Lloyd Montague Mustin (July 30, 1911 – January 21, 1999) was a vice admiral 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 ...

and among the namesakes of USS ''Mustin'' (DDG-89). He took part in developing the Navy's first lead-computing anti-aircraft gun sight, which proved of major importance in the air-sea actions of

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 he served on the cruiser USS ''Atlanta'' during the

naval battle of Guadalcanal The Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, sometimes referred to as the Third and Fourth Battles of Savo Island, the Battle of the Solomons, the Battle of Friday the 13th, or, in Japanese sources, the , took place from 12 to 15 November 1942, and was t ...

. His ship was lost during that action, and with other survivors he landed on Guadalcanal and served ashore with a naval unit attached to the First Marine Division. His postwar service included commands at sea and development and evaluation of weapon systems. He later served as director of operations for the Joint Chiefs of Staff during the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

Early life and career

Mustin was born on July 30, 1911, at

the Navy Yard The Philadelphia Naval Shipyard was an important naval shipyard of the United States for almost two centuries. Philadelphia's original navy yard, begun in 1776 on Front Street and Federal Street in what is now the Pennsport section of the cit ...

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, Pennsylvania, to a family steeped in naval tradition. His father, Captain Henry C. Mustin, USN, was a pioneer naval aviator who established the first naval air station and launched the first aircraft from a ship underway. The destroyer USS ''Mustin'' (DD-413) was named for him along with the

Henry C. Mustin Naval Air Facility Henry C. Mustin Naval Air Facility (IATA code MUV), also known as NAF Mustin Field, is a former military airfield located at the United States Navy Naval Aircraft Factory on board the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was ...

and the Mustin Beach Club at

NAS Pensacola Naval Air Station Pensacola or NAS Pensacola (formerly NAS/KNAS until changed circa 1970 to allow Nassau International Airport, now Lynden Pindling International Airport, to have IATA code NAS), "The Cradle of Naval Aviation", is a United State ...

. Mustin's father died when he was twelve years old and his mother married Vice Admiral George Murray, USN, a close friend and one-time student of Mustin's father. Murray was captain of USS ''Enterprise'' (CV-6) during the

Battle of Midway The Battle of Midway was a major naval battle in the Pacific Theater of World War II that took place on 4–7 June 1942, six months after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor and one month after the Battle of the Coral Sea. The U.S. Navy under Adm ...

and the Doolittle Raid. At the end of the war, he accepted the surrender of Japan in the Marianas on behalf of Commander in Chief, Pacific Fleet and Pacific Ocean Areas. The destroyer USS ''Sinclair'' (DD-275) was named for Mustin's twice-great-grandfather, Commodore Arthur Sinclair, USN, who commanded the US Naval Squadron on Lake Ontario during the War of 1812. Additionally, his great grandfather, Captain Arthur Sinclair, USN, commanded one of Commodore Perry's ships in the opening of Japan. Mustin's great-uncle, LT Arthur Sinclair, fought in CSS ''Virginia'' during the

Battle of Hampton Roads The Battle of Hampton Roads, also referred to as the Battle of the ''Monitor'' and ''Virginia'' (rebuilt and renamed from the USS ''Merrimack'') or the Battle of Ironclads, was a naval battle during the American Civil War. It was fought over t ...

and in CSS ''Alabama'' during her sinking in the

Battle of Cherbourg The Battle of Cherbourg was part of the Battle of Normandy during World War II. It was fought immediately after the successful Allied landings on 6 June 1944. Allied troops, mainly American, isolated and captured the fortified port, which was ...

. His maternal uncle was General George Barnett, 12th Commandant of the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

, for whom the attack transport USS ''Barnett'' (APA-5) was named. Midshipman Lloyd Mustin

Mustin 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 ...

in 1928. Upon graduation in 1932, he was assigned to the cruiser ''Augusta'' (CA-31). She was commanded in Mustin's time by three future four-star admirals, among them Captain

Chester W. Nimitz Chester William Nimitz (; February 24, 1885 – February 20, 1966) was a fleet admiral in the United States Navy. He played a major role in the naval history of World War II as Commander in Chief, US Pacific Fleet, and Commander in C ...

. He carried Nimitz's lessons with him throughout the remainder of his career. After four years he was transferred to the destroyer ''Lamson'' (DD 367), in which he served two years. After instruction in ordnance engineering at the

Naval Postgraduate School The Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) is a public graduate school operated by the United States Navy and located in Monterey, California. It offers master’s and doctoral degrees in more than 70 fields of study to the U.S. Armed Forces, DOD ci ...

and the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...

(MS 1940) he became assistant production officer at the

Naval Gun Factory A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It inc ...

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, and took part in developing the Mark 14

gunsight A sight is an aiming device used to assist in visually aligning ranged weapons, surveying instruments or optical illumination equipments with the intended target. Sights can be a simple set or system of physical markers that have to be aligne ...

. At the outbreak of

, Mustin was assistant gunnery officer in the cruiser ''Atlanta'' (CL 51) and was aboard when she was sunk during the Battle for Guadalcanal on the night of 13 November 1942. He survived the sinking and landed on

Guadalcanal Guadalcanal (; indigenous name: ''Isatabu'') is the principal island in Guadalcanal Province of Solomon Islands, located in the south-western Pacific, northeast of Australia. It is the largest island in the Solomon Islands by area, and the seco ...

with survivors and served there for three months with the small naval unit attached to the First Marine Division For his three-month service at Guadalcanal, Mustin was decorated with the Navy Commendation Medal with

Combat "V" Combat ( French for ''fight'') is a purposeful violent conflict meant to physically harm or kill the opposition. Combat may be armed (using weapons) or unarmed ( not using weapons). Combat is sometimes resorted to as a method of self-defense, or ...

. In 1943–1944 he had consecutive duty in the cruisers ''San Diego'' (CL 53) and ''Miami'' (CL 89). For outstanding service in the latter he received a second Navy Commendation Medal. He next served as gunnery, radar, and CIC officer on the staff of Commander Battleship Squadron Two, Vice Admiral

Willis A. Lee Willis Augustus "Ching" Lee Jr. (May 11, 1888 – August 25, 1945) was a vice admiral of the United States Navy during World War II. Lee commanded the American ships during the second night of the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal (November 14–15, 19 ...

Jr., USN, and in the summer of 1945 was with Admiral Lee in establishing the Operational Development Force, as gunnery, radar, and CIC officer.

Postwar service

After the war, Mustin was ordered to the Navy Department, Washington, D.C., for duty as head of the Fire Control Branch, Research Division, Bureau of Ordnance. This duty was followed by service afloat in command of the destroyer USS ''Keppler'' (DD-765) and later as ASW officer and readiness officer on the Staff of Commander Destroyer Force, Atlantic. Between 1951 and 1954 he was assigned to the Weapons System Evaluation Group, Office of the Secretary of Defense, and after command of the destroyer tender Piedmont (AD 17), had command of Cruiser-Destroyer Force, Pacific, from April 1957 until May 1958, when he reported as commander of Destroyer Flotilla Two. While so serving he had additional duty from May to October 1958, in command of Task Force 88, a special task force organized to plan and conduct the

Argus Argus is the Latinized form of the Ancient Greek word ''Argos''. It may refer to: Greek mythology * See Argus (Greek myth) for mythological characters named Argus **Argus (king of Argos), son of Zeus (or Phoroneus) and Niobe **Argus (son of Ar ...

high-altitude nuclear tests which were fired in a remote part of the South Atlantic. In October 1958 he assumed additional duty in command of Antisubmarine Defense Group "Charlie", and from February through April 1959 commanded Task force 88 conducting combined ASW training operations with the navies and air forces of the countries on the west coast of South America. President Truman and RADM Lloyd M

On 13 June 1959, he became commander of Naval Base, Key West, and commander of Key West Force and in May 1960 reported for duty in the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, first as antisubmarine readiness executive and then as director of antisubmarine warfare. On 30 November 1961, he reported to Joint Task Force Eight as deputy task force commander and commander of Joint Task Group 8.3, to plan and conduct the Dominic series of nuclear tests in the Pacific. On 2 November 1962, he was designated commander of Joint Task Force Eight, to conduct the remaining Dominic tests and to plan for and conduct future nuclear tests. ADM Arleigh Burke and RADM Lloyd Mustin

On 1 June 1964, he became director for operations of J-3, Joint Staff, Joint Chiefs of Staff, Washington, D.C. In May 1967 he became commander of Amphibious Force, US Atlantic Fleet and in July 1968 assumed duty as director of the Defense Atomic Support Agency, Washington, D.C. He served in that capacity until relieved of active duty pending his retirement, effective 1 August 1971.

Post-Retirement

Following his retirement from the Navy, Mustin was a member of the

U.S. Olympic Committee The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) is the National Olympic Committee and the National Paralympic Committee for the United States. It was founded in 1895 as the United States Olympic Committee, and is headquartered in Col ...

for shooting sports and served as president of the

National Rifle Association The National Rifle Association of America (NRA) is a gun rights advocacy group based in the United States. Founded in 1871 to advance rifle marksmanship, the modern NRA has become a prominent Gun politics in the United States, gun rights ...

1977–1979.Rodengen, Jeffrey L. (2002). ''NRA: An American Legend''. Fort Lauderdale, Florida: Write Stuff Enterprises, Inc. 304 pp. . ("The Presidents of NRA", p. 276). Beside that, he was active in the Coronado Community Church and enjoyed deep-sea fishing. On his 80th Birthday, he caught a 300-pound Marlin at

Cabo San Lucas Cabo San Lucas (, "Saint Luke Cape"), or simply just Cabo, is a resort city at the southern tip of the Baja California Peninsula, in the Mexican state of Baja California Sur. As at the 2020 Census, the population of the city was 202,694 inhabitan ...

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

. Vice admiral Lloyd M. Mustin died on January 21, 1999, aged 87, at his home in

Coronado, California Coronado (Spanish for "Crowned") is a resort city located in San Diego County, California, United States, across the San Diego Bay from downtown San Diego. It was founded in the 1880s and incorporated in 1890. Its population was 24,697 at the ...

. He was buried beside his wife, Emily Morton Mustin (1914-1989), at United States Naval Academy Cemetery at

Annapolis, Maryland Annapolis ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Maryland and the county seat of, and only incorporated city in, Anne Arundel County. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east o ...

. They had together two sons: Hank, who also served in the Navy and retired as Vice admiral and Thomas, who retired as Lieutenant Commander in the Navy.

Promotions

*Midshipman – 14 June 1928 *Ensign – 2 June 1932 *Lieutenant (junior grade) – 2 June 1935 *Lieutenant – 1 July 1939 *Lieutenant commander – 15 June 1942 *Commander – 1 November 1943 to date from 18 November 1942 *Captain – 1 January 1951 *Rear admiral – 1 July 1958 *Vice admiral – 21 August 1964

Decorations

Here is the ribbon bar of Vice admiral Mustin:

Commemoration

The U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyer is named for the

Mustin family The Mustin family has recorded a tradition of service in the United States Navy extending from 1896 to the present. Their naval roots trace back to the first Arthur Sinclair, of Scalloway, in Shetland, father of Commodore Arthur Sinclair, who as ...

, which includes many notable navy officers.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mustin, Lloyd M. 1911 births 1999 deaths Mustin family United States Navy admirals United States Naval Academy alumni Military personnel from Philadelphia United States Navy personnel of World War II Presidents of the National Rifle Association Recipients of the Navy Distinguished Service Medal Recipients of the Legion of Merit Burials at the United States Naval Academy Cemetery