Vice Admiral James Albert Hirshfield (July 30, 1902 – May 16, 1993) was the sixth Assistant Commandant (now called Vice Commandant) of the

United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, mult ...

. During

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he was the

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 ...

of the USCGC Campbell (WPG-32) during a battle with

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U-boat U-boats were naval submarines operated by Germany, particularly in the First and Second World Wars. Although at times they were efficient fleet weapons against enemy naval warships, they were most effectively used in an economic warfare role ...

s, earning 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 ...

Early life

James Albert Hirshfield was born in

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, on 30 July 1902, the son of Eli Albert Hirshfield and Katherine Devine Hirshfield. He received his early education in

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and graduated from Main Avenue High School. During 1921 and 1922 he attended the

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Early career

He was appointed a cadet in the U. S. Coast Guard Academy in July 1922, graduating on 17 October 1924 as an Ensign. Out of the Academy, he served nearly nine years of sea duty before being assigned to a shore station. With the Destroyer Force of

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, he served on the ''Cummings'', ''Henley'', ''Wilkes'', ''Downes'', ''Fanning'', and ''Cassin''. From 1930-31 he served on the cutter ''Tallapoosa'' and as executive officer on the Destroyer ''George E. Badger''. In 1932, upon her commissioning, he assumed command of ''Hermes'' on Atlantic Patrol Duty. He went to the Academy in 1934 as an instructor. While there until 1937, he began attending law classes during summer breaks. Upon transfer to Headquarters at

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, he attended

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. He received a Bachelor of Law Degree in 1939 and was admitted to the District of Columbia Bar in 1940. LCDR Hirshfield served as commanding officer of the USCGC Onondaga (WPG-79) at

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, the Maritime Training Ship ''City of Chattanooga'', and then the USCGC Campbell (WPG-32).

Sinking of ''U-606''

The , a Type VIIC U-boat, under the command of Oberleutenant Hans-Heinrich Döhler, departed

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on 4 January 1943 for a patrol in the North Atlantic. On 22 February 1943, she

torpedo A modern torpedo is an underwater ranged weapon launched above or below the water surface, self-propelled towards a target, and with an explosive warhead designed to detonate either on contact with or in proximity to the target. Historically, su ...

ed three merchant ships from the westbound

Convoy ON 166 Convoy ON 166 was the 166th of the numbered ON series of merchant ship convoys Outbound from the British Isles to North America. Sixty-three ships departed Liverpool 11 February 1943 and were met the following day by Mid-Ocean Escort Force Gr ...

, sinking one and damaging the other two. The convoy was under the protection of Escort Group A-3, which consisted of a number of Coast Guard cutters, including USCGC Spencer (WPG-36) and the ''Campbell''. Also among the escorts was the Polish destroyer , commanded by Kapitan Marynarki (LCDR) F. Pitulko, which reinforced the escort group during the voyage across the Atlantic. In the running battle that took shape in and around convoy ON-166, ''Campbell'' engaged numerous U-boats, forcing them to submerge and damaging at least two. Her crew then rescued 50 survivors from a torpedoed

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tanker. As the cutter returned to the convoy she detected a contact on radar. ''Campbell'' raced toward it and soon made visual contact. It was the surfaced ''U-606'', earlier disabled by

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s from the ''Burza''. ''Campbell'' closed to ram while the cutter's gunners opened fire. ''Campbell'' rammed the U-boat with a glancing blow and one of the submarine's hydroplanes sliced open ''Campbell's'' hull, flooding the engine room. The crew dropped two depth charges as the submarine slid past, and the explosions lifted the U-boat nearly five feet. Hirshfield later noted, "I felt sure he was ours." The USCGC ''Campbell'' illuminated the U-boat with a spotlight and the gunners continued to fire into the submarine's conning tower and hull. The two vessels were so close, one crewman said that, "You just couldn't miss." Hirshfield was hit by shell fragments but remained at his station. When he realized the Germans had given up, he ordered his men to cease firing. The crew then rescued five of the U-606's crew. The U-606 was finished, but so was Campbell for the immediate future. The cutter was dead in the water with a flooded engine room. Hirshfield directed the repairs while the Burza, and later a corvette, screened it from an attack by a U-boat. The British Tug Tenacity arrived nearly four days later and towed the crippled cutter 800 miles to St. John's Newfoundland. She was later repaired and returned to service. CDR Hirshfield had remained in command throughout the engagement and subsequent operations. He was awarded the

for "Extraordinary Heroism and Distinguished Service" as commanding officer of USCGC ''Campbell''. Hirshfield-Campbell

Citation: Hirshfield also received the

Purple Heart The Purple Heart (PH) is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those wounded or killed while serving, on or after 5 April 1917, with the U.S. military. With its forerunner, the Badge of Military Merit, w ...

for injuries sustained in the sinking of ''U-606''.

Subsequent career

Detached from Campbell in May 1943, he served at Headquarters and subsequently commander, 9th Coast Guard District. In 1951 he was appointed Rear Admiral and designated Chief, Office of Personnel. In 1952 he became Flag Officer in Charge of Reserve Affairs. On 1 June 1954 Rear Admiral Hirshfield was sworn in as Assistant Commandant of the U. S. Coast Guard. In 1958 he was appointed Vice Admiral and confirmed in a second 4-year term as Assistant Commandant. In addition to the Navy Cross and Purple Heart, he earned the following World War II campaign and service medals: American Defense; American Area; European-African-Middle Eastern area (l star); World War II Victory. Vice Admiral Hirshfield retired on 1 February 1962, bringing to a close a shining career of nearly 39 years. He was presented the

Distinguished Service Medal Distinguished Service Medal (DSM) is a high award of a nation. Examples include: *Distinguished Service Medal (Australia) (established 1991), awarded to personnel of the Australian Defence Force for distinguished leadership in action * Distinguishe ...

in recognition of "Exceptionally Meritorious Service" as Chief of Staff and as Assistant Commandant of the Coast Guard.

Dates of rank

Retirement

After his retirement in 1962, Vice Admiral Hirshfield moved to Cleveland, Ohio, and then to Rancho Santa Fe, California, in 1970. Vice Admiral Hirshfield died on 16 May 1993 and is buried with his wife Marjorie (1913–2011) in Arlington National Cemetery.Burial Detail: Hirshfield, Marjorie Prentis
– ANC Explorer

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hirshfield, James 1902 births 1993 deaths United States Coast Guard personnel of World War II United States Coast Guard Academy alumni Vice Commandants of the United States Coast Guard Recipients of the Navy Cross (United States) United States Coast Guard admirals Military personnel from Cincinnati Burials at Arlington National Cemetery