Albert Eugene Gates, Jr., was the only son born to Albert Eugene Gates Sr and Mabel D. Brown who married 26 April 1905 in Washington, DC. His two siblings, one older and one younger, were sisters Dorothy Elizabeth Hough and Helen Maude Hosier.
Albert Jr graduated from high school about 1926. He received an At-Large appointment to the US Naval Academy in 1927 and entered on 30 Jun 1927. In 1928, Midshipman Gates was "deficient in studies for the first term; turned back into this class (1932)." On 02 Jun 1932, Gates was one of 421 midshipmen to receive their diplomas at commencement exercises. His merit standing was 253rd of 421 graduates. Only 380 midshipmen took the oath of office; 355 accepted a commission as an Ensign of the Line, US Navy and 25 accepted a commission as Second Lieutenant, USMC.
His classmates said this about him in the 1932 Luck Bag Yearbook;
"Whitey left the quiet Potomac in answer to the call of the glamorous sea. His career has apparently been in the hands of the fickle goddess, Luck. He has impartially graced both the savvy and the wooden sections. Academics, at certain times, have been of paramount interest to him; at others, merely a succession of boring hours.
He is not a Red Mike, but neither is he a tea fighting snake. He drags more or less frequently, pursuing his search for his ideal.
Athletics in the form of boxing, football and track have claimed his efforts. Boxing, however, is his favorite, and each winter finds him in the gym pushing and stopping leather.
It is difficult to say which he enjoys most, a good fight, chow, sleep, drag, or a bull session. At times, chagrined and griped at tough breaks, but never truly down-hearted, he grins and takes them for the best. This same grin and tenacity of spirit will carry him through the battles of the future as it has through those of the past.
Boxing; Football; Track;"
Like almost all newly commissioned Ensigns, Gates was expected to serve his first tour of duty at sea. So, on 30 Jun 1932, Ensign Gates reported for duty on board the light cruiser, USS Marblehead (CL-12). After a two year tour on Marblehead, Ens. Gates received orders in May 1934 to transfer to the Naval Air Station (NAS), Pensacola, FL to begin flight training under instruction on 4 Jun 1934. He was one of 18 naval officers who were to be given instruction first in glider flying. This was to be preliminary and continued until 15 Jun 1934 when the regular course began.
Ensign Gates did not complete flight training. He received orders on 18 Sep 1934 to detach from NAS, Pensacola in Sept and report for duty to the aircraft carrier, USS Saratoga (CV-3). For the next 2.5 years, Ensign Gates served on board Saratoga. On 02 Jun 1935, he was promoted to Lieutenant, Junior Grade (Ltjg). His next assignment was on board the destroyer, USS Childs (DD-241) for about a year. In the interim, Ltjg Gates completed a course in torpedo instruction. His next assignment was on board the destroyer, USS Boggs (DD-136), in 1938 for about a year. That assignment was followed by a tour of duty at the US Naval Academy as an instructor in the Department of Seamanship and Navigation (Sep 1939-Aug 1940) where he was promoted to Lieutenant (Lt) on 26 Jun 1940.
He was back at sea in Sep 1940 with a short tour on the destroyer, USS Connor (DD-72). Conner was decommissioned in 1922. She was recommissioned 23 August 1940 and fitted out at Philadelphia. Designated for inclusion in the destroyers for land bases exchange with Great Britain, she sailed to Halifax, Nova Scotia, where she was decommissioned 23 October 1940 and transferred to Britain and commissioned in the Royal Navy as HMS Leeds the same day.
Lt Gates received orders to detach from Conner in Oct 1940 and report to Asiatic Station for assignment. Lt Gates reported for duty on board the destroyer, USS Peary (DD-226) as the executive officer on 01 Feb 1941 (According to Peary's list of officers, Dec 1941). He was also the Navigator, Damage Control Officer and Landing Force Officer. Navy Registers for 1941 indicate Gates was assigned to the Navy Yard Pearl Harbor by Apr 1941 (error?).
Prelude to War.
The threat of hostilities between the United States and Japan grew closer to the boiling point as the year 1941 began. Admiral Hart, Commander in Chief, Asiatic Fleet, determined then it was time to send all of the families of his sailors home. There was push-back from the resentful spouses who initially declined to leave their husbands. It was only a threat to indefinitely restrict their spouses to their ships without leave that finally convinced the families; it was time to comply with orders and return to the continental United States (CONUS). Admiral Hart's directive probably saved many family members from internment by the Japanese or worse. For many of the married and unmarried sailors alike, it was the last time they would ever see their families.
Then, in July 1941, as Japanese aggression intensified with their move south into lower Indo-China, Admiral Hart warned his officers that he had no doubt that war would come although he didn't know how of when it would start. Hart trained his destroyer crews hard keeping them on a war-footing for extended periods and away from Cavite naval base as much as possible exercising his "defensive deployment."
Ordered to comply with the Adm. Hart's "defensive deployment" well south of Manila, units of the Asiatic Fleet including destroyer tender USS Blackhawk (AD-9), USS Stewart (DD-224) and other ships of Destroyer Squadron Twenty-Nine (DesRon) 29, got underway on 25 Nov 1941, and arrived on the morning of 29 Nov 1941 in Balikpapan, a major oil port on the eastern coast of Borneo. Peary was not among the group of ships proceeding south.
Despite his best efforts, Admiral Hart was still caught by surprise by the Japanese attacks on 10 Dec 1941. Four of the Destroyer Division Fifty Nine (DesDiv 59) ships remained in the Manila Bay area during the first week of December 1941 for overhaul and repairs and two others to provide escort services for shipping. The two destroyers, Pillsbury and Peary, were in the navy yard at Cavite for repairs following a collision during night training exercises in late October. Peary was also there for a yard overhaul.
Peary was still pier-side at Cavite's Central wharf on the morning of 10 Dec 1941 in a "cold iron" state. Her engines disassembled, bow open awaiting a patch, she was receiving "hotel" services (water, electricity and steam) from the pier (some reports indicate Peary was at the shipyard for routine maintenance). Most of her crew had moved ashore to continue repairs from base maintenance shops. She was non-operational. Suddenly, about 1300, two flights of more than 50 Japanese twin-engine, land-based, medium bombers appeared over the naval installations and commenced to obliterate everything in sight.
About 1350, Peary sustained a direct hit with an estimated 250 pound bomb which contained a combination of shrapnel and incendiary explosives. The bomb struck her mast spraying shrapnel in every direction killing or wounding almost everyone on the fire-control platform, bridge, and other areas and starting fires. Eight sailors were killed outright and five officers, including the Commanding Officer, Lcdr Keith, were wounded. The executive officer, Lt Albert Eugene Gates, Jr., was found unconscious on the bridge mortally wounded. They were evacuated to Sternberg hospital in Manila where Lt Gates probably died (exact location of death unknown but presumed at the hospital.). The disposition of his remains is unknown.
Lt Gates was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart Medal, American Defense Service Medal with Fleet Clasp (one bronze star in lieu of Clasp), Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with Fleet Clasp and two bronze stars (one bronze star in Lieu of Clasp), Philippine Defense Medal and the World War II Victory Medal. He was probably eligible for the Combat Action Ribbon (awarded retroactive to 07 Dec 1941).
Lt Gates' family also received a personal commemoration from President Franklin D. Roosevelt. It reads:
In grateful memory of Albert Eugene Gates, Jr., who died in the service of his country, SEA, Asiatic Area, ATTACHED U.S.S. PEARY, 10 December 1941. He stands in the unbroken line of patriots who have dared to die that freedom might live and grow and increase its blessings. Freedom lives, and through it, he lives--in a way that humbles the undertakings of most men.
(Signed) Franklin D. Roosevelt,
President of the United States
----------------------------
Primary Sources:
1) Cox, Jeffery R., Rising Sun, Falling Skies, Osprey Publishing, UK, 2015.
2) Kehn, Donald M. Jr., In the Highest Degree Tragic, The Sacrifice of the U.S. Asiatic Fleet in the East Indies During World War II, Potomac Books, 2017.
3) Various Newspaper articles
4) Deck logs USS Peary retrieved 15 November 2021.
5) Northern Territory Library Roll of Honour: Browse location. www.ntlexhibit.nt.gov.au. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
6) Wikipedia page, USS Peary (DD-226), Retrieved 12 November 2021.
7) Wilde, E. Andrew Jr. (Ed). U.S.S. Peary (DD-226) in World War II, Manila to Darwin, 12/10/41-2/19/42 : Needham, Mass. : The Editor, 2007. http://destroyerhistory.org/assets/pdf/wilde/226peary_wilde.pdf
8) United States Naval Academy - Lucky Bag - E-Yearbook.com -- http://www.yearbook.com/yearbooks
10) United States Naval Academy (USNA) Virtual Memorial Hall.
https://usnamemorialhall.org/index.php/ALBERT_E._GATES,_JR.,_LT,_USN
-------------------------
[Bio #350 composed by Gerry Lawton (G47/GML470)]
Military Hall of Honor ID#137916
Albert Jr graduated from high school about 1926. He received an At-Large appointment to the US Naval Academy in 1927 and entered on 30 Jun 1927. In 1928, Midshipman Gates was "deficient in studies for the first term; turned back into this class (1932)." On 02 Jun 1932, Gates was one of 421 midshipmen to receive their diplomas at commencement exercises. His merit standing was 253rd of 421 graduates. Only 380 midshipmen took the oath of office; 355 accepted a commission as an Ensign of the Line, US Navy and 25 accepted a commission as Second Lieutenant, USMC.
His classmates said this about him in the 1932 Luck Bag Yearbook;
"Whitey left the quiet Potomac in answer to the call of the glamorous sea. His career has apparently been in the hands of the fickle goddess, Luck. He has impartially graced both the savvy and the wooden sections. Academics, at certain times, have been of paramount interest to him; at others, merely a succession of boring hours.
He is not a Red Mike, but neither is he a tea fighting snake. He drags more or less frequently, pursuing his search for his ideal.
Athletics in the form of boxing, football and track have claimed his efforts. Boxing, however, is his favorite, and each winter finds him in the gym pushing and stopping leather.
It is difficult to say which he enjoys most, a good fight, chow, sleep, drag, or a bull session. At times, chagrined and griped at tough breaks, but never truly down-hearted, he grins and takes them for the best. This same grin and tenacity of spirit will carry him through the battles of the future as it has through those of the past.
Boxing; Football; Track;"
Like almost all newly commissioned Ensigns, Gates was expected to serve his first tour of duty at sea. So, on 30 Jun 1932, Ensign Gates reported for duty on board the light cruiser, USS Marblehead (CL-12). After a two year tour on Marblehead, Ens. Gates received orders in May 1934 to transfer to the Naval Air Station (NAS), Pensacola, FL to begin flight training under instruction on 4 Jun 1934. He was one of 18 naval officers who were to be given instruction first in glider flying. This was to be preliminary and continued until 15 Jun 1934 when the regular course began.
Ensign Gates did not complete flight training. He received orders on 18 Sep 1934 to detach from NAS, Pensacola in Sept and report for duty to the aircraft carrier, USS Saratoga (CV-3). For the next 2.5 years, Ensign Gates served on board Saratoga. On 02 Jun 1935, he was promoted to Lieutenant, Junior Grade (Ltjg). His next assignment was on board the destroyer, USS Childs (DD-241) for about a year. In the interim, Ltjg Gates completed a course in torpedo instruction. His next assignment was on board the destroyer, USS Boggs (DD-136), in 1938 for about a year. That assignment was followed by a tour of duty at the US Naval Academy as an instructor in the Department of Seamanship and Navigation (Sep 1939-Aug 1940) where he was promoted to Lieutenant (Lt) on 26 Jun 1940.
He was back at sea in Sep 1940 with a short tour on the destroyer, USS Connor (DD-72). Conner was decommissioned in 1922. She was recommissioned 23 August 1940 and fitted out at Philadelphia. Designated for inclusion in the destroyers for land bases exchange with Great Britain, she sailed to Halifax, Nova Scotia, where she was decommissioned 23 October 1940 and transferred to Britain and commissioned in the Royal Navy as HMS Leeds the same day.
Lt Gates received orders to detach from Conner in Oct 1940 and report to Asiatic Station for assignment. Lt Gates reported for duty on board the destroyer, USS Peary (DD-226) as the executive officer on 01 Feb 1941 (According to Peary's list of officers, Dec 1941). He was also the Navigator, Damage Control Officer and Landing Force Officer. Navy Registers for 1941 indicate Gates was assigned to the Navy Yard Pearl Harbor by Apr 1941 (error?).
Prelude to War.
The threat of hostilities between the United States and Japan grew closer to the boiling point as the year 1941 began. Admiral Hart, Commander in Chief, Asiatic Fleet, determined then it was time to send all of the families of his sailors home. There was push-back from the resentful spouses who initially declined to leave their husbands. It was only a threat to indefinitely restrict their spouses to their ships without leave that finally convinced the families; it was time to comply with orders and return to the continental United States (CONUS). Admiral Hart's directive probably saved many family members from internment by the Japanese or worse. For many of the married and unmarried sailors alike, it was the last time they would ever see their families.
Then, in July 1941, as Japanese aggression intensified with their move south into lower Indo-China, Admiral Hart warned his officers that he had no doubt that war would come although he didn't know how of when it would start. Hart trained his destroyer crews hard keeping them on a war-footing for extended periods and away from Cavite naval base as much as possible exercising his "defensive deployment."
Ordered to comply with the Adm. Hart's "defensive deployment" well south of Manila, units of the Asiatic Fleet including destroyer tender USS Blackhawk (AD-9), USS Stewart (DD-224) and other ships of Destroyer Squadron Twenty-Nine (DesRon) 29, got underway on 25 Nov 1941, and arrived on the morning of 29 Nov 1941 in Balikpapan, a major oil port on the eastern coast of Borneo. Peary was not among the group of ships proceeding south.
Despite his best efforts, Admiral Hart was still caught by surprise by the Japanese attacks on 10 Dec 1941. Four of the Destroyer Division Fifty Nine (DesDiv 59) ships remained in the Manila Bay area during the first week of December 1941 for overhaul and repairs and two others to provide escort services for shipping. The two destroyers, Pillsbury and Peary, were in the navy yard at Cavite for repairs following a collision during night training exercises in late October. Peary was also there for a yard overhaul.
Peary was still pier-side at Cavite's Central wharf on the morning of 10 Dec 1941 in a "cold iron" state. Her engines disassembled, bow open awaiting a patch, she was receiving "hotel" services (water, electricity and steam) from the pier (some reports indicate Peary was at the shipyard for routine maintenance). Most of her crew had moved ashore to continue repairs from base maintenance shops. She was non-operational. Suddenly, about 1300, two flights of more than 50 Japanese twin-engine, land-based, medium bombers appeared over the naval installations and commenced to obliterate everything in sight.
About 1350, Peary sustained a direct hit with an estimated 250 pound bomb which contained a combination of shrapnel and incendiary explosives. The bomb struck her mast spraying shrapnel in every direction killing or wounding almost everyone on the fire-control platform, bridge, and other areas and starting fires. Eight sailors were killed outright and five officers, including the Commanding Officer, Lcdr Keith, were wounded. The executive officer, Lt Albert Eugene Gates, Jr., was found unconscious on the bridge mortally wounded. They were evacuated to Sternberg hospital in Manila where Lt Gates probably died (exact location of death unknown but presumed at the hospital.). The disposition of his remains is unknown.
Lt Gates was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart Medal, American Defense Service Medal with Fleet Clasp (one bronze star in lieu of Clasp), Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with Fleet Clasp and two bronze stars (one bronze star in Lieu of Clasp), Philippine Defense Medal and the World War II Victory Medal. He was probably eligible for the Combat Action Ribbon (awarded retroactive to 07 Dec 1941).
Lt Gates' family also received a personal commemoration from President Franklin D. Roosevelt. It reads:
In grateful memory of Albert Eugene Gates, Jr., who died in the service of his country, SEA, Asiatic Area, ATTACHED U.S.S. PEARY, 10 December 1941. He stands in the unbroken line of patriots who have dared to die that freedom might live and grow and increase its blessings. Freedom lives, and through it, he lives--in a way that humbles the undertakings of most men.
(Signed) Franklin D. Roosevelt,
President of the United States
----------------------------
Primary Sources:
1) Cox, Jeffery R., Rising Sun, Falling Skies, Osprey Publishing, UK, 2015.
2) Kehn, Donald M. Jr., In the Highest Degree Tragic, The Sacrifice of the U.S. Asiatic Fleet in the East Indies During World War II, Potomac Books, 2017.
3) Various Newspaper articles
4) Deck logs USS Peary retrieved 15 November 2021.
5) Northern Territory Library Roll of Honour: Browse location. www.ntlexhibit.nt.gov.au. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
6) Wikipedia page, USS Peary (DD-226), Retrieved 12 November 2021.
7) Wilde, E. Andrew Jr. (Ed). U.S.S. Peary (DD-226) in World War II, Manila to Darwin, 12/10/41-2/19/42 : Needham, Mass. : The Editor, 2007. http://destroyerhistory.org/assets/pdf/wilde/226peary_wilde.pdf
8) United States Naval Academy - Lucky Bag - E-Yearbook.com -- http://www.yearbook.com/yearbooks
10) United States Naval Academy (USNA) Virtual Memorial Hall.
https://usnamemorialhall.org/index.php/ALBERT_E._GATES,_JR.,_LT,_USN
-------------------------
[Bio #350 composed by Gerry Lawton (G47/GML470)]
Military Hall of Honor ID#137916
Albert Eugene Gates, Jr., was the only son born to Albert Eugene Gates Sr and Mabel D. Brown who married 26 April 1905 in Washington, DC. His two siblings, one older and one younger, were sisters Dorothy Elizabeth Hough and Helen Maude Hosier.
Albert Jr graduated from high school about 1926. He received an At-Large appointment to the US Naval Academy in 1927 and entered on 30 Jun 1927. In 1928, Midshipman Gates was "deficient in studies for the first term; turned back into this class (1932)." On 02 Jun 1932, Gates was one of 421 midshipmen to receive their diplomas at commencement exercises. His merit standing was 253rd of 421 graduates. Only 380 midshipmen took the oath of office; 355 accepted a commission as an Ensign of the Line, US Navy and 25 accepted a commission as Second Lieutenant, USMC.
His classmates said this about him in the 1932 Luck Bag Yearbook;
"Whitey left the quiet Potomac in answer to the call of the glamorous sea. His career has apparently been in the hands of the fickle goddess, Luck. He has impartially graced both the savvy and the wooden sections. Academics, at certain times, have been of paramount interest to him; at others, merely a succession of boring hours.
He is not a Red Mike, but neither is he a tea fighting snake. He drags more or less frequently, pursuing his search for his ideal.
Athletics in the form of boxing, football and track have claimed his efforts. Boxing, however, is his favorite, and each winter finds him in the gym pushing and stopping leather.
It is difficult to say which he enjoys most, a good fight, chow, sleep, drag, or a bull session. At times, chagrined and griped at tough breaks, but never truly down-hearted, he grins and takes them for the best. This same grin and tenacity of spirit will carry him through the battles of the future as it has through those of the past.
Boxing; Football; Track;"
Like almost all newly commissioned Ensigns, Gates was expected to serve his first tour of duty at sea. So, on 30 Jun 1932, Ensign Gates reported for duty on board the light cruiser, USS Marblehead (CL-12). After a two year tour on Marblehead, Ens. Gates received orders in May 1934 to transfer to the Naval Air Station (NAS), Pensacola, FL to begin flight training under instruction on 4 Jun 1934. He was one of 18 naval officers who were to be given instruction first in glider flying. This was to be preliminary and continued until 15 Jun 1934 when the regular course began.
Ensign Gates did not complete flight training. He received orders on 18 Sep 1934 to detach from NAS, Pensacola in Sept and report for duty to the aircraft carrier, USS Saratoga (CV-3). For the next 2.5 years, Ensign Gates served on board Saratoga. On 02 Jun 1935, he was promoted to Lieutenant, Junior Grade (Ltjg). His next assignment was on board the destroyer, USS Childs (DD-241) for about a year. In the interim, Ltjg Gates completed a course in torpedo instruction. His next assignment was on board the destroyer, USS Boggs (DD-136), in 1938 for about a year. That assignment was followed by a tour of duty at the US Naval Academy as an instructor in the Department of Seamanship and Navigation (Sep 1939-Aug 1940) where he was promoted to Lieutenant (Lt) on 26 Jun 1940.
He was back at sea in Sep 1940 with a short tour on the destroyer, USS Connor (DD-72). Conner was decommissioned in 1922. She was recommissioned 23 August 1940 and fitted out at Philadelphia. Designated for inclusion in the destroyers for land bases exchange with Great Britain, she sailed to Halifax, Nova Scotia, where she was decommissioned 23 October 1940 and transferred to Britain and commissioned in the Royal Navy as HMS Leeds the same day.
Lt Gates received orders to detach from Conner in Oct 1940 and report to Asiatic Station for assignment. Lt Gates reported for duty on board the destroyer, USS Peary (DD-226) as the executive officer on 01 Feb 1941 (According to Peary's list of officers, Dec 1941). He was also the Navigator, Damage Control Officer and Landing Force Officer. Navy Registers for 1941 indicate Gates was assigned to the Navy Yard Pearl Harbor by Apr 1941 (error?).
Prelude to War.
The threat of hostilities between the United States and Japan grew closer to the boiling point as the year 1941 began. Admiral Hart, Commander in Chief, Asiatic Fleet, determined then it was time to send all of the families of his sailors home. There was push-back from the resentful spouses who initially declined to leave their husbands. It was only a threat to indefinitely restrict their spouses to their ships without leave that finally convinced the families; it was time to comply with orders and return to the continental United States (CONUS). Admiral Hart's directive probably saved many family members from internment by the Japanese or worse. For many of the married and unmarried sailors alike, it was the last time they would ever see their families.
Then, in July 1941, as Japanese aggression intensified with their move south into lower Indo-China, Admiral Hart warned his officers that he had no doubt that war would come although he didn't know how of when it would start. Hart trained his destroyer crews hard keeping them on a war-footing for extended periods and away from Cavite naval base as much as possible exercising his "defensive deployment."
Ordered to comply with the Adm. Hart's "defensive deployment" well south of Manila, units of the Asiatic Fleet including destroyer tender USS Blackhawk (AD-9), USS Stewart (DD-224) and other ships of Destroyer Squadron Twenty-Nine (DesRon) 29, got underway on 25 Nov 1941, and arrived on the morning of 29 Nov 1941 in Balikpapan, a major oil port on the eastern coast of Borneo. Peary was not among the group of ships proceeding south.
Despite his best efforts, Admiral Hart was still caught by surprise by the Japanese attacks on 10 Dec 1941. Four of the Destroyer Division Fifty Nine (DesDiv 59) ships remained in the Manila Bay area during the first week of December 1941 for overhaul and repairs and two others to provide escort services for shipping. The two destroyers, Pillsbury and Peary, were in the navy yard at Cavite for repairs following a collision during night training exercises in late October. Peary was also there for a yard overhaul.
Peary was still pier-side at Cavite's Central wharf on the morning of 10 Dec 1941 in a "cold iron" state. Her engines disassembled, bow open awaiting a patch, she was receiving "hotel" services (water, electricity and steam) from the pier (some reports indicate Peary was at the shipyard for routine maintenance). Most of her crew had moved ashore to continue repairs from base maintenance shops. She was non-operational. Suddenly, about 1300, two flights of more than 50 Japanese twin-engine, land-based, medium bombers appeared over the naval installations and commenced to obliterate everything in sight.
About 1350, Peary sustained a direct hit with an estimated 250 pound bomb which contained a combination of shrapnel and incendiary explosives. The bomb struck her mast spraying shrapnel in every direction killing or wounding almost everyone on the fire-control platform, bridge, and other areas and starting fires. Eight sailors were killed outright and five officers, including the Commanding Officer, Lcdr Keith, were wounded. The executive officer, Lt Albert Eugene Gates, Jr., was found unconscious on the bridge mortally wounded. They were evacuated to Sternberg hospital in Manila where Lt Gates probably died (exact location of death unknown but presumed at the hospital.). The disposition of his remains is unknown.
Lt Gates was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart Medal, American Defense Service Medal with Fleet Clasp (one bronze star in lieu of Clasp), Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with Fleet Clasp and two bronze stars (one bronze star in Lieu of Clasp), Philippine Defense Medal and the World War II Victory Medal. He was probably eligible for the Combat Action Ribbon (awarded retroactive to 07 Dec 1941).
Lt Gates' family also received a personal commemoration from President Franklin D. Roosevelt. It reads:
In grateful memory of Albert Eugene Gates, Jr., who died in the service of his country, SEA, Asiatic Area, ATTACHED U.S.S. PEARY, 10 December 1941. He stands in the unbroken line of patriots who have dared to die that freedom might live and grow and increase its blessings. Freedom lives, and through it, he lives--in a way that humbles the undertakings of most men.
(Signed) Franklin D. Roosevelt,
President of the United States
----------------------------
Primary Sources:
1) Cox, Jeffery R., Rising Sun, Falling Skies, Osprey Publishing, UK, 2015.
2) Kehn, Donald M. Jr., In the Highest Degree Tragic, The Sacrifice of the U.S. Asiatic Fleet in the East Indies During World War II, Potomac Books, 2017.
3) Various Newspaper articles
4) Deck logs USS Peary retrieved 15 November 2021.
5) Northern Territory Library Roll of Honour: Browse location. www.ntlexhibit.nt.gov.au. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
6) Wikipedia page, USS Peary (DD-226), Retrieved 12 November 2021.
7) Wilde, E. Andrew Jr. (Ed). U.S.S. Peary (DD-226) in World War II, Manila to Darwin, 12/10/41-2/19/42 : Needham, Mass. : The Editor, 2007. http://destroyerhistory.org/assets/pdf/wilde/226peary_wilde.pdf
8) United States Naval Academy - Lucky Bag - E-Yearbook.com -- http://www.yearbook.com/yearbooks
10) United States Naval Academy (USNA) Virtual Memorial Hall.
https://usnamemorialhall.org/index.php/ALBERT_E._GATES,_JR.,_LT,_USN
-------------------------
[Bio #350 composed by Gerry Lawton (G47/GML470)]
Military Hall of Honor ID#137916
Albert Jr graduated from high school about 1926. He received an At-Large appointment to the US Naval Academy in 1927 and entered on 30 Jun 1927. In 1928, Midshipman Gates was "deficient in studies for the first term; turned back into this class (1932)." On 02 Jun 1932, Gates was one of 421 midshipmen to receive their diplomas at commencement exercises. His merit standing was 253rd of 421 graduates. Only 380 midshipmen took the oath of office; 355 accepted a commission as an Ensign of the Line, US Navy and 25 accepted a commission as Second Lieutenant, USMC.
His classmates said this about him in the 1932 Luck Bag Yearbook;
"Whitey left the quiet Potomac in answer to the call of the glamorous sea. His career has apparently been in the hands of the fickle goddess, Luck. He has impartially graced both the savvy and the wooden sections. Academics, at certain times, have been of paramount interest to him; at others, merely a succession of boring hours.
He is not a Red Mike, but neither is he a tea fighting snake. He drags more or less frequently, pursuing his search for his ideal.
Athletics in the form of boxing, football and track have claimed his efforts. Boxing, however, is his favorite, and each winter finds him in the gym pushing and stopping leather.
It is difficult to say which he enjoys most, a good fight, chow, sleep, drag, or a bull session. At times, chagrined and griped at tough breaks, but never truly down-hearted, he grins and takes them for the best. This same grin and tenacity of spirit will carry him through the battles of the future as it has through those of the past.
Boxing; Football; Track;"
Like almost all newly commissioned Ensigns, Gates was expected to serve his first tour of duty at sea. So, on 30 Jun 1932, Ensign Gates reported for duty on board the light cruiser, USS Marblehead (CL-12). After a two year tour on Marblehead, Ens. Gates received orders in May 1934 to transfer to the Naval Air Station (NAS), Pensacola, FL to begin flight training under instruction on 4 Jun 1934. He was one of 18 naval officers who were to be given instruction first in glider flying. This was to be preliminary and continued until 15 Jun 1934 when the regular course began.
Ensign Gates did not complete flight training. He received orders on 18 Sep 1934 to detach from NAS, Pensacola in Sept and report for duty to the aircraft carrier, USS Saratoga (CV-3). For the next 2.5 years, Ensign Gates served on board Saratoga. On 02 Jun 1935, he was promoted to Lieutenant, Junior Grade (Ltjg). His next assignment was on board the destroyer, USS Childs (DD-241) for about a year. In the interim, Ltjg Gates completed a course in torpedo instruction. His next assignment was on board the destroyer, USS Boggs (DD-136), in 1938 for about a year. That assignment was followed by a tour of duty at the US Naval Academy as an instructor in the Department of Seamanship and Navigation (Sep 1939-Aug 1940) where he was promoted to Lieutenant (Lt) on 26 Jun 1940.
He was back at sea in Sep 1940 with a short tour on the destroyer, USS Connor (DD-72). Conner was decommissioned in 1922. She was recommissioned 23 August 1940 and fitted out at Philadelphia. Designated for inclusion in the destroyers for land bases exchange with Great Britain, she sailed to Halifax, Nova Scotia, where she was decommissioned 23 October 1940 and transferred to Britain and commissioned in the Royal Navy as HMS Leeds the same day.
Lt Gates received orders to detach from Conner in Oct 1940 and report to Asiatic Station for assignment. Lt Gates reported for duty on board the destroyer, USS Peary (DD-226) as the executive officer on 01 Feb 1941 (According to Peary's list of officers, Dec 1941). He was also the Navigator, Damage Control Officer and Landing Force Officer. Navy Registers for 1941 indicate Gates was assigned to the Navy Yard Pearl Harbor by Apr 1941 (error?).
Prelude to War.
The threat of hostilities between the United States and Japan grew closer to the boiling point as the year 1941 began. Admiral Hart, Commander in Chief, Asiatic Fleet, determined then it was time to send all of the families of his sailors home. There was push-back from the resentful spouses who initially declined to leave their husbands. It was only a threat to indefinitely restrict their spouses to their ships without leave that finally convinced the families; it was time to comply with orders and return to the continental United States (CONUS). Admiral Hart's directive probably saved many family members from internment by the Japanese or worse. For many of the married and unmarried sailors alike, it was the last time they would ever see their families.
Then, in July 1941, as Japanese aggression intensified with their move south into lower Indo-China, Admiral Hart warned his officers that he had no doubt that war would come although he didn't know how of when it would start. Hart trained his destroyer crews hard keeping them on a war-footing for extended periods and away from Cavite naval base as much as possible exercising his "defensive deployment."
Ordered to comply with the Adm. Hart's "defensive deployment" well south of Manila, units of the Asiatic Fleet including destroyer tender USS Blackhawk (AD-9), USS Stewart (DD-224) and other ships of Destroyer Squadron Twenty-Nine (DesRon) 29, got underway on 25 Nov 1941, and arrived on the morning of 29 Nov 1941 in Balikpapan, a major oil port on the eastern coast of Borneo. Peary was not among the group of ships proceeding south.
Despite his best efforts, Admiral Hart was still caught by surprise by the Japanese attacks on 10 Dec 1941. Four of the Destroyer Division Fifty Nine (DesDiv 59) ships remained in the Manila Bay area during the first week of December 1941 for overhaul and repairs and two others to provide escort services for shipping. The two destroyers, Pillsbury and Peary, were in the navy yard at Cavite for repairs following a collision during night training exercises in late October. Peary was also there for a yard overhaul.
Peary was still pier-side at Cavite's Central wharf on the morning of 10 Dec 1941 in a "cold iron" state. Her engines disassembled, bow open awaiting a patch, she was receiving "hotel" services (water, electricity and steam) from the pier (some reports indicate Peary was at the shipyard for routine maintenance). Most of her crew had moved ashore to continue repairs from base maintenance shops. She was non-operational. Suddenly, about 1300, two flights of more than 50 Japanese twin-engine, land-based, medium bombers appeared over the naval installations and commenced to obliterate everything in sight.
About 1350, Peary sustained a direct hit with an estimated 250 pound bomb which contained a combination of shrapnel and incendiary explosives. The bomb struck her mast spraying shrapnel in every direction killing or wounding almost everyone on the fire-control platform, bridge, and other areas and starting fires. Eight sailors were killed outright and five officers, including the Commanding Officer, Lcdr Keith, were wounded. The executive officer, Lt Albert Eugene Gates, Jr., was found unconscious on the bridge mortally wounded. They were evacuated to Sternberg hospital in Manila where Lt Gates probably died (exact location of death unknown but presumed at the hospital.). The disposition of his remains is unknown.
Lt Gates was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart Medal, American Defense Service Medal with Fleet Clasp (one bronze star in lieu of Clasp), Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with Fleet Clasp and two bronze stars (one bronze star in Lieu of Clasp), Philippine Defense Medal and the World War II Victory Medal. He was probably eligible for the Combat Action Ribbon (awarded retroactive to 07 Dec 1941).
Lt Gates' family also received a personal commemoration from President Franklin D. Roosevelt. It reads:
In grateful memory of Albert Eugene Gates, Jr., who died in the service of his country, SEA, Asiatic Area, ATTACHED U.S.S. PEARY, 10 December 1941. He stands in the unbroken line of patriots who have dared to die that freedom might live and grow and increase its blessings. Freedom lives, and through it, he lives--in a way that humbles the undertakings of most men.
(Signed) Franklin D. Roosevelt,
President of the United States
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Primary Sources:
1) Cox, Jeffery R., Rising Sun, Falling Skies, Osprey Publishing, UK, 2015.
2) Kehn, Donald M. Jr., In the Highest Degree Tragic, The Sacrifice of the U.S. Asiatic Fleet in the East Indies During World War II, Potomac Books, 2017.
3) Various Newspaper articles
4) Deck logs USS Peary retrieved 15 November 2021.
5) Northern Territory Library Roll of Honour: Browse location. www.ntlexhibit.nt.gov.au. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
6) Wikipedia page, USS Peary (DD-226), Retrieved 12 November 2021.
7) Wilde, E. Andrew Jr. (Ed). U.S.S. Peary (DD-226) in World War II, Manila to Darwin, 12/10/41-2/19/42 : Needham, Mass. : The Editor, 2007. http://destroyerhistory.org/assets/pdf/wilde/226peary_wilde.pdf
8) United States Naval Academy - Lucky Bag - E-Yearbook.com -- http://www.yearbook.com/yearbooks
10) United States Naval Academy (USNA) Virtual Memorial Hall.
https://usnamemorialhall.org/index.php/ALBERT_E._GATES,_JR.,_LT,_USN
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[Bio #350 composed by Gerry Lawton (G47/GML470)]
Military Hall of Honor ID#137916
Gravesite Details
Entered the service from D.C.
Family Members
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