Rear Admiral Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star "admiral" rank. It is often regarde ...

Paul Hopkins (P. H.) Talbot (3 April 1897 – 9 September 1974) was an officer 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 I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and

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 ...

. A 1918 graduate of 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 ...

, he served on destroyers during World War I. He was awarded 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 ...

for distinguished service and heroism as commander of Destroyer Squadron 59 while engaging the Japanese off

Balikpapan Balikpapan is a seaport city in East Kalimantan, Indonesia. Located on the east coast of the island of Borneo, the city is the financial center of Kalimantan. Balikpapan is the city with the largest economy in Kalimantan with an estimated 2 ...

, Borneo, Netherlands East Indies, on 24 and 25 January 1942. As a

Lieutenant Commander Lieutenant commander (also hyphenated lieutenant-commander and abbreviated Lt Cdr, LtCdr. or LCDR) is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander. The corresponding rank i ...

, Talbot was the first captain of the USS Helm, taking command on 16 October 1937. He was succeeded by Lt. Cmdr. Percival E. McDowell on 5 June 1939. Talbot was promoted to Commander on 1 June 1939 and then to Captain on 17 June 1942.

Later life

Captain Paul Talbot retired from the United States Navy in March 1948. Based on his combat record, he was advanced to Rear Admiral on the Navy retired list.

References

1897 births 1974 deaths United States Naval Academy alumni United States Navy personnel of World War I United States Navy personnel of World War II Recipients of the Navy Cross (United States) United States Navy admirals {{US-navy-bio-stub

Later life

See also

References