board
as Executive Officer when placed in commission. Jan 1937 to Jun 1939
* Naval Air Station, Lakehurst, N. J. (duty) Jun 1939 to May 1941 (Notes 1 and 2.)
* Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co., Newport News, VA.
* CFO USS HORNET and on board for duty when placed in commission. Jun 1941 to Nov 1942
* USS ENTERPRISE Nov 1942 to Sep 1943
* Temporary duty at various places to Sep 1943 to Feb 1944
* Staff, Commander, EIGHTH Fleet Feb 1944 to Mar 1944
* Office of. Commander, Group TWO, ELEVENTH Amphib. Force Mar 1944 to Oct 1944
* Operations Officer for Amphibious Landings at Utah Beach, Normandy Invasion June 6, 1944 (*)
* Operations Officer for Amphibious Landings at San Rafael, Southern France, August 15, 1944 (*)
* USS BUCKINGHAM (APA 141) (Commanding) 25 Jan 1945 to 19 Dec 1945
* Naval War College, Newport, R.I. (instruction) Dec 1945 to May 1946
* Staff, Naval War College, Newport, RI, May 1946 to May 1948
* USS Little Rock CL 92 (Commanding), 24 May 194813 May 1949
* Professor of Naval Science, Columbia University, New York, NY 1949 - 1953

Wife: Helene J. Quinn
Date and Place of Marriage: 19 Nov 1931 in Manila, P. I.
Children: Thomas Henry Moran
Father: Michael Moran (Deceased)
Mother: Marie Early Moran (Deceased)
Schools attended prior to entry into the U.S. Naval Academy:
West Haven High School, New Haven, Conn
Yale University, New Haven, Conn

Awards: Silver Star (USS Hornet at Battle of Santa Cruz Islands)
Presidential Citation (USS Enterprise at Guadalcanal Campaign)

Other items of interest pertaining to RADM Moran:

While Professor of Naval Science at Columbia College, Columbia University, in New York City, NY from 1949 through 1953, he took evening courses in real estate appraisal at the Graduate School of Business, Columbia University. On retirement, he joined the firm of Joseph P. Day Real Estate as a appraiser and was in charge of several major real estate appraisals. Two interesting appraisals were the Army Depot at Schenectady, NY, and the Brooklyn Navy Yard. He utilized expert appraisers as diverse as large machinery appraisers and agricultural appraisers for some jobs. Later RADM Moran worked for Sanders A. Kahn Associates. At one point he was the President of the Columbia Society of Appraisers.

RADM Moran remained very active with the the U.S. Naval Academy Class of 1923 Alumni Association, the American Legion, and Fleet Reserve Association.

Moran was selected to present an award to Captain Joseph A. Boyd of the United Fruit Company's SS Cape Ann, for prompt action saving the survivors of the Andria Doria.

He is listed as RAdm, H.G. Moran, Chairman of the Transportation Section of the New York Board of Trade.

Note 1. In 1940, then LCDR H. G. Moran was designated Naval Aviator (LTA) #6724.

Note 2. Rick Zitarosa - Historian, Navy Lakehurst Historical Society added this: Henry G. Moran (Naval Aviator #6724) was in Lakehurst LTA Class L-9 of 1935. Although he went through the Officers Rigid Airship Training School, there were no active Rigid Airships left to fly at this time (the USS MACON had gone down in February 1935.) What little I have on him shows that his last LTA duty was at Lakehurst in 1941 (the year he apparently attained the rank of Lieutenant Commander) and as of 1944 he was listed as "Sea Duty."

See RADM Moran's son Thomas' recollections.)

Newspaper Clippings
(Some Sources Unknown)

Commander Henry G. Moran

Silver Star

The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to Commander Henry G. Moran, United States Navy, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action against the enemy while serving as First Lieutenant and Damage Control Officer on board the Aircraft Carrier U.S.S. HORNET (CV-8), during the operations of the U.S. Naval Forces north of the Santa Cruz, Islands, on 26 October 1942. Commander Moran skillfully directed operations which resulted in extinguishing many violently blazing fires aboard the HORNET, and promptly instituted all possible counter flooding measures when needed. He worked tirelessly throughout the ship in attempting to control the heavy damage. Commander Moran's gallant actions and dedicated devotion to duty, without regard for his own life, were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.

General Orders: Bureau of Naval Personnel Information Bulletin No. 313 (May 1943)

Action Date: 26-Oct-42

Service: Navy

Rank: Commander

Company: First Lieutenant and Damage Control Officer

Division: U.S.S. Hornet (CV-8)

MORAN
WINS SILVER STAR

Commander Henry G. Moran, USN who was stationed at the Navy Yard for a time in 1935, has been awarded the Silver Star Medal for "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action".

The citation points out that "Commander Moran efficiently and without regard for personal safety directed operations which resulted in extinguishing many violently blazing fires in the ship".

Commander Moran who is now on duty in the South Pacific, is an uncle of Miss Eileen Kelly of the Aviation Supply Office. His wife and 3-year old son Tommy, have been living at Miss Kelly's home at 911 Brill Street

COMMANDER MORAN
WINS NAVY MEDAL

The Navy's Silver Star Medal for "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action" has been awarded to Commander Henry G. Moran, 911 Brill St. The award was made by Admiral William F. Halsey, Commander-in-Chief of Southern Pacific Forces.

Commander Moran served as damage control officer of the aircraft carrier HORNET from the time of its commissioning until sunk in the battle of Santa Cruz Island last October. He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1923 and served at the Philadelphia Navy Yard in 1935. His is married and the father of a 3-year old, Thomas.

USS Little Rock, Light Cruiser, Arrives Here
For 2nd Visit In Less Than Year; In 6th Fleet

The Blue Devil (Naples?)
Thursday, November 25, 1948

The USS Little Rock, a light cruiser, arrived in Trieste for an indefinite stay Saturday morning, its second visit here in less than a year. (See Ed. Note)

The Little Rock is attached to Cruiser Division Ten of the Sixth Fleet (Mediterranean) Task Fleet.

Capt. Henry G. Moran, of West Haven, Conn., commands the cruiser. An alumnus of Yale and the U.S. Naval Academy he has been an officer in the Navy since 1923. He served on board the Hornet which launched General Doolittle's raid on Tokyo. He also saw action in the Normandy and Southern France invasions and did occupation duty in Japan.

Ed. Note: LITTLE ROCK was at Trieste 09-16 Feb 1948.

Wears Silver Star

Captain Moran wears the Silver Star for gallantry in action aboard the Hornet at the Battle of Santa Cruz Islands. He also holds a Presidential Citation for service on the USS Enterprise during the Guadalcanal Campaign.

The Little Rock was built in Philadelphia. Construction was started on 6 March 1943 and she was launched on 27 August 1944. The commissioning took place on 17 June 1945. With an overall length of over 600 feet and a beam of over 60 feet the ship is capable of a speed in excess of 30 knots. She carries four 6 inch turrets; six five inch mounts; and numerous heavy and light machine guns.

On 10 November 1947, the Little Rock pointed her bow to the east for European waters. The ports of Malta, Gibraltar, Tangiers, Bizerte, Bone, Naples, Venice, Trieste and Athens were among the ports visited. She returned to the States in March of this year.

Summer Cruises

During the past summer, in addition to the scheduled operational exercises, the ship made three two week cruises to San Juan, Puerto Rico; Quebec, Canada, Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas and the Virgin Islands.

On 21 August, the Little Rock received from Rear Adm. George C. Dyer, U.S. Navy, the plaque presented by the Commander of Battleships and Cruises, U.S. Atlantic Fleet for the highest performance in gunnery for the competition year 1947-1948.

Early September found the ship preparing for another cruise to the Mediterranean waters, and on this cruise to the Mediterranean the ship has participated in two fleet exercises and visited the ports of Gibraltar, Sicily, Malta, Rhodes, Sfax, Crete, Trieste, Athens, Salonika, and Corfu.

Capt. Moran at Columbia
As Naval R.O.T.C. Head

Captain H. G. Moran, U.S.N., was welcomed yesterday by Dean Harry J. Carman, of Columbia College, as new commanding officer, of the college's Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps unit. Captain Moran, former commanding officer of the U.S.S. Little Rock, succeeds Captain Timothy F. Wellings as head of Columbia 's midshipmen.

A veteran of major sea actions in both the European and Pacific theaters during World War II, Captain Moran was damage-control Qfficer on the aircraft carrier Hornet, which took part in the Doolittle raid on Tokyo in 1942. He was put in command of the light cruiser Little Rock in May, 1948.

Captain Moran served for two years after the end of the war as a staff member of the Naval War College, Newport, R.I. He wears the Silver Star for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity on the U.S.S. Hornet at the Battle of Santa Cruz Islands and the Presidential citation for service on the U.S.S. Enterprise during the Guadalcanal campaign.

From the Columbia University Archives
Columbia Daily Spectator, Volume XCV, Number 85, 6 March 1951

'An Interesting Life . . .'
By Stan Schultz '53

The strident shouts of "hup, two, three, four . . echoing from South Field on Friday afternoons during the spring and autumn probably startle many a freshman, and draw curious glances from many more-accustomed passersby. However, to the greying "sophomore" commander of the NROTC unit at Columbia, Capt. Henry G. Moran of the United States Navy, military discipline is an old story.

"It's hard to say what decided my choice of the Navy as a career," said Captain Moran as he leaned back on his plush seat, "I just thought the life would be an interesting one."

And so, in 1919, a young man seeking "an interesting life" registered at the Naval Training School at Annapolis, Md. Twenty-two years and many promotions later, the "interesting life" brought him to Columbia University.

In the dark years just prior to the second world war, Capt. Moran was an officer on the USS Houston, then the flagship of the Asiatic fleet, and when the war broke out, he found himself in the midst of the Pacific hotspots - Midway, the famous Doolittle raid, and Santa Cruz.

At Santa Cruz, Capt. Moran's ship was sunk while under his command, and he was forced to swim in the Pacific until rescued by another destroyer.

"It was one of the few times in my life that I had momentary regrets about having joined the Navy," remarked Capt. Moran in summarizing these not-too-pleasant reminiscences.

Here at Columbia, far from the hardships of war, Capt. Moran faces a new task: that of subjecting men to the same training that he received more than thirty years ago at Annapolis, Yale and other training schools.

He feels that his job at Morningside is not a difficult one for, he says, "Here at Columbia we have a group of men who realize that some day they will be the backbone of our nation, and they will do all in their power to prepare themselves for that job."

Originally from New Haven, Conn., Capt. Moran now spends most of his time either at work in his office in Hartley Hall, or with his wife and son in their Manhattan home. Strangely enough, his son, who is ten years old, has not as yet expressed any aspirations for a career in the Navy.

In the brief one year period that the Captain has been here, he and his staff have seen the NROTC unit grow from 175 to 218, men who someday may be, as Capt. Moran puts it, "well qualified naval officers who will be able to stand on their own two feet and take charge of a job without anyone's help."


Captain Moran with five young ladies at the Forward 6" Gun Turret Anchored off Marblehead Light, MA The ladies in above photo are members of the "North Shore Players" summer theater group from Marblehead, MA. They are, from left to right: Honoria Shelton, Mary Louise McGrath, Doris Quinlan, Gloria Patterson and Gretchen Merrill (US Navy photo June 1948)		Five Visitors with USS Little Rock Lifebuoy Anchored off Marblehead Light, MA From left to right: Honoria Shelton, Doris Quinlan, Gretchen Merrill, Mary Louise McGrath, and Gloria Patterson. The ladies are members of the "North Shore Players" theater group from Marblehead, MA, (US Navy photo June 1948)

Captain Moran with eight young ladies and three gentlemen who are visiting on board LITTLE ROCK . The handwritten note in the lower left-hand corner reads: "From North Shore Players Marblehead June 30, 1948"		Names signed to the above photo from left to right are: 1. "?" 2. "?" 3. "Alice Fitzpatrick" 4. "Debbie Davis" 5. "J.R. L....tto"? 6. "Jean Luderer" 7. "Robin Wain", 8. "D... Steele" 9. "George & Carrie"? 10. "Janice Newcomb", 11. Girl w/pearls ?

In Naval Post at Columbia

Capt. H.G. Moran

Capt. Moran at Columbia
As Naval R.O.T.C. Head

Captain H. G. Moran, U.S.N., was welcomed yesterday by Dean Harry J. Carman, of Columbia College, as new commanding officer, of the college's Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps unit. Captain Moran, former commanding officer of the U.S.S. Little Rock, succeeds Captain Timothy F. Wellings as head of Columbia 's midshipmen.

A veteran of major sea actions in both the European and Pacific theaters during World War II, Captain Moran was damage-control Qfficer on the aircraft carrier Hornet, which took part in the Doolittle raid on Tokyo in 1942. He was put in command of the light cruiser Little Rock in May, 1948.

Captain Moran served for two years after the end of the war as a staff member of the Naval War College, Newport, R.I. He wears the Silver Star for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity on the U.S.S. Hornet at the Battle of Santa Cruz Islands and the Presidential citation for service on the U.S.S. Enterprise during the Guadalcanal campaign.

Additional Information
From U.S. Naval Academy 1923 Yearbook	Class of 1923 HENRY GEORGE MORAN West Haven, Connecticut "Pat" " Henrod " "Hey Mister! How long have you been in country?" Take a look at "it" and you'll see why the question was shot at him so often the year of his debut at the Naval Academy. No, he was not a Sinn Feiner, but a divvil of an Irishman at that. With a local "rep" as a chaser of the elusive pigskin, our Hero started Plebe year on the football squad but soon made the excused squad instead, and never lost his position as All American Politician. His bum knee turned him from athletics to snaking - and LINE.? What else would make that blond Skywegian propose to him after but one afternoon in Christiania - and she said she'd support him, too! This yegg started Plebe summer "ratier" than a First Classman and never changed a bit in four years. However, we have straight dope that one of the "more deadly" of the species has him going; so we surmise that "Henrod" will soon learn to obey her regulations, if no others.
Thomas H. Moran, RADM Henry G. Moran' s son Thomas H. Moran, recalls: "I was on the USS Little Rock as a child and escorted around the ship by a seaman. My father retired from the Navy in 1953 from his final position as Professor of Naval Science at Columbia University. While he was stationed at Columbia, he took night courses in Real Estate appraising at the Graduate School of Business. He joined the Firm of Sanders Kahn, on Day Street in New York City, NY. He was the lead appraiser on several big appraisals for that company. Two that I remember him mentioning was the Army Depot at Schenectady, NY, and the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Subsequent to that, he worked in New Jersey at Real Estate Appraising. He retired in 1972 and moved to Washington, DC, be near me and my family. My father was a lighter-than-air pilot and was stationed at Lakehurst, NJ, at the time of my birth in 1940. He flew Balloons, Blimps, and qualified on Dirigibles (the Los Angeles was the only commissioned dirigible at that time...." (see "Great Photos - Lakehurst"). With regard to the linked photo, Mr. Moran goes on to say: "The Los Angeles is in the foreground, a Navy blimp is in the background for size comparison, and the Dirigible hanger is still at Lakehurst. My father told me clouds would form in the top of that hanger and it would sometimes sprinkle inside." Ed. Note: Mr. Thomas Moran forwarded two spectacular photos of LITTLE ROCK moored (location uncertain) in "Full Dress". The side and bow-on views with all flags flying are superb. Click here to view photos.
ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY Section 36, Grave 66A HENRY GEORGE MORAN (RADM) Date of Birth: May 4, 1899 Date of Death: Nov 1, 1988 HELENE J. MORAN Date of Birth: Mar. 20, 1902 Date of Death: Jun. 29, 1964

Crew Remembrances & Anecdotes

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