Creed Cardwell Burlingame (February 27, 1905 – October 21, 1985) was a
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 ...
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 ...
. He served as a
submarine
A submarine (or sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability. The term is also sometimes used historically or colloquially to refer to remotely op ...
commander in the
Pacific Theater
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...
during
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 ...
.
Early life
Burlingame was born in
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...
, on February 27, 1905 and grew up in the Midwest.
Naval career
In June 1927, Burlingame, along with
Eugene Lindsey and
William Brockman, graduated from the
United States Naval Academy
The United States Naval Academy (US Naval Academy, USNA, or Navy) is a federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as Secretary of the Navy. The Naval Academy ...
as an ensign and served aboard the battleship . He subsequently graduated from the
Submarine School in
New London, Connecticut
New London is a seaport city and a port of entry on the northeast coast of the United States, located at the mouth of the Thames River in New London County, Connecticut. It was one of the world's three busiest whaling ports for several decades ...
, in 1930.
[ Submarine-related commands immediately prior to and during World War II included captain of the from 8 May 1936 to 1 January 1939, duty at Submarine Base New London from 1 July 1939 to 1 July 1940, captain of the from 31 August 1940 to 7 December 1941, commissioning and first commanding officer of the from 15 December 1941 to 20 July 1943, commander of Submarine Division One Hundred Eighty Two from 1 November 1943 to 15 July 1945, and acting commander of Submarine Squadron Eighteen from 17 December 1944 to 8 January 1945.]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 ...
, Burlingame was immediately transferred to the USS ''Silversides'' for its commissioning at Mare Island, California
Mare Island (Spanish language, Spanish: ''Isla de la Yegua'') is a peninsula in the United States in the city of Vallejo, California, about northeast of San Francisco. The Napa River forms its eastern side as it enters the Carquinez Strait junc ...
on 15 December 1941. It was his sixth submarine and third command. After a brief shakedown
Shakedown may refer to:
* Shakedown (continuum mechanics), a type of plastic deformation
* Shakedown (testing) or a shakedown cruise, a period of testing undergone by a ship, airplane or other craft before being declared operational
* Extortion, ...
off the California coast, he sailed ''Silversides'' for Hawaii, arriving at Pearl Harbor on 4 April 1942 and left for his first combat patrol on 30 April.[ He was promoted to commander on 10 September. Burlingame commanded ''Silversides'' for a total of five patrols, sinking eight enemy ships for a total 44,000 tons. While commanding the ''Silversides'', the ship and crew received a presidential citation and Burlingame earned two ]Silver Star
The Silver Star Medal (SSM) is the United States Armed Forces' third-highest military decoration for valor in combat. The Silver Star Medal is awarded primarily to members of the United States Armed Forces for gallantry in action against an e ...
s and three 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 ...
es. As commander of the 182d Submarine Division in the Pacific, he was awarded the Legion of Merit
The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements. The decoration is issued to members of the eight ...
.[
Following World War II, Burlingame served in various assignments, including command of from 15 September 1953 to 3 March 1955.][
]
Awards and decorations
Navy Cross citations
First
Second
Third
Silver Star citations
First
Second
Legion of Merit citation
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Burlingame, Creed C.
1905 births
1985 deaths
United States Navy personnel of World War II
Burials at Arlington National Cemetery
Recipients of the Legion of Merit
Recipients of the Navy Cross (United States)
Recipients of the Silver Star
United States Navy rear admirals (lower half)
United States submarine commanders
Military personnel from Louisville, Kentucky