Merlin O'Neill (30 October 1898 – 1 March 1981) served as the tenth

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of the

United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and Admiralty law, law enforcement military branch, service branch of the armed forces of the United States. It is one of the country's eight Uniformed services ...

from 1 January 1950 to 1 June 1954. Born in North Kenova, Ohio, in 1898, O'Neill was commissioned in the United States Coast Guard in 1921. He served on a number of vessels, including his first command, the . In 1927, he began a three-year period as an instructor at the

United States Coast Guard Academy The United States Coast Guard Academy (USCGA), located in New London, Connecticut, is the United States service academies, U.S. service academy specifically for the United States Coast Guard. Founded in 1876, the academy provides education t ...

before returning to sea in command of the USCGC ''Monaghan'', in 1930. From 1935, he held a number of positions at Coast Guard Headquarters. During World War II he participated in Allied amphibious landings in Morocco and Sicily. He served as Assistant Commandant from 1946 until his appointment as Commandant of the Coast Guard in 1950 and retired in 1954 with the rank of admiral.

Early life and education

O'Neill was born in North Kenova, Ohio, on 30 October 1898. He graduated from

Morgan City High School Morgan City High School is a public secondary school located in Morgan City, Louisiana, United States. It is operated by the St. Mary Parish School Board. The school colors are green and white. The school opened in 1911 and celebrated its cent ...

Morgan City, Louisiana Morgan City is a small city in St. Mary Parish, Louisiana, United States, located in the Acadiana region. The population was 11,472 at the 2020 census. Known for being "right in the middle of everywhere", Morgan City is located southeast of ...

, and then attended Western Kentucky State Normal School in 1916 and 1917. While preparing for the

entrance examinations O'Neill attended the

Marion Military Institute Marion Military Institute, the Military College of Alabama, (MMI, sometimes Marion Institute, Marion Military, or simply Marion) is a Public college, public military junior college in Marion, Alabama. Founded in 1842, it is the official state mi ...

Marion, Alabama Marion is a city in and the county seat of Perry County, Alabama, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population of the city is 3,686, up 4.8% over 2000. First known as Muckle Ridge, the city was renamed for a hero of the American Revolut ...

. He was appointed a cadet at the Academy in July 1918 and in March 1921, he graduated and was commissioned as a Coast Guard

ensign Ensign most often refers to: * Ensign (flag), a flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality * Ensign (rank), a navy (and former army) officer rank Ensign or The Ensign may also refer to: Places * Ensign, Alberta, Alberta, Canada * Ensign, Ka ...

.Coast Guard Historian's Office "Merlin O'Neill, USCG"

Career

Newly commissioned as an ensign, O'Neill reported aboard the , homeported at

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

for his first assignment in April 1921. While assigned to the ''Gresham'' he was promoted to

lieutenant junior grade Lieutenant junior grade is a junior commissioned officer rank used in a number of navies. United States Lieutenant (junior grade), commonly abbreviated as LTJG or, historically, Lt. (j.g.) (as well as variants of both abbreviations), i ...

on 14 November 1921. In April 1922 he transferred to

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, to serve aboard the whose primary area of operation was in the

Bering Sea The Bering Sea ( , ; rus, Бе́рингово мо́ре, r=Béringovo móre, p=ˈbʲerʲɪnɡəvə ˈmorʲe) is a marginal sea of the Northern Pacific Ocean. It forms, along with the Bering Strait, the divide between the two largest landmasse ...

. O'Neill participated in two long Bering Sea patrols while assigned to the ''Haida'' before transferring to the in 1924. ''Algonquin'' also patrolled the Bering Sea and O'Neill served one long patrol before returning to the Atlantic coast. He served a short time aboard the before being detailed to the

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to help with the conversion of the

U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest displacement, at 4.5 million tons in 2021. It has the world's largest aircraft ...

destroyer to Coast Guard duty for the suppression of smuggling. After ''Ericsson'' was commissioned in May 1925, O'Neill was assigned as the executive officer. He was promoted to

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

on 10 September 1925 while continuing to serve as the cutter's executive officer. O'Neill assumed command of ''Ericsson'' for a short time before he was assigned to the

Coast Guard Academy The United States Coast Guard Academy (USCGA), located in New London, Connecticut, is the U.S. service academy specifically for the United States Coast Guard. Founded in 1876, the academy provides education to future Coast Guard officers i ...

staff as an instructor in September 1927. He was promoted to lieutenant commander on 7 March 1929. In November 1929, O'Neill assumed the responsibilities of commandant of cadets at the academy and included three summer practice cruises with the cadets in his schedule. After leaving the academy in October 1930, he became

commanding officer The commanding officer (CO) or commander, 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 give ...

of three cutters in quick succession in three years; USCGC ''Monaghan'', USCGC ''Herndon'', and USCGC ''Cassin'' were assigned to the

Rum Patrol The Rum Patrol was an operation of the United States Coast Guard to interdict liquor smuggling vessels, known as "rum runners" in order to enforce prohibition in American waters. On 18 December 1917, the 18th Amendment to the Constitution was su ...

for anti-smuggling operations.Canney, pp 91–93Johnson, pp 81–82 In June 1933 he was assigned to the command of the USCGC ''Apache'' which patrolled

Chesapeake Bay The Chesapeake Bay ( ) is the largest estuary in the United States. The bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula, including parts of the Ea ...

and the

Potomac River The Potomac River () is in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States and flows from the Potomac Highlands in West Virginia to Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. It is long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography D ...

.Canney, p 49 O'Neill's next assignment in October 1935, took him to Coast Guard Headquarters in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, where he worked in the Office of Operations. As a part of his headquarters assignment in June 1937 he attended the International Whaling Conference in London, England, as a technical advisor to the United States delegation. Additionally in 1939, he was appointed as the first chief director of the newly formed civilian

Coast Guard Auxiliary The United States Coast Guard Auxiliary (USCGAUX, CGAux, or USCG Aux) is the uniformed, civilian volunteer component of the United States Coast Guard. Congress established the military organization, unit on 23 June 1939, as the United States Coa ...

, which was at the time known as the Coast Guard Reserve. While serving as chief director of the auxiliary he was promoted to

commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank as well as a job title in many army, armies. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countri ...

on 25 May 1940. O'Neill continued to serve as auxiliary chief until October 1942.

World War II

In October 1942, O'Neill assumed command of the Coast Guard manned Harris-class

attack transport Attack transport is a United States Navy ship classification for a variant of ocean-going troopship adapted to transporting invasion forces ashore. Unlike standard troopships – often drafted from the Merchant navy, merchant fleet &ndash ...

which was practicing landings at

Hampton Roads, Virginia Hampton Roads is a body of water in the United States that serves as a wide channel for the James, Nansemond, and Elizabeth rivers between Old Point Comfort and Sewell's Point near where the Chesapeake Bay flows into the Atlantic Ocean. ...

, for the invasion of North Africa.Scheina, pp 299–300 ''Leonard Wood'' departed Hampton Roads on 24 October and participated in the landings at

Fedhala Mohammedia (), known until 1960 as Fedala (), is a port city on the west coast of Morocco between Casablanca and Rabat in the region of Casablanca-Settat. It hosts the most important oil refinery of Morocco, Samir Refinery, which makes it the cen ...

French Morocco The French protectorate in Morocco, also known as French Morocco, was the period of French colonial rule in Morocco that lasted from 1912 to 1956. The protectorate was officially established 30 March 1912, when Sultan Abd al-Hafid signed the ...

, on 7 November.USS ''Leonard Wood'', Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS) In late November, ''Leonard Wood'' returned to the United States for repairs and training. While at

Norfolk Naval Shipyard The Norfolk Naval Shipyard, often called the Norfolk Navy Yard and abbreviated as NNSY, is a U.S. Navy facility in Portsmouth, Virginia, for building, remodeling and repairing the Navy's ships. It is the oldest and largest industrial facility ...

, O'Neill was promoted to

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

on 10 December 1942. As skipper of ''Leonard Wood'' O'Neill also particated in the

Allied invasion of Sicily The Allied invasion of Sicily, also known as the Battle of Sicily and Operation Husky, was a major campaign of World War II in which the Allies of World War II, Allied forces invaded the island of Sicily in July 1943 and took it from the Axis p ...

in July 1943, where he was awarded the

Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a Awards and decorations of the United States military, military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievemen ...

for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services during the landings. After ''Leonard Wood'' was transferred to the Pacific theater, O'Neill participated in the landings in the

Gilbert Islands The Gilbert Islands (;Reilly Ridgell. ''Pacific Nations and Territories: The Islands of Micronesia, Melanesia, and Polynesia.'' 3rd. Ed. Honolulu: Bess Press, 1995. p. 95. formerly Kingsmill or King's-Mill IslandsVery often, this name applied o ...

in November 1943 and

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in February 1944. He was transferred in July 1944 to

Camp Lejeune, North Carolina Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune ( or ) is a United States Armed Forces, United States military training facility in Jacksonville, North Carolina. Its of beaches make the base a major area for Amphibious warfare, amphibious assault training, an ...

, as the commanding officer of the Coast Guard Amphibious Training Unit, but a month later he received orders assigning him to head the

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Section of the Fifth Coast Guard District. Early in 1945, he was assigned to Coast Guard Headquarters as the Assistant Chief of the Finance and Supply Division. On 1 June 1945, O'Neill was promoted to

commodore Commodore may refer to: Ranks * Commodore (rank), a naval rank ** Commodore (Royal Navy), in the United Kingdom ** Commodore (India), in India ** Commodore (United States) ** Commodore (Canada) ** Commodore (Finland) ** Commodore (Germany) or ' ...

and assigned as Commander, Fifth Coast Guard District.

Commandant

On 1 February 1946, O'Neill was appointed Assistant Commandant with the accompanying rank of

rear admiral Rear admiral is a flag officer rank used by English-speaking navies. In most European navies, the equivalent rank is called counter admiral. Rear admiral is usually immediately senior to commodore and immediately below vice admiral. It is ...

President Truman Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. As the 34th Vice president of the United States, vice president in 1945, he assumed the presidency upon the death of Frank ...

and served in that position until the Commandant,

Admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in many navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force. Admiral is ranked above vice admiral and below admiral of ...

Joseph F. Farley retired on 31 December 1949. He had been nominated by Truman for the post of Commandant on 12 October 1948 and the Senate confirmed the nomination two days later. O'Neill assumed the office of Commandant on 1 January 1950 with the rank of

vice-admiral Vice admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, usually equivalent to lieutenant general and air marshal. A vice admiral is typically senior to a rear admiral and junior to an admiral. Australia In the Royal Australian Navy, the rank of vic ...

. With the outbreak of the

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

in June 1950 and the passage of the

Magnuson Act Magnuson Act most commonly refers to the following legislation named after Warren Magnuson: * Chinese Exclusion Repeal Act, a 1943 United States federal law that repealed the Chinese Exclusion Act The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 was a Unit ...

, the Coast Guard became responsible for the security of all of the nation's ports and harbors. Because the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve had been allowed to lapse after

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, O'Neill called for the reformation of the reserve program to help with the port security mission and Congress granted the funds for training an effective reserve component. Under his direction, 35 Organized Reserve Training Units, Port Security (ORTUPS) were established at larger seaports for security assignments and two Organized Reserve Training Units, Vessel Augmentation were formed at Boston and Washington, D.C., to train officers for assignment to cutters should it become necessary.Johnson, p 282 While O'Neill was commandant, the active duty strength of the Coast Guard increased by 6,000 personnel to 29,000 and the reserve strength numbered 8,300. Under O'Neill's stewardship, the reorganization of the Coast Guard started by Commandant Farley was completed; this put into effect a system of comptroller functions that oversaw the financial affairs, centralized record-keeping, and standardized reports and forms. The positions of chief of staff and deputy chief of staff were also established to assist the commandant with the management of the organization.Johnson, p 294

Later life and death

O'Neill retired from the U.S. Coast Guard on 1 June 1954 with the rank of admiral. His decorations included the Legion of Merit, awarded for exceptionanally meritorious conduct during the invasion of Sicily. After retiring from active duty Admiral O'Neill resided in

Lusby, Maryland Lusby is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Calvert County, Maryland, United States. The population of the CDP was 1,835 at the 2010 census. Residents of the Chesapeake Ranch Estates and Drum Point communities als ...

. O'Neill died of cardiac arrest 1 March 1981 at the Naval Hospital at

Patuxent River Naval Air Station Naval Air Station Patuxent River , also known as NAS Pax River, is a United States naval air station in St. Mary’s County, Maryland on the Chesapeake Bay near the mouth of the Patuxent River. It is home to Headquarters, Naval Air Systems Comma ...

. He was survived by his wife, Esther, and two daughters. The Admiral Merlin O’Neill Award was established by the

Military Officers Association of America The Military Officers Association of America (MOAA) is a professional association of United States military officers. It is a nonprofit organization that advocates for a strong national defense, but is politically nonpartisan. The association ...

Southern Maryland Chapter at the behest of O'Neill's widow, Mrs. Esther O’Neill. O’Neill, who was recognized for his interest in the development and recognition of junior officers, moved to southern Maryland after his retirement and lived in the area until his death in 1981.

Dates of rank

Notes

;Footnotes ;Citations

References

* * * * * *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Oneill, Merlin 1898 births 1981 deaths Commandants of the United States Coast Guard Vice Commandants of the United States Coast Guard United States Coast Guard admirals Truman administration personnel Recipients of the Legion of Merit United States Coast Guard personnel of World War II United States Coast Guard personnel of the Korean War Marion Military Institute alumni People from Lawrence County, Ohio People from Morgan City, Louisiana People from Calvert County, Maryland Military personnel from Ohio Military personnel from Louisiana Military personnel from Maryland 20th-century American military personnel