Frederick Lincoln "Dick" Ashworth (24 January 1912 – 3 December 2005) 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 who served as the weaponeer on the B-29 '' Bockscar'' that dropped a

Fat Man "Fat Man" (also known as Mark III) is the codename for the type of nuclear bomb the United States detonated over the Japanese city of Nagasaki on 9 August 1945. It was the second of the only two nuclear weapons ever used in warfare, the fir ...

atomic bomb on

Nagasaki, Japan is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. Nagasaki Prefecture has a population of 1,314,078 (1 June 2020) and has a geographic area of 4,130 km2 (1,594 sq mi). Nagasaki Prefecture borders Saga Prefecture to the northeast. Naga ...

on 9 August 1945 during

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 opposing ...

. A 1933 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 ...

at Annapolis, Maryland, Ashworth commanded Torpedo Squadron Eleven (VT-11), a

Grumman TBF Avenger The Grumman TBF Avenger (designated TBM for aircraft manufactured by General Motors) is an American World War II-era torpedo bomber developed initially for the United States Navy and Marine Corps, and eventually used by several air and naval a ...

unit based on Guadalcanal that flew patrol, search, spotting, strike, and night mine-laying missions in support of the

New Georgia Campaign The New Georgia campaign was a series of land and naval battles of the Pacific campaign of World War II between Allied forces and the Empire of Japan. It was part of Operation Cartwheel, the Allied strategy in the South Pacific to isolate th ...

in the

Solomon Islands Solomon Islands is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 900 smaller islands in Oceania, to the east of Papua New Guinea and north-west of Vanuatu. It has a land area of , and a population of approx. 700,000. Its capit ...

. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for heroism while carrying out these missions. He then participated in the Gilbert and Marshall Islands campaign as aviation officer on the staff of Vice Admiral

Richmond K. Turner Admiral Richmond Kelly Turner (May 27, 1885 – February 12, 1961), commonly known as Admiral Kelly Turner, served in the United States Navy during World War II, and is best known for commanding the Amphibious Force during the campaign across ...

's V Amphibious Force. Rotated back to the United States in June 1944, Ashworth became senior naval aviator at the Naval Proving Ground in

Dahlgren, Virginia Dahlgren is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in King George County, Virginia, United States. The population was 2,946 at the time of the 2020 census, up from 2,653 at the 2010 census, and up from 997 in 2000. History ...

. In November 1944 he was assigned to the

Manhattan Project The Manhattan Project was a research and development undertaking during World War II that produced the first nuclear weapons. It was led by the United States with the support of the United Kingdom and Canada. From 1942 to 1946, the project w ...

, and supervised the testing of atomic bomb components at

Wendover Wendover is a market town and civil parish at the foot of the Chiltern Hills in Buckinghamshire, England. It is situated at the point where the main road across the Chilterns between London and Aylesbury intersects with the once important road a ...

. In February 1945, he travelled to

Guam Guam (; ch, Guåhan ) is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. It is the westernmost point and territory of the United States (reckoned from the geographic cent ...

, where he met Fleet Admiral

Chester 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 ...

, and selected

Tinian Tinian ( or ; old Japanese name: 天仁安島, ''Tenian-shima'') is one of the three principal islands of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Together with uninhabited neighboring Aguiguan, it forms Tinian Municipality, one of the ...

as a base of operations for the

509th Composite Group The 509th Composite Group (509 CG) was a unit of the United States Army Air Forces created during World War II and tasked with the operational deployment of nuclear weapons. It conducted the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, in ...

. After the war he selected

Bikini Atoll Bikini Atoll ( or ; Marshallese: , , meaning "coconut place"), sometimes known as Eschscholtz Atoll between the 1800s and 1946 is a coral reef in the Marshall Islands consisting of 23 islands surrounding a central lagoon. After the Seco ...

as the site for

Operation Crossroads Operation Crossroads was a pair of nuclear weapon tests conducted by the United States at Bikini Atoll in mid-1946. They were the first nuclear weapon tests since Trinity in July 1945, and the first detonations of nuclear devices since the ...

. Remaining in the navy after the war, Ashworth rose to the rank of vice admiral in May 1966. He was Commandant of Midshipmen at the United States Naval Academy in 1958, and served as commander of the

United States Sixth Fleet The Sixth Fleet is a numbered fleet of the United States Navy operating as part of United States Naval Forces Europe. The Sixth Fleet is headquartered at Naval Support Activity Naples, Italy. The officially stated mission of the Sixth Fleet in ...

from September 1966 to April 1967. He retired from the navy in 1968, and died in 2005.

Early life

Frederick Lincoln "Dick" Ashworth was born in Beverly, Massachusetts on 24 January 1912, the third child of Fred Ashworth, who worked as a draughtsman and tool designer for the United Shoe Machinery Corporation, and his wife Minnie. He had two older brothers, Phil and Bentley. Phil graduated from the

at Annapolis, Maryland, in 1931, but died in a 1938 seaplane crash off

Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the Naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the R ...

. The family moved to a farmhouse in

Wenham, Massachusetts Wenham () is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts. The population was 4,979 at the time of the 2020 census. The town of Wenham, originally settled in 1635 and incorporated in 1643, has retained much of its historic character and rural scenery ...

, in 1918. Ashworth attended Center School in Wenham, and then, as Wenham had no high school of its own, Beverly High School, where he was president of the Student Council. Too young and small for football, he participated in track and cross country running. He graduated in 1928, and then entered

Dartmouth College Dartmouth College (; ) is a private research university in Hanover, New Hampshire. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, it is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution. Although founded to educate Native ...

. Ashworth decided that he wanted to go to Annapolis like his brother. He sat and passed the examinations for an appointment from his local Congressman, but did not secure one of the Congressman's two appointments. However, in August 1929, he was informed that one of the Congressman's appointments had been rejected for defective teeth. Ashworth then entered Annapolis. He graduated 134th in the class of 1933, and was commissioned as an

ensign An ensign is the national flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. The naval ensign (also known as war ensign), used on warships, may be diffe ...

Naval career

Solomon Islands

Ashworth's first posting was to the battleship . He married Nathalie Louise (Nan) Bliss from Peabody, Massachusetts in June 1935. They had three sons: Frederick Jr., David and Stephen. In 1936, he was accepted for aviator training, and reported to the

Pensacola Naval Air Station 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 Stat ...

. He then held various positions including air photography officer for the

United States Pacific Fleet The United States Pacific Fleet (USPACFLT) is a theater-level component command of the United States Navy, located in the Pacific Ocean. It provides naval forces to the Indo-Pacific Command. Fleet headquarters is at Joint Base Pearl Harbor� ...

. In 1939, he volunteered for postgraduate study at Annapolis as an aviation ordinance engineer. By the time Ashworth graduated in June 1942, the United States had entered

. He became commander of Torpedo Squadron Eleven (VT-11), a

unit based on Guadalcanal. VT-11 pilots flew patrol, search, spotting, strike, and night mine-laying missions in support of the

in the

. Ashworth was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Bronze Star Medal. His Distinguished Flying Cross citation read: In September 1943, Ashworth was posted to the staff of Vice Admiral

's V Amphibious Force as aviation officer. In this capacity he served in the Gilbert and Marshall Islands campaign.

Project Alberta

In June 1944, Ashworth was rotated back to the United States, where he became senior naval aviator at the Naval Proving Ground in

. In November he was assigned to the

. He later recalled that Holding the rank of commander, he became Director of Operations for

Project Alberta Project Alberta, also known as Project A, was a section of the Manhattan Project which assisted in delivering the first nuclear weapons in the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II. Project Alberta was formed in March 1 ...

, the portion of the

tasked with dropping of the weapons on Japan. In February 1945, Ashworth was sent to

to deliver a letter to Fleet Admiral

from Fleet Admiral

Ernest King Ernest Joseph King (23 November 1878 – 25 June 1956) was an American naval officer who served as Commander in Chief, United States Fleet (COMINCH) and Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) during World War II. As COMINCH-CNO, he directed the U ...

ordering him to provide whatever support the Manhattan Project required. Ashworth's first task was to select a suitable base area for the

. After looking at Guam and Saipan, he decided that

would be more suitable, as it was closer to Japan than Guam, and had better facilities than Saipan. At the suggestion of island commander,

Brigadier General Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

Frederick V. H. Kimble, Ashworth selected an area at the northern end of the island. The Director of the Manhattan Project,

Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...

Leslie R. Groves, Jr., wanted each nuclear strike mission to be commanded by a "weaponeer", a

service academy graduate who would fly on the bomb-carrying aircraft and make such tactical decisions as were required. Only two officers met this requirement: Ashworth and his commanding officer, Captain William S. Parsons. The two therefore agreed that they would flying alternating missions. Parsons therefore commanded the Hiroshima mission, while Ashworth commanded the Nagasaki mission. For this mission, Ashworth was awarded the

Silver Star Medal The Silver Star Medal (SSM) is the United States Armed Forces' third-highest military decoration for valor in combat. The Silver Star Medal is awarded primarily to members of the United States Armed Forces for gallantry in action against an en ...

. His citation read: He was also awarded the Legion of Merit. His citation read: Ashworth was awarded a second Legion of Merit for

in 1946. His citation read:

Post-war career

Ashworth remained in the navy after the war. He served on the staff of the Atomic Energy Commission's Division of Military Applications from 1952 to 1954. He was Commandant of Midshipmen at the United States Naval Academy in 1958, and headed the Atomic Energy Division for the Chief of Naval Operations from 1958 to 1960. Promoted to vice admiral in May 1966, Ashworth served as commander of the

from September 1966 to April 1967, for which he was awarded a Navy Distinguished Service Medal. From April 1967 to September 1968, he was Deputy Commander in Chief, U.S. Atlantic Fleet, and as chief of staff to the Commander in Chief Atlantic, Commander in Chief U.S. Atlantic Fleet and Commander in Chief Western Atlantic Area, for which he was awarded a second Navy Distinguished Service Medal. He retired in September 1968 with the rank of vice admiral.

Retirement

Frederick L. Ashworth lived for over three decades in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He and his first wife divorced in 1990, and he remarried. He died on 3 December 2005 at Arizona Heart Hospital in

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1,608,139 residents as of 2020. It is the fifth-most populous city in the United States, and the on ...

, while undergoing heart surgery, and was buried in the Santa Fe National Cemetery. He was survived by his second wife, Ercie Bell Ashworth, and his sons Frederick Jr., David and Stephen.

Decorations

Notes

External links

MPHPA Classic picture gallery – VADM Frederick AshworthFrederick L. Ashworth Oral History, 2016 MS 30
held by Special Collections & Archives, Nimitz Library at the United States Naval Academy {{DEFAULTSORT:Ashworth, Frederick 1912 births 2005 deaths People from Beverly, Massachusetts Manhattan Project people United States Naval Academy alumni United States Navy vice admirals United States Navy personnel of World War II Recipients of the Navy Distinguished Service Medal Recipients of the Silver Star Recipients of the Legion of Merit Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United States) People associated with the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki Military personnel from Massachusetts