Heywood Lane Edwards (9 November 1905 – 31 October 1941) was an officer of the United States Navy. Born in San Saba, Texas, he was the son of Winston C Edwards and Louise Smith. He was one of the first American casualties of World War II, more than a month before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

Biography

Edwards was born in San Saba, Tex., 9 November 1905 and graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1926. He competed for the United States in freestyle wrestling in the

1928 Summer Olympics The 1928 Summer Olympics ( nl, Olympische Zomerspelen 1928), officially known as the Games of the IX Olympiad ( nl, Spelen van de IXe Olympiade) and commonly known as Amsterdam 1928, was an international multi-sport event that was celebrated from ...

, earning 4th place in the light heavyweight division. After serving in

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 ...

''Florida'' (BB-30),

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 ...

''Reno'' (DD-303) and other ships, he underwent

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 ...

instruction in 1931, served in several submarines, and was assigned to

cruiser A cruiser is a type of warship. Modern cruisers are generally the largest ships in a fleet after aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships, and can usually perform several roles. The term "cruiser", which has been in use for several hu ...

''Detroit'' (CL-8) in 1935. Lieutenant Commander Edwards assumed command of ''Reuben James'' (DD-245) 6 April 1940. His ship became the first in the U.S. Navy to be sunk in the

Battle of the Atlantic The Battle of the Atlantic, the longest continuous military campaign in World War II, ran from 1939 to the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945, covering a major part of the naval history of World War II. At its core was the Allied naval blockade ...

when it was torpedoed by a German submarine while on convoy duty west of Iceland 30–31 October 1941. Lt. Comdr. Edwards and 99 of his crew perished with the ship.

Namesake

In 1943, the destroyer USS ''Heywood L. Edwards'' (DD-663) was named in his honor.

References

: 1905 births 1941 deaths United States Navy officers United States Navy personnel killed in World War II People from San Saba, Texas United States Naval Academy alumni Military personnel from Texas Olympic wrestlers for the United States American male sport wrestlers Sportspeople from Texas Wrestlers at the 1928 Summer Olympics {{US-navy-bio-stub