Charles Emery Rosendahl (May 15, 1892 – May 17, 1977) was a highly decorated vice admiral in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

, and an advocate of lighter-than-air flight.

Biography

Early career

Rosendahl was born in

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, although his family subsequently relocated to

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...

and

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

and, in 1910, he was appointed to the

Naval Academy A naval academy provides education for prospective naval officers. See also * Military academy A military academy or service academy is an educational institution which prepares candidates for service in the officer corps. It normally pro ...

from the latter state and was later commissioned in the rank of

ensign An ensign is the national flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. The naval ensign (also known as war ensign), used on warships, may be diffe ...

in June 1914, upon graduation from the academy. He was then ordered to join the

armored cruiser The armored cruiser was a type of warship of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It was designed like other types of cruisers to operate as a long-range, independent warship, capable of defeating any ship apart from a battleship and fast eno ...

off Mexico during the Veracruz crisis. After ''West Virginia'' was decommissioned he served briefly on the battleship and the

protected cruiser Protected cruisers, a type of naval cruiser of the late-19th century, gained their description because an armoured deck offered protection for vital machine-spaces from fragments caused by shells exploding above them. Protected cruisers re ...

, before reporting for duty aboard the protected cruiser on May 14, 1915. On September 15, 1916, he returned to the recommissioned ''West Virginia'', which was subsequently renamed the ''Huntington''. On June 19, 1917, he received promotion to

lieutenant (junior grade) Lieutenant junior grade is a junior commissioned officer rank used in a number of navies. United States Lieutenant (junior grade), commonly abbreviated as LTJG or, historically, Lt. (j.g.) (as well as variants of both abbreviations), is ...

, and to full

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

on August 31, 1918, having served aboard the ''Huntington'' escorting convoys of troops and supplies to Europe during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. From June 6, 1918, Rosendahl served as an engineering officer, putting the new

destroyer In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, manoeuvrable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against powerful short range attackers. They were originally developed in ...

into commission. On July 30, 1919, he was ordered to the Pacific Coast for further duty, first serving on the cruiser as gunnery officer, and receiving promotion to

lieutenant commander Lieutenant commander (also hyphenated lieutenant-commander and abbreviated Lt Cdr, LtCdr. or LCDR) is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander. The corresponding rank i ...

on January 27, 1920. In August he began fitting out new destroyers, commissioning, and delivering them to the fleet; they included the , , , and . On July 11, 1921, Rosendahl assumed command of the destroyer , before being ordered to duty at the Naval Academy as an instructor in Department of Electrical Engineering and Physics in September.

Move to airships

When the Navy's

Bureau of Navigation The Bureau of Navigation, later the Bureau of Navigation and Steamboat Inspection and finally the Bureau of Marine Inspection and Navigation — not to be confused with the United States Navys Bureau of Navigation — was an agency of the United ...

circulated a letter asking for volunteers for rigid airship duty, Rosendahl volunteered. He reported to

Naval Air Station Lakehurst A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral zone, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

, to be trained in airship operation on April 7, 1923. Designated a

naval aviator Naval aviation is the application of military air power by navies, whether from warships that embark aircraft, or land bases. Naval aviation is typically projected to a position nearer the target by way of an aircraft carrier. Carrier-based a ...

in November 1924, Rosendahl served on the

dirigible An airship or dirigible balloon is a type of aerostat or lighter-than-air aircraft that can navigate through the air under its own power. Aerostats gain their lift from a lifting gas that is less dense than the surrounding air. In early ...

as mooring officer and navigator. Promoted to

on January 5, 1925, he distinguished himself by successfully bringing the bow section of the shattered airship safely to earth after she broke up in the air on September 3, 1925, over Noble County,

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

. For this action he was later awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. From March 9, 1926, he served as

executive officer An executive officer is a person who is principally responsible for leading all or part of an organization, although the exact nature of the role varies depending on the organization. In many militaries and police forces, an executive officer, o ...

, and then as

commanding officer The commanding officer (CO) or sometimes, if the incumbent is a general officer, commanding general (CG), is the officer in command of a military unit. The commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitu ...

from May 10, of the dirigible , making numerous flights for crew training, radio compass station calibration and flight tests for

National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics The National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) was a United States federal agency founded on March 3, 1915, to undertake, promote, and institutionalize aeronautical research. On October 1, 1958, the agency was dissolved and its assets ...

(NACA). ''Los Angeles'' also took part in the searches for Nungesser and Coli's aircraft ''

The White Bird ''L'Oiseau Blanc'' (English: ''The White Bird'') was a French Levasseur PL.8 biplane that disappeared in 1927 during an attempt to make the first non-stop transatlantic flight between Paris and New York City to compete for the Orteig Prize. F ...

'', and

Frances Wilson Grayson Frances Wilson Grayson (c. 1892 – c. December 23, 1927) was an American woman who disappeared flying to Newfoundland just before her attempt to cross the Atlantic Ocean. She was a niece of President Woodrow Wilson.trans-Atlantic flights. Uss Patoka AO9

In January 1928 Rosendahl flew ''Los Angeles'' out to sea off

Newport, Rhode Island Newport is an American seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island. It is located in Narragansett Bay, approximately southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, Providence, south of Fall River, Massachusetts, south of Boston, ...

, to rendezvous with the aircraft carrier and moored to the ship's stern to take on fuel and stores. Further experimental flights were undertaken, mooring to the airship tender during long-range flights. In July 1928 Rosendahl traveled to Britain to observe their airship activities, and then to Germany for the trials of the airship . In October he was an observer aboard the ''Graf'' as she made her first Atlantic crossing from

Friedrichshafen Friedrichshafen ( or ; Low Alemannic: ''Hafe'' or ''Fridrichshafe'') is a city on the northern shoreline of Lake Constance (the ''Bodensee'') in Southern Germany, near the borders of both Switzerland and Austria. It is the district capital (''Kre ...

to Lakehurst. On May 9, 1929, he was relieved as commanding officer of ''Los Angeles'' and assumed duty as the commander of the Rigid Airship Training and Experimental Squadron at NAS Lakehurst. In August he was aboard the ''Graf Zeppelin''s "Round the World" flight as observer and watch officer. On June 27, 1930, Rosendahl was assigned to the

Bureau of Aeronautics The Bureau of Aeronautics (BuAer) was the U.S. Navy's material-support organization for naval aviation from 1921 to 1959. The bureau had "cognizance" (''i.e.'', responsibility) for the design, procurement, and support of naval aircraft and relate ...

, in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, and from October 21, 1931, to June 23, 1932, commanded the new dirigible , during which time experiments in the role as an

airborne aircraft carrier An airborne aircraft carrier is a type of mother ship aircraft which can carry, launch, retrieve and support other smaller parasite aircraft. The only dedicated examples to have been built were airships, although existing heavier-than-air airc ...

were tried. Between July 1932 and June 1934 Rosendahl served at sea on board the

battleship A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of large caliber guns. It dominated naval warfare in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The term ''battleship'' came into use in the late 1880s to describe a type of ...

and heavy cruiser . Hindenburg burning

On June 11, 1934, he assumed command at

NAS Lakehurst Lakehurst Maxfield Field, formerly known as Naval Air Engineering Station Lakehurst (NAES Lakehurst), is the naval component of Joint Base McGuire–Dix–Lakehurst (JB MDL), a United States Air Force-managed joint base headquartered approximately ...

, and was promoted to

commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain. ...

on February 1, 1935. Rosendahl served as an official observer on the German airship , on transatlantic flights between

Frankfurt Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , "Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on its na ...

and

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...

in August and September 1936. He was in command at Lakehurst on the night of May 6, 1937, and witnessed the destruction of the ''Hindenburg'', leading fire fighting and rescue efforts. He later testified at the

Department of Commerce The United States Department of Commerce is an executive department of the U.S. federal government concerned with creating the conditions for economic growth and opportunity. Among its tasks are gathering economic and demographic data for bu ...

inquiry into the accident and stated: On August 6, 1938, he was relieved of command of NAS Lakehurst, and on August 31, he reported to Pearl Harbor to serve as executive officer of the light cruiser . On May 23, 1940, he was assigned to the office of the

Secretary of the Navy The secretary of the Navy (or SECNAV) is a statutory officer () and the head (chief executive officer) of the Department of the Navy, a military department (component organization) within the United States Department of Defense. By law, the se ...

for duty in airship evaluations, and was promoted to the rank of

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

on July 13. In September he became the senior member of the board created to investigate sites for new airship stations. On February 25, 1941, he was detached from that duty to serve in the office of the

Assistant Secretary of the Navy Assistant Secretary of the Navy (ASN) is the title given to certain civilian senior officials in the United States Department of the Navy. From 1861 to 1954, the Assistant Secretary of the Navy was the second-highest civilian office in the Depar ...

, and then on April 23, 1942, to the office of

Chief of Naval Operations The chief of naval operations (CNO) is the professional head of the United States Navy. The position is a statutory office () held by an admiral who is a military adviser and deputy to the secretary of the Navy. In a separate capacity as a memb ...

, under the Director of Fleet Training, for airship training and base selection.

World War II

On September 6, 1942, Rosendahl took command of the

heavy cruiser The heavy cruiser was a type of cruiser, a naval warship designed for long range and high speed, armed generally with naval guns of roughly 203 mm (8 inches) in caliber, whose design parameters were dictated by the Washington Naval Tr ...

. The ship was torpedoed during the

Battle of Tassafaronga The Battle of Tassafaronga, sometimes referred to as the Fourth Battle of Savo Island or, in Japanese sources, as the , was a nighttime naval battle that took place on November 30, 1942, between United States Navy and Imperial Japanese Navy warsh ...

, off

Guadalcanal Guadalcanal (; indigenous name: ''Isatabu'') is the principal island in Guadalcanal Province of Solomon Islands, located in the south-western Pacific, northeast of Australia. It is the largest island in the Solomon Islands by area, and the seco ...

, on November 30, 1942, losing of her bows and had three of four boilers knocked out. Rosendahl kept her afloat and reached the safety of

Tulagi Tulagi, less commonly known as Tulaghi, is a small island——in Solomon Islands, just off the south coast of Ngella Sule. The town of the same name on the island (pop. 1,750) was the capital of the British Solomon Islands Protectorate from 18 ...

. For this action he was subsequently awarded the

Navy Cross The Navy Cross is the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps' second-highest military decoration awarded for sailors and marines who distinguish themselves for extraordinary heroism in combat with an armed enemy force. The medal is eq ...

. On May 15, he returned to NAS Lakehurst and assumed duty as the Chief of Naval Airship Training Command, receiving promotion to

rear admiral Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star "admiral" rank. It is often regarde ...

on May 26, 1943. This service lasted through

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, until he retired on November 1, 1946. He was advanced to the rank of vice admiral on the same day.

Post-Navy activities

Between 1947 and 1952 Rosendahl was an aeronautical consultant and a vice-president of the

Flettner Anton Flettner, Flugzeugbau GmbH was a German helicopter and autogyro manufacturer during World War II, founded by Anton Flettner. Flettner aircraft included: *Flettner Fl 184 - Reconnaissance autogyro, prototype *Flettner Fl 185 - Reconnaissance ...

Aircraft Corporation, New York. In 1953 he was appointed

executive director Executive director is commonly the title of the chief executive officer of a non-profit organization, government agency or international organization. The title is widely used in North American and European not-for-profit organizations, though ...

of the National Air Transport Coordinating Committee, a group set up to study air transport problems in the greater New York area after three crashes in

Elizabeth, New Jersey Elizabeth is a city and the county seat of Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.New J ...

, during 1952. Rosendahl retired to Toms River,

, in 1960 to write and to organize the Lighter-Than-Air Museum Association at Lakehurst. The Navy conditionally deeded land to the LTA Museum Association, but because the group was unsuccessful in raising funds, the land reverted to NAS Lakehurst. The United States Navy ended airship operations in August 1962. Rosendahl was aboard the

N class blimp The N-Class, or as popularly known, the "Nan ship", was a line of non-rigid airships built by the Goodyear Aircraft Company of Akron, Ohio for the US Navy. This line of airships was developed through many versions and assigned various designato ...

''ZPG-3W'' on the final flight. Rosendahl died on May 17, 1977, at the

Naval Hospital Philadelphia The Philadelphia Naval Hospital was the first high-rise hospital building constructed by the United States Navy. At its 1935 opening it represented a state-of-the-art facility for the Navy with 650 beds and a total floor space of . The dedicated ...

Personal life

On June 30, 1932, he met Jean Wilson on a train en route to Los Angeles, California. They were married on December 22, 1934.

Publications

Rosendahl published several books, as well as numerous scientific and popular articles about airships. * ''Up Ship!'' (1931)

Dodd, Mead and Company Dodd, Mead and Company was one of the pioneer publishing houses of the United States, based in New York City. Under several names, the firm operated from 1839 until 1990. History Origins In 1839, Moses Woodruff Dodd (1813–1899) and John S. Ta ...

, New York. * ''What About the Airship: The Challenge to the United States'' (1938)

Charles Scribner's Sons Charles Scribner's Sons, or simply Scribner's or Scribner, is an American publisher based in New York City, known for publishing American authors including Henry James, Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Kurt Vonnegut, Marjorie Kinnan Rawli ...

, New York. * ''A History of U.S. Navy Airships in World War II'' * ''SNAFU: The Strange Story of American Airships'' His collected papers are held by the

University of Texas at Dallas The University of Texas at Dallas (UTD or UT Dallas) is a public research university in Richardson, Texas. It is one of the largest public universities in the Dallas area and the northernmost institution of the University of Texas system. It wa ...

. These include notes for an unpublished study of the

attack on Pearl Harbor The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service upon the United States against the naval base at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii, j ...

written with the assistance of Vice Admiral

Ryūnosuke Kusaka , was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II who served as Chief of Staff of the Combined Fleet. Fellow Admiral Jinichi Kusaka was his cousin. Kusaka was also the 4th Headmaster of ''Ittō Shōden Mutō-ryū Kenjutsu'', a ...

, who Rosendahl had first met and befriended on the ''Graf Zeppelin'' circumnavigation in 1929.

Memberships

Rosendahl was a member of the following organizations: *

Fellow A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

of the Institute of the Aeronautical Sciences * Member of Advisory Committee and Trustee of the Clifford B. Harmon Trust * Past President and Life Honorary Member,

Wings Club The Wings Club, also known as the Wings Club of New York, is a social and professional club formed for aviators, based in New York City. Founded in 1942 by a group of American aviation pioneers, it is known for its monthly lunches, annual dinners a ...

of New York * Honorary Member and Past President,

John Ericsson John Ericsson (born Johan Ericsson; July 31, 1803 – March 8, 1889) was a Swedish-American inventor. He was active in England and the United States. Ericsson collaborated on the design of the railroad steam locomotive ''Novelty'', which com ...

Society of New York * Founder and Member of Army-Navy Country Club, Washington, D.C. * Fifty-year "Gold Card" member of the

American Legion The American Legion, commonly known as the Legion, is a non-profit organization of U.S. war War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militi ...

, Past Commander and member of its Air Service, Post 501 * Adventurers' Club * Ye Ancient and Secret Order of

Quiet Birdmen The Quiet Birdmen is a secretive club in the United States for male aviators. Founded in 1921 by World War I pilots, the organization meets in various locations, never announced to the public. Members, called QBs, must be invited to join, and they ...

* International Order of Characters *

Explorers' Club The Explorers Club is an American-based international multidisciplinary professional society with the goal of promoting scientific exploration and field study. The club was founded in New York City in 1904, and has served as a meeting point fo ...

* The Naval Order of the United States

Honors and awards

Civilian

Rosendahl was the recipient of numerous honors: * Elder Statesman of Aviation,

National Aeronautic Association The National Aeronautic Association of the United States (NAA) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization and a founding member of the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI). Founded in 1905, it is the oldest national aviation club in the Uni ...

* Winner of four Harmon Trophies, Aeronaut-class (1927 & 1940-9), and National Award (1932 & 1933) * Frank M. Hawks Award * He was inducted into the

Aviation Hall of Fame and Museum of New Jersey The Aviation Hall Of Fame & Museum of New Jersey was founded in 1972 and preserves New Jersey's aviation and space heritage. The museum displays historic aircraft, space equipment, artifacts, photographs, art and an aircraft model collection. The ...

in 1980 He also received two honorary degrees: * Doctor of Science in Aeronautics from the

University of Tampa The University of Tampa (UT) is a private university in Tampa, Florida. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. UT offers more than 200 programs of study, including 22 master's degrees and a broad variety of majors, ...

* Doctor of Laws from

Rider College Rider University is a private university in Lawrence Township, New Jersey. It consists of four academic units: the Norm Brodsky College of Business, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the College of Education and Human Services, and West ...

Military decorations

Here is the ribbon bar of Vice Admiral Charles E. Rosendahl:

In popular culture

Rosendahl appears in the pilot episode of the NBC series ''

Timeless Timeless (or atemporal) or timelessness (or atemporality) may refer to: * Agelessness, the condition of being unaffected by the passage of time * Akal (Sikh term), timelessness in Sikhism * Eternity, timeless existence or infinite duration * Immo ...

'', where he is portrayed by

Kurt Max Runte Kurt Max Runte is a Canadian actor based in Vancouver, British Columbia.Michael D. Reid, "Making the cut". ''Victoria Times-Colonist'', January 24, 2005. He is most noted for his performance as Dale Milbury in the 2016 film ''Hello Destroyer'', for ...

References

;Notes ;Bibliography *

External links

Charles Rosendahl biography, photograph, and documents.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rosendahl, Charles E. 1892 births 1977 deaths People from Toms River, New Jersey LZ 129 Hindenburg Airship aviators United States Naval Aviators United States Naval Academy alumni United States Navy admirals United States Navy personnel of World War I United States Navy World War II admirals Recipients of the Navy Cross (United States) Recipients of the Navy Distinguished Service Medal Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United States) Military personnel from Chicago Military personnel from New Jersey