Herald Franklin Stout (June 6, 1903 – March 23, 1987) was an American

admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet, ...

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 ...

who served in

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 ...

and Korea.

Early life and career

Herald F. Stout was born June 15, 1903, in

Dover, Ohio Dover is a city in Tuscarawas County, Ohio, United States, along the Tuscarawas River. The population was 13,112 at the 2020 census. It is located approximately south of Cleveland, west of Pittsburgh, and northeast of the state capital of Col ...

to Franklin Lee and Jemima Mae Tong Stout. After graduating as valedictorian of Roosevelt High School, he entered 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 ...

on appointment from the Sixteenth District of Ohio in 1922. Stout graduated and was commissioned an ensign on June 3, 1926. On the same day, he married his hometown sweetheart, Louise Frederica Finley. They were the parents of three sons. Following graduation, Stout joined the USS ''Cincinnati'' as a main engine division officer, communications officer, radio officer, ship's secretary, and then finally as a gun division officer. Upon detachment from the ''Cincinnati'' in June 1931 and subsequent to promotion to lieutenant, Stout had a year's duty as a torpedo and communications Officer aboard the destroyer USS ''Breckenridge''. In June 1932, he was transferred to the destroyer USS ''Hatfield'' to serve as torpedo officer and first lieutenant until April 1933. In September 1942, Stout became commissioning commanding officer of the destroyer USS ''Claxton'', which operated with

Destroyer Squadron 23 Destroyer Squadron 23 (DESRON 23) is a squadron of United States Navy destroyers based out of San Diego, California. The squadron is best known for its actions during World War II, most notably the Battle of Cape St. George, under the command of ...

("Little Beaver" Squadron) in the

Solomon Islands Solomon Islands is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 900 smaller islands in Oceania, to the east of Papua New Guinea and north-west of Vanuatu. It has a land area of , and a population of approx. 700,000. Its capita ...

. For outstanding service in command of the ''Claxton'', he was awarded two Navy Crosses. In January 1952, he became Commander, Mine Squadron THREE, Commander, Western Pacific Minesweeping Force and Commander, Task Group 95.6, operating in the Korean area of hostilities. After Naval retirement, Rear Admiral Stout was a senior Reliability Design Engineer with

Convair Convair, previously Consolidated Vultee, was an American aircraft manufacturing company that later expanded into rockets and spacecraft. The company was formed in 1943 by the merger of Consolidated Aircraft and Vultee Aircraft. In 1953, it ...

Corporation, who produced the Atlas missile, and later a Reliability Engineer with Astronautics, both Divisions of

General Dynamics General Dynamics Corporation (GD) is an American publicly traded, aerospace and defense corporation headquartered in Reston, Virginia. As of 2020, it was the fifth-largest defense contractor in the world by arms sales, and 5th largest in the Uni ...

Corporation. Ten years following the death of Louise Frederica Stout, he married Zoe E. Anderson on July 25, 1976, in the church where they met and worked together. Rear Admiral Stout was a Brother of the Fraternity of Free and Accepted Masons. He was a charter and continuing member of the United Church of Christ of

La Mesa, California La Mesa () is a city in San Diego County, located east of Downtown San Diego in Southern California. The population was 61,121 at the 2020 census, up from 57,065 at the 2010 census. Its civic motto is "the Jewel of the Hills." History La Me ...

when he died on March 23, 1987.

Awards

In addition to the Navy Cross with gold star, the Distinguished Service Medal, the Silver Star Medal, and the Presidential Unit Citation Ribbon, Rear Admiral Stout was awarded the Second Nicaraguan Campaign Medal, the Yangtze Service Medal, the American Defense Service Medal with star, the American Campaign Medal, the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with one silver star and two bronze stars (seven engagements), the World War II Victory Medal, the Navy Occupation Service Medal with Asia Clasp, the China Service Medal, the National Defense Service Medal with one bronze star, the Pearl Harbor Commemorative Medal, the Korean Service Medal, the United Nations Service Medal, the Philippine Liberation Ribbon, and the Korean Presidential Unit Citation.

Navy Cross citation

Legacy

The destroyer USS ''Stout'' was named for Stout in 1992.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stout, Herald 1903 births 1987 deaths United States Navy admirals United States Navy personnel of World War II United States Navy personnel of the Korean War Recipients of the Navy Cross (United States) People from Dover, Ohio Military personnel from Ohio