Elliott Buckmaster (October 19, 1889 – October 10, 1976) was a

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 ...

officer, later promoted to

flag rank A flag officer is a commissioned officer in a nation's armed forces senior enough to be entitled to fly a flag to mark the position from which the officer exercises command. The term is used differently in different countries: *In many countries ...

, and naval

aviator An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its Aircraft flight control system, directional flight controls. Some other aircrew, aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are al ...

during

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 ...

. Born in

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, to Dr. Augustus Harper Buckmaster (1859–1941) and the former Helen Gardner Elliott Masters (1858–1910), Buckmaster was raised in

Charlottesville, Virginia Charlottesville, colloquially known as C'ville, is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is the county seat of Albemarle County, which surrounds the city, though the two are separate legal entities. It is named after Queen Ch ...

, from the age of twelve. Appointed from

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

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 1908, Buckmaster graduated with the Class of 1912. Assigned to the USS ''New Jersey'' at the occupation of

Veracruz Veracruz (), formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave), is one of the 31 states which, along with Me ...

in 1914, Buckmaster was credited with rescuing a wounded sailor and bringing him to safety. Buckmaster was promoted through the ranks until 1934 when, with the rank of

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. ...

, he would commission USS ''Farragut'' as her first

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 ...

. Following command of ''Farragut'', Commander Buckmaster applied for flight training at

Naval Air Station 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 ...

. Upon graduation in 1936 at age 47, Buckmaster performed duties in aviation until ordered in 1938 to USS ''Lexington'' as her

executive officer An executive officer is a person who is principally responsible for leading all or part of an organization, although the exact nature of the role varies depending on the organization. In many militaries and police forces, an executive officer, o ...

. Serving in this capacity until 1939, he was then promoted to captain and ordered to Naval Air Station

Ford Island Ford Island ( haw, Poka Ailana) is an islet in the center of Pearl Harbor, Oahu, in the U.S. state of Hawaii. It has been known as Rabbit Island, Marín's Island, and Little Goats Island, and its native Hawaiian name is ''Mokuumeume''. The isl ...

as commanding officer, serving in this capacity until January 1941. On February 5, 1941, Captain Buckmaster assumed command of at Naval Air Station

. He was Commanding Officer of ''Yorktown'' at the Battles of

Coral Sea The Coral Sea () is a marginal sea of the South Pacific off the northeast coast of Australia, and classified as an interim Australian bioregion. The Coral Sea extends down the Australian northeast coast. Most of it is protected by the Fre ...

and Midway. The ''Yorktown'' suffered considerable damage during

, but quickly, if superficially, repaired at Pearl Harbor. Her air group played a key role in the Midway in fatally crippling two of the four Japanese carriers, but she was seriously damaged in both air attacks made by the Japanese Carrier Striking Force. Buckmaster made the decision to abandon ''Yorktown'' after she was struck by two torpedoes at 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 ...

. Buckmaster, consulting with his

, Dixie Kiefer, and the ship's chief engineer officer, John F. Delaney, Jr., they concluded that without power, and the undoing of the superficial repairs made at Pearl Harbor following the Coral Sea Battle, there was no hope of correcting a list that varied between 26 and 28 degrees. Indeed, it was feared ''"that the vessel might capsize at any moment and take many crewmen below decks with her"''. According to Yorktown crewmen, Buckmaster was thinking only of the welfare of the ship's company. While Yorktown was re-boarded the following day, 6 June 1942, she was sunk by ''I-168'' following a torpedo attack that also sank . Returning from Midway, Buckmaster was promoted to rear admiral and named the first Chief of Naval Air primary Training (NAPTC). NAPTC headquarters were located at the naval Air Training Station, Fairfax Airport, Kansas City, Kansas. Dixie Kiefer, his executive officer on ''Yorktown'', was promoted to captain and became Buckmaster's chief of staff. Under Buckmaster's direction the Navy's first formal Flight Training Manuals were printed in two versions: "No.1 C.A.A.-W.T.S. ELEMENTARY" and "No. 2 PRIMARY". Both versions were printed by LA RUE in Kansas City (20,000 Sept 1943). The period from early 1942 through 1944 saw a rapid expansion of the navy's flight training operations ending in 1944 with the formation of the Naval Air Training Command at Naval Air Station Pensacola under the command of Rear Admiral George D. Murray, USN. In 1945, Admiral Buckmaster served as Commander, Western Carolines Operating Area, On August 2 he spearheaded shore based operations in the rescue of 317 survivors of USS ''Indianapolis'' after her loss to enemy action. Vice Admiral Buckmaster died in

Coronado Coronado may refer to: People * Coronado (surname) * Francisco Vázquez de Coronado (1510–1554), Spanish explorer often referred to simply as "Coronado" * Coronado Chávez (1807–1881), President of Honduras from 1845 to 1847 Places United ...

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 ...

, on October 10, 1976, and was buried at San Diego's Holy Cross Roman Catholic Cemetery alongside his wife, Josie Haizlip Buckmaster (1892–1974)

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Buckmaster, Elliott 1889 births 1976 deaths Military personnel from New York City American Roman Catholics United States Naval Aviators United States Navy vice admirals United States Naval Academy alumni United States Navy personnel of World War I United States Navy World War II admirals Recipients of the Navy Distinguished Service Medal Recipients of the Navy and Marine Corps Medal Battle of Midway People from Charlottesville, Virginia