Richard Harold Cruzen (April 28, 1897 – April 15, 1970) was a decorated United States Navy officer with the rank of Vice Admiral. A veteran of both World Wars, he is best known for his participation and leadership in Antarctic expeditions.

Early life

Cruzen was born on April 28, 1897, in

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the 36th most-populous city in the United States. It is the central ...

. After graduation from Gallatin High School in

Gallatin, Missouri Gallatin is a city in Daviess County, Missouri, United States. The population was 1,821 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Daviess County. History The territory now known as the county of Daviess, was initially inhabited by Sacs, Foxes ...

, he attended the

Virginia Military Institute la, Consilio et Animis (on seal) , mottoeng = "In peace a glorious asset, In war a tower of strength""By courage and wisdom" (on seal) , established = , type = Public senior military college , accreditation = SACS , endowment = $696.8 mill ...

and the Severn School in

Severna Park, Maryland Severna Park is a census-designated place (CDP) in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, United States. Severna Park is part of the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area, and is located approximately north of Annapolis, south of Baltimore and east o ...

. He was appointed to 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 1916.

Early career

As a midshipman, Cruzen served on the battleship USS ''Mississippi'' (BB-41) during the First World War. The Mississippi operated with the Atlantic Fleet during the summer of 1918. Cruzen graduated from the Naval Academy in 1919 and was commissioned as an ensign. His first assignment was to the battleship USS ''Idaho'' (BB-42). Between the years of 1925 and 1937 Cruzen served on a number of ships of different types. Ships he served on included the battleships USS ''Nevada'' (BB-36) and USS ''California'' (BB-44). Other ships he served on were the destroyers ''Claxton'', ''Delphy'', ''Sinclair'', ''Shirk'', ''Elliott'', ''Pope'' and ''Simpson'' and the destroyer tender USS ''Rigel'' (AD-13). Cruzen was a graduate of the command course at the

United States Naval War College The Naval War College (NWC or NAVWARCOL) is the staff college and "Home of Thought" for the United States Navy at Naval Station Newport in Newport, Rhode Island. The NWC educates and develops leaders, supports defining the future Navy and associa ...

United States Antarctic Service Expedition

On September 11, 1939, Cruzen assumed command of the 65-year-old screw barkentine USS ''Bear'' (AG-29). ''Bear'' participated in the

United States Antarctic Service Expedition The United States Antarctic Service Expedition (1939–1941), often referred to as Byrd’s Third Antarctic Expedition, was an expedition jointly sponsored by the United States Navy, State Department, Department of the Interior and The Treasu ...

, under the command of Rear Admiral

Richard E. Byrd Richard Evelyn Byrd Jr. (October 25, 1888 – March 11, 1957) was an American naval officer and explorer. He was a recipient of the Medal of Honor, the highest honor for valor given by the United States, and was a pioneering American aviator, p ...

, a renowned aviator and explorer who led the government financed expedition to evaluate the economic and military value of the Antarctic continent. Cruzen's navigator aboard ''Bear'' was Lieutenant

George J. Dufek George John Dufek (10 February 1903, Rockford, Illinois – 10 February 1977, Bethesda, Maryland) was an American naval officer, naval aviator, and polar expert. He served in World War II and the Korean War and in the 1940s and 1950s spent much ...

, who would later serve in

Operation Highjump Operation HIGHJUMP, officially titled The United States Navy Antarctic Developments Program, 1946–1947, (also called Task Force 68), was a United States Navy (USN) operation to establish the Antarctic research base Little America IV. The opera ...

and

Operation Deep Freeze Operation Deep Freeze (OpDFrz or ODF) is codename for a series of United States missions to Antarctica, beginning with "Operation Deep Freeze I" in 1955–56, followed by "Operation Deep Freeze II", "Operation Deep Freeze III", and so on. (There w ...

. Navy records state that 1,000 miles of new coastline was discovered by survey missions by the ''Bear'' and aircraft. After the expedition, Cruzen was commended by Secretary of the Navy

Frank Knox William Franklin Knox (January 1, 1874 – April 28, 1944) was an American politician, newspaper editor and publisher. He was also the Republican vice presidential candidate in 1936, and Secretary of the Navy under Franklin D. Roosevelt during ...

for "superior seamanship, ability, courage, determination, efficiency and good judgment in dangerous emergencies". Cruzen was one of only 16 members of the 1939-41 expedition who received the

United States Antarctic Expedition Medal The United States Antarctic Expedition Medal is a combined military-civilian award that was authorized by the United States Congress on September 24, 1945 under Public Law 185 of the 79th Congress (59 Stat. 536). The award recognizes members of the ...

in gold, which was presented in November 1946.

Second World War

During the Second World War, Cruzen served first on the staff of

Naval War College The Naval War College (NWC or NAVWARCOL) is the staff college and "Home of Thought" for the United States Navy at Naval Station Newport in Newport, Rhode Island. The NWC educates and develops leaders, supports defining the future Navy and associat ...

Newport, Rhode Island Newport is an American seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island. It is located in Narragansett Bay, approximately southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, Providence, south of Fall River, Massachusetts, south of Boston, ...

, before departed for Pacific as chief of staff to Vice Admiral

Arthur S. Carpender Arthur Schuyler Carpender (24 October 1884 – 10 January 1960) was an American admiral who commanded the Allied Naval Forces in the Southwest Pacific Area during World War II. A 1908 graduate of the United States Naval Academy, Carpender sa ...

, Commander of the

7th Fleet The Seventh Fleet is a numbered fleet of the United States Navy. It is headquartered at U.S. Fleet Activities Yokosuka, in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. It is part of the United States Pacific Fleet. At present, it is the largest of th ...

from July 18 to September 26, 1943. He served as an operations officer on the staff of Vice Admiral

Thomas C. Kinkaid Thomas Cassin Kinkaid (3 April 1888 – 17 November 1972) was an admiral in the United States Navy, known for his service during World War II. He built a reputation as a "fighting admiral" in the aircraft carrier battles of 1942 and commanded t ...

during the campaign to liberate the Philippines in 1944 to 1945. Cruzen was decorated with

Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements. The decoration is issued to members of the eight ...

for his service on 7th Fleet's staff. He commanded the light cruiser USS ''Birmingham'' from August 9, 1945, to October 10, 1946. Cruzen was selected for promotion to rear admiral in November 1946 with his date of rank retroactive to 1944.

Operation Highjump

In 1946 Admiral Richard E. Byrd was selected as officer in charge of the Navy's Antarctic Developments Project, also known as

. Cruzen was chosen to commanded Task Force 68, which constituted the vast majority of the resources assigned to the operation. Task Force 68 consisted of 4,700 personnel, a command ship, an aircraft carrier, two destroyers, two icebreakers, two seaplane tenders, two supply ships, two tankers and a submarine. This was by far the largest Antarctic expedition up to that time and, possibly, the largest in history. Cruzen departed the United States on board his flagship, the USS ''Mount Olympus'', on December 2, 1946. Personnel assigned to the expedition included meteorologists, zoologists, physicists, and experts from oceanographic institutes. Besides gathering scientific data, another goal of the expedition was to train Navy personnel and to test Navy ships and other equipment in cold weather and ice operations. Cruzen's task force navigated through several hundred miles of ice before reaching the Little America base camp. The expedition was beset by icebergs and inconsistent weather throughout its service. Among the discoveries made during Operation Highjump were finding two "oases", one a region of ice-free lakes and land. More than 300,000 square miles of uncharted territory were mapped by aircraft. This led to updating of existing charts and maps of the Antarctic. Cruzen appears briefly in the documentary film ''

The Secret Land ''The Secret Land'' is a feature-length 1948 documentary film about the United States Navy expedition code-named "Operation Highjump" to Antarctica in 1946. The film, which was shot entirely by USN and US Army military photographers, focuses on ...

'' about Operation Highjump. ''The Secret Land'', produced by the U.S. Navy, was released in 1948 and won the

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

for Best Documentary.

Late career

After Operation Highjump, Cruzen was placed in command of Cruiser Division Two which was a unit of the 6th Fleet in the Mediterranean Sea. On April 2, 1949, he attended the re-interment in Tripoli, Libya of the remains of five unidentified American sailors killed when the ketch USS ''Intrepid'' exploded in Tripoli Harbor in 1804. In January 1950, Cruzen was ordered to

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

and assumed duty as Commander,

Naval Base Pearl Harbor 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 ...

and held this command for two years, before was appointed Commander, U.S. Naval Forces, Philippines. He retired from the Navy on June 30, 1954, after almost 37 years of active service and advanced to the rank of Vice admiral on the retired list for having been specially commended in combat. Cruzen was awarded the

Philippine Legion of Honor The Philippine Legion of Honor ( fil, Lehiyong Pandangal ng Pilipinas; es, Legion de Honor Filipino) was established by President Manuel Roxas, through Philippine Army Circular No. 60 dated July 3, 1947. The Philippine Legion of Honor was patterne ...

in 1956 for his service in the Philippines. Vice admiral Richard H. Cruzen lived in

San Clemente, California San Clemente (; Spanish for " St. Clement") is a city in Orange County, California. Located in the Orange Coast region of the South Coast of California, San Clemente's population was 64,293 in at the 2020 census. Situated roughly midway betwee ...

after retirement and died on April 15, 1970, in the Naval Hospital at

Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton is the major West Coast base of the United States Marine Corps and is one of the largest Marine Corps bases in the United States. It is on the Southern California coast in San Diego County and is bordered by Oc ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. He was survived by his wife Margaret Beaty Cruzen and a daughter. Cruzen was buried at

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...

on April 20, 1970. His wife was interred beside him on December 12, 1983.

Awards

Dates of rank

*Midshipman - June 16, 1916 *Ensign - June 7, 1919 *Lieutenant (junior grade) - June 7, 1922 *Lieutenant - June 7, 1925 *Lieutenant Commander - October 1, 1935 *Commander - April 1, 1941 *Captain - June 20, 1942 *Rear Admiral - November 27, 1946 (Date of rank - April 1, 1944) *Vice Admiral, Retired List - June 30, 1954 Register of Commissioned Officers of the United States Navy. Various editions from 1920 to 1955.

References

External links

Brief biography of Admiral CruzenHomecoming celebration for Admiral Cruzen''The Secret Land''
- official U.S. Navy film detailing Operation Highjump {{DEFAULTSORT:Cruzen, Richard H. 1897 births 1970 deaths People from Kansas City, Missouri People from Gallatin, Missouri Virginia Military Institute alumni United States Navy personnel of World War I United States Naval Academy alumni Naval War College alumni Explorers of Antarctica American polar explorers 20th-century explorers United States and the Antarctic United States Navy personnel of World War II Recipients of the Legion of Merit United States Navy admirals People from San Clemente, California Burials at Arlington National Cemetery