George William Kittredge (1918–2010) was a retired United States Navy captain who commanded

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 ...

s during and after World War II, including , , and . After retiring from the Navy in 1962, he served in the Maine State Legislature and as a trustee of the Maine Maritime Academy before founding Kittredge Industries in 1970, for which he is credited as the father of the personal submersibles industry.

Early and personal life

Kittredge was born on May 26, 1918, in Washington, D.C. to Scott F. and Henriette Green Kittredge. He attended the United States Naval Academy and graduated in 1940 with a degree in electrical engineering. He married Gayle (née Clark) on May 26, 1944.

Career

After receiving his commission, Ensign Kittredge was assigned to , which participated in the

Battle of the Coral Sea The Battle of the Coral Sea, from 4 to 8 May 1942, was a major naval battle between the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) and naval and air forces of the United States and Australia. Taking place in the Pacific Theatre of World War II, the batt ...

, the

Guadalcanal campaign The Guadalcanal campaign, also known as the Battle of Guadalcanal and codenamed Operation Watchtower by American forces, was a military campaign fought between 7 August 1942 and 9 February 1943 on and around the island of Guadalcanal in th ...

and Battle of Savo Island, where the ship was damaged and he volunteered for submarine duty, serving seven war patrols aboard and before finishing the war as the commander of ''Grouper''. After the war, Kittredge served as the navigator for Admiral Richard E. Byrd on his 1946 Antarctic expedition, commander of ''Sterlet'' and ''Trout'', and in various diplomatic and administrative roles. He retired from the Navy in 1962. For the 102nd legislature of 1965/1966 Kittredge was a member of the

Maine House of Representatives The Maine House of Representatives is the lower house of the Maine Legislature. The House consists of 151 voting members and three nonvoting members. The voting members represent an equal number of districts across the state and are elected via p ...

, representing

South Thomaston South Thomaston is a town in Knox County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,511 at the 2020 census. A fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment, but ma ...

in Knox County. Kittredge Industries was founded in 1970 to design and manufacture midget submarines, completing 49 submersibles before manufacturing was wound down in 1988. Kittredge's designs included the K-250 and K-350, named for their maximum rated depth (in feet); he is known as the "father of personal submersibles".

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kittredge, George 1918 births 2010 deaths United States Navy captains United States submarine commanders Members of the Maine House of Representatives