William Robert Munroe (April 8, 1886 – March 1, 1966) was a decorated officer in the United States Navy with the rank of Vice Admiral. He trained as submarine commander and at the beginning of World War II, he served as Commander, Battleship Division 3 during Neutrality Patrol in the Atlantic ocean. He later served as Commander, Gulf Sea Frontier and

Seventh Naval District The naval district was a U.S. Navy military and administrative command ashore. Apart from Naval District Washington, the Districts were disestablished and renamed Navy Regions about 1999, and are now under Commander, Naval Installations Command ...

, tasked with the protection of both coasts of Florida, the Gulf of Mexico, the Yucatan Channel, and most of Cuba against threat of german U-boats. In later 1944, Munroe was promoted to command of United States Fourth Fleet patrolling South Atlantic until the end of War.

Early career

William R. Munroe was born on April 8, 1886 in Waco, Texas, the son of Judge Richard Irby Munroe and Mary Lelia Davidson. He graduated from the high school and entered the Baylor University in Waco in summer 1902. Munroe remained there until the end of 1903, when he received an appointment to the United States Naval Academy 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 ...

. While at the Academy, he was nicknamed "Bob" and was active in the German Class committee. Munroe was also fluent in Portuguese and qualified as interpreter. Among his classmates were several future admirals including Harry A. Badt, Paul H. Bastedo, John R. Beardall, Abel T. Bidwell, Joseph J. Broshek, Arthur S. Carpender,

Jules James Jules James, (February 14, 1885 – March 12, 1957), was a career U.S. Naval officer. During World War II he commanded U.S. Naval forces in Bermuda and then later oversaw the construction of a large number of U.S. Navy ships while commanding t ...

James L. Kauffman James Laurence Kauffman (18 April 188721 October 1963) was a highly decorated officer in the United States Navy with the rank of Vice Admiral. He distinguished himself as Commanding officer of destroyer during World War I and received the Navy ...

, Walter K. Kilpatrick,

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 ...

, Willis A. Lee Jr.,

William R. Purnell Rear Admiral William Reynolds Purnell (6 September 1886 – 3 March 1955) was an officer in the United States Navy who served in World War I and World War II. A 1908 graduate of the United States Naval Academy, he captained destroyers during Wo ...

, Francis W. Rockwell,

John F. Shafroth Jr. John Franklin Shafroth Jr. (March 31, 1887 – September 1, 1967) was a highly decorated officer in the United States Navy with the rank of Vice Admiral. He distinguished himself as Commander of destroyer USS ''Terry'' during World War I and re ...

and Richmond K. Turner. He graduated with Bachelor of Science degree on June 15, 1908 and served as Passed Midshipman aboard battleship USS ''Maine'' during the Cuban Pacification. Munroe was promoted to the rank of Ensign on June 6, 1910 after completing two years at sea required then by law. He then commanded the gunboat USS ''Biddle'' and later was transferred to the armored cruiser USS ''North Carolina'', operating in the

Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...

and South Atlantic. In September 1911, Munroe was transferred to the

Charleston Navy Yard Charleston Naval Shipyard (formerly known as the Charleston Navy Yard) was a U.S. Navy ship building and repair facility located along the west bank of the Cooper River, in North Charleston, South Carolina and part of Naval Base Charleston. H ...

, South Carolina, where he served on the staff of Reserve Torpedo Division and completed submarine training. He was promoted to Lieutenant (junior grade) on June 6, 1913 and ordered to the Puget Sound Navy Yard for duty in connection with fitting out of submarine USS ''H-3'' three months later. The ''H-3'' was launched and commissioned in January 1914 and Munroe was placed in her command. He then led her during the patrols along the West Coast of the United States with the Pacific Fleet until November 1914, when he was transferred to the Bureau of Steam Engineering in Washington, D.C., where served as an Inspector. Munroe was promoted to Lieutenant on August 29, 1916 and was ordered back to the Puget Sound Navy Yard, where he had duty in connection with fitting out of coastal submarine USS ''N-3''. Following the United States entry into World War I, he was appointed Commanding officer of that submarine and led her from Puget Sound to Naval Submarine Base New London, Connecticut, arriving in early 1918. Munroe was promoted to the temporary rank of Lieutenant commander on January 1, 1918. He was then ordered to the Union Iron Works, San Francisco, where he assisted with the fitting out of submarine USS ''R-17'', which was commissioned in mid-August 1918. Munroe then assumed command of the submarine and patrolled off the

Panama Canal Zone The Panama Canal Zone ( es, Zona del Canal de Panamá), also simply known as the Canal Zone, was an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the Isthmus of Panama, that existed from 1903 to 1979. It was located within the terr ...

against possible U-boat attack and returned to San Francisco, California in February 1919.

Interwar period

Following the war, Munroe was attached to the battleship USS ''Mississippi'', operating with the Pacific Fleet. He was appointed Naval Inspector of Machinery at Naval Submarine Base New London, Connecticut in May 1921 and served there until December 1922, when he was appointed a member of the Naval Mission to Brazil. Munroe returned to the United States in January 1925 and assumed command of destroyer USS ''Paul Hamilton''. He was promoted to

Commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain. ...

on June 4, 1925. Munroe served with ''Paul Hamilton'' within Pacific Fleet until June 1927, when he was ordered to the Naval War College at Newport, Rhode Island for senior course. He graduated in June of the following year and joined the War Plans Division in the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations in Washington, D.C. He later served as Naval aide to President Herbert Hoover. After two years in Washington, Munroe was ordered back to sea duty and was appointed Commander, Submarine Division 11 in June 1930. He was later transferred to command of Submarine Division 8, but returned to Washington, D.C. in July 1932, when he was attached to the Office of Naval Intelligence under Captain

Hayne Ellis Hayne is a surname of English origin. Etymology According to the ''Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Britain and Ireland'', modern names ''Haine'', ''Hayne'', '' Haines'', ''Hains'', ''Hanes'', and '' Haynes'' all in four different medieval nam ...

as his Assistant Director of Naval Intelligence. In July 1935, Munroe was appointed Commander, Destroyer Division 6,

Battle Force The United States Battle Fleet or Battle Force was part of the organization of the United States Navy from 1922 to 1941. The General Order of 6 December 1922 organized the United States Fleet, with the Battle Fleet as the Pacific presence. This f ...

and was promoted to

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

on July 1, 1936. His command took part in the patrols in the Pacific ocean and along the West Coast of the United States and Munroe was ordered for instruction to the Army War College at Fort Humphreys in Washington, D.C. in July 1937. He was then ordered back to the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations and remained there until February 1940, when he assumed command of battleship USS ''Mississippi'', where he once served back in 1920. Munroe led ''Mississippi'' in the Pacific and the Caribbean patrols and was appointed Commander, Battleship Division 3, Pacific Fleet in January 1941. He led his division, consisting of battleships ''Mississippi'', ''New Mexico'' and ''Idaho'' within the Neutrality Patrols in the Atlantic ocean during the ongoing War in Europe.

World War II

Following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and United States entry into World War II, Munroe was promoted to

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 ...

on December 8, 1941 and his command continued in the operations in the Atlantic and returned to Pacific in mid-1942. He then conducted patrols between Hawaii and West Cost of the United States and was transferred to Miami, Florida in March 1942 for duty as Commander, Gulf Sea Frontier and

. While in this capacity, Munroe was responsible for the protection of both coasts of Florida, the Gulf of Mexico, the Yucatan Channel, and most of Cuba and directed antisubmarine campaign against germans U-boats penetrating to the

. He distinguished himself in this capacity and 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. Munroe was transferred to New York City by the end of March 1944 and assumed duty as Commandant,

Third Naval District The naval district was a U.S. Navy military and administrative command ashore. Apart from Naval District Washington, the Districts were disestablished and renamed Navy Regions about 1999, and are now under Commander, Naval Installations Comman ...

with responsibility of coastal defense of

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, Connecticut and New Jersey. He was decorated with second

for his service in New York. Following his promotion to the temporary rank of Vice Admiral on November 11, 1944, Munroe assumed command of United States Fourth Fleet with additional duty as Commander, South Atlantic Force. While in this capacity, he directed the anti-submarine campaign in the South Atlantic in the last months of World War II. Immediately following the capitulation of Germany, he launched and supervised a program to end the use of many shore facilities of the Navy in South America. Munroe was decorated with

Navy Distinguished Service Medal The Navy Distinguished Service Medal is a military decoration of the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps which was first created in 1919 and is presented to sailors and Marines to recognize distinguished and exceptionally meritoriou ...

for his service with Fourth Fleet. By the end of August 1945, Munroe was ordered to San Juan, Puerto Rico, where he held temporary command of

Caribbean Sea Frontier Sea Frontiers were several, now disestablished, commands of the United States Navy as areas of defense against enemy vessels, especially submarines, along the U.S. coasts. They existed from 1 July 1941 until in some cases the 1970s. Sea Frontiers ...

for one month, before he was ordered to command of Tenth Naval District with headquarters at

Naval Station Great Lakes Naval Station Great Lakes (NAVSTA Great Lakes) is the home of the United States Navy's only recruit training, boot camp, located near North Chicago, Illinois, North Chicago, in Lake County, Illinois. Important tenant commands include the Recruit ...

, Illinois. He held that command until October 1947, when he retired due to health reasons after 39 years of active service. For his service in the Caribbean and Miami, Munroe also received foreign decorations from Brazil, Paraguay and Greece.

Retirement

Upon his retirement from the Navy, Munroe worked for brokerage company of Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith and later joined the

Union Oil Company of California Union Oil Company of California, and its holding company Unocal Corporation, together known as Unocal was a major petroleum explorer and marketer in the late 19th century, through the 20th century, and into the early 21st century. It was headqu ...

. He was also a member of Army and Navy Club in Washington, D.C.; New York Yacht Club; and

Naval Order of the United States The Naval Order of the United States was established in 1890 as a hereditary organization in the United States for members of the American sea services. Its primary mission is to encourage research and writing on naval and maritime subjects and pr ...

. Munroe was also awarded honorary LL.D. by the Baylor University in 1943. Vice Admiral William R. Munroe died on March 1, 1966, aged 79, at his home in

La Jolla, California La Jolla ( , ) is a hilly, seaside neighborhood within the city of San Diego, California, United States, occupying of curving coastline along the Pacific Ocean. The population reported in the 2010 census was 46,781. La Jolla is surrounded on ...

and was buried with full military honors at

Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery is a federal military cemetery in the city of San Diego, California. It is located on the grounds of the former Army coastal artillery station Fort Rosecrans and is administered by the United States Department o ...

in San Diego. His wife, Katherine Barnewell Johnson (1894–1979) was buried beside him. They had one son William Robert Munroe Jr., who also served in the Navy and retired as Commander.

Decorations

Here is the ribbon bar of Vice Admiral Willard R. Munroe:

References