Uniform and Medal group to RA Hubbard Frederick Goodwin

[army historian]

I have had this group awhile - but another member asked to see it, so here it is.

Uniform and medal group.

Rear-Admiral Hubbard Frederick Goodwin’s Medals and awards double bar mounted:

Bronze Star Medal + V

WWI Victory Medal

American Defense Medal + Fleet bar

American Campaign Medal

Asiatic Pacific Campaign with 1 Silver, and 4 Bronze Stars (9 campaigns)

WWII Victory Medal

WWII Naval Occupation Medal + Asia bar

National Defense Medal

Navy Expert Pistol Medal

Philippine Presidential Unit Citation (not mounted)

Philippine Liberation Medal with 2 Bronze Stars

Hubbard Frederick Goodwin was born 28 Mar 1899 at New Heaven, CT. He served during World War 1, see photograph at end of article Golden wedding anniversary of Horace and Elizabeth Hobbs, July 3, 1917. The caption reads “Absent were Walter Scott, and Hubbard Goodwin and Horace Eastow Hobbs, both of whom were in World War I service.” Hubbard F. Goodwin attended Sheffield Scientific School, Yale University and graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy. Since he is listed as entering the Navy on 3 Jun 1922. He was in the Class of 1922, serving at the Academy from 11 Jun 1918 to 3 June 1922.

Hubbard’s service number was 57574. He served throughout WW2 and until his retirement on 1 Jul 1953 at the age of 54. He was a Captain and was placed on the Retired list as a Rear Admiral. Goodwin’s SS# was 562-66-2033; he is not in the SS Death records, as he retired from the Navy. Rear-Admiral Hubbard Frederick Goodwin died 1 Nov 1974 in San Diego, CA.

From his service record he served on the USS Rochester from July 1922 to June 1925. Goodwin next served at the U.S. Navy Torpedo Station, Newport, R.I. from June 1925 to Dec. 1925 when he was assigned to the Destroyer USS Breck DD-283 from Jan. 1926 to June 1929. Breck was attached to Destroyer Division 25. As a unit of that Division she served with United States Naval Forces Europe, between June 1926 and June 1927 showing the flag along the European and North African coasts and engaging in target and engineering competition. Upon returning to the United States she put in at New York Navy Yard and then proceeded to Newport where she embarked Naval Reserves for the training cruise with the Scouting Fleet. The succeeding years were similar in the established routine of gunnery practice, war games, and maneuvers until the end of September 1929 when Breck arrived with other units of Destroyer Squadron 9 at Philadelphia Navy Yard, ending her active service. Breck was decommissioned 1 May 1930.

In Jul 1929 Goodwin was reassigned to at the U.S. Navy Torpedo Station, Newport, R.I. until Jul 1931 when he was assigned to the Light Cruiser USS Milwaukee.

The Milwaukee served primarily in the Pacific during the decades between the world wars. From Jun 1934 to Jul 1936 Goodwin served at the Naval Ordnance Plant, South Charleston, WV. This was Naval Plant #5 (NP5) working on Armor and Armor piercing

projectiles. He was next assigned to the Destroyer Tender USS Whitney, AD-4 from Jul 1936 to June 1939. From Jul 1939 to Oct 1940 Goodwin Commanded the Ocean going Tugboat USS Mahopac. From Oct 1940 to May 1941 Goodwin served at the U.S. Navy Receiving Station, Puget Sound, WA. He was next assigned to the U.S. Navy Torpedo Station, Newport, R.I. from May 1941 to Oct 1943, when he was assigned to the Heavy Cruiser USS New Orleans as her Executive Officer. He was promoted to Captain 10 Jul 1943 before being assigned to the USS New Orleans.

Goodwin served on the USS New Orleans from Oct 1943 to May 1945 and participated in 9 campaigns, earning the Bronze Star Medal with the combat “V” device (awarded for Valor in Combat). His compiled list of campaigns is as follows:

Gilbert Islands Operations

Marshall Islands Operation

Asiatic-Pacific raids (1944)

Western New Guinea Operations

Marianas Operations

Western Caroline Island Operations

Leyte Operation

Luzon Operation

Okinawa Gunto Operation (both USS New Orleans and USS Granville)

In June 1945 Goodwin became the First Commanding Officer (and Plank Owner) of the New Fast Attack Transport the USS Granville. The USS Granville (APA-171), 1944-1973 was a 12,450-ton Haskell class attack transport built at Portland, Oregon, was commissioned in November 1944. She carried passengers to the central Pacific during the first few months of 1945 and, in April and May, transported Soldiers to Okinawa. Having completing that mission, she brought casualties back to the U.S. from the western Pacific combat zone and made another trip to Okinawa before Japan agreed to surrender in mid-August.

For the next two months Granville supported the occupation of Japan. She was employed on Operation "Magic Carpet", the great effort to return service personnel from the Pacific to the U.S., from October 1945 until January 1946. After steaming to the East Coast by way of the Panama Canal, USS Granville was decommissioned in May 1946 and transferred to the U.S. Maritime Commission. Goodwin was the decommissioning Officer also, so he was her only Naval Commander.

From Jun 1946 to Oct 1946 Goodwin served at the U.S. Naval Repair Base, San Diego, CA. On Oct 1946 to Oct 1948 Goodwin was Assistant Director of Training at Headquarters, 11th Naval District San Francisco, CA. From Oct 1948 to Aug 1949 he was the Director of Training at Headquarters, 11th Naval District San Francisco, CA.

From Aug 1949 to Jun 1951 Goodwin was Commanding Officer at the U.S. Naval Torpedo Station, Newport, R.I. In 1951 the Torpedo Station was permanently disestablished, and the manufacture of torpedoes was awarded to private industry. Goat Island was transferred to the City of Newport, and redevelopment of the island included a causeway, luxury hotel and restaurant, marina, shopping facilities, and apartments. In place of the Torpedo Station, a new research development facility, the Naval Underwater Ordnance Station, was established. A merger in 1970 with another naval activity in New London, Connecticut, created what is now the Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC). It appears Goodwin was the Torpedo Station’s last Commander. From Jun 1951 until he retired in Jun 1953 he was the Commanding Officer of the Naval Ordnance Plant NP5, South Charleston, WV. Hubbard Frederick Goodwin died on 1 Nov 1974 in San Diego, CA at the age of 75.

Edited May 13, 2013 by army historian

[IrishGunner]

Very cool seeing the WW1 Victory in second place after the Bronze Star.

[Paul R]

That is a magnificent grouping! I love seeing the WW1 medal mounted within groups. You did really well with this one too. I bet that this man had some wild stories to tell.

[army historian]

Thank you guys - It is a nice group.

[Paul R]

The word "nice" is very very conservative. I am quite envious of this one.

[scottplen]

Wow another fine group !

[army historian]

Thanks Scott coming from you that's a real complement, especially when added top the others kind words. George

[Karen Goodwin Wilson]

Thank you for honoring my Grandfather so well!  We were so excited to learn that you had his uniform and medals that had been lost to us. It is so nice to know that they are in good hands. 

Karen Goodwin Wilson

[RAL]

Just noticed this posting.

 

I don’t wish to be the bearer of bad tidings, but the one star shoulder boards and the single stars on his collars are totally incorrect for them to be for RAdm Goodwin; they should be two star rear admiral shoulder boards and collar insignia.  The USN did not start their rear admirals of the lower half wearing a single star rank insignia until 1981.  Prior to then, both the lower half and upper half wore two stars.

 

The July 1953 register shows Goodwin as a captain of the line, with a date of entry of 3 July 1922 and a date of rank as captain of 10 July 43.  This would mean that he had been a captain for ten years with a total of 31 years commissioned service.  The way the regulations worked, one needed ten years in grade for promotion to rear admiral but not more than 30 years commissioned service.  If you had thirty or more years and were still a captain you would not be eligible for an active duty promotion to rear admiral, indeed, that would be pretty much the end one’s service eligibility.

 

The July 1954 register shows him as rear admiral, retired, and when you check the retired list you’d find him listed with captain as his highest rank with the above note date of rank and the notes 4 and 9 for his line entry.  Note 4 is explained as:  “Date of rank as Captain” which we already knew.  Note 9 is explained as:  “Advanced in rank on the retired list by of combat citation awarded by the head of an executive department.”

 

Admiral Goodwin’s award of the Bronze Star with the Combat V would fulfill the requirement for the retirement promotion.   This is a retirement promotion under then current law (retirement promotions ended on 31 October 1959).  And, as far as rank insignia would be concerned, in 1953, rear admirals would have worn two stars whether lower or upper half.  During the WW2 years, the 150 some odd commodores wore a single star, collar or shoulder board, but by the end of 1947 all the commodores had either reverted to captain, had been promoted to rear admiral, or retired; there was no one star rank, or rank insignia, in the USN after that until 1981.  So, had Admiral Goodwin had an opportunity to wear a uniform at some point during his retired years (and there are occasions for retired personnel to do so) he would have sported the two star shoulder boards on whites or khakis, plus two stars on the collar points of his khaki shirt, or the broad gold and one thin gold stripes on blues.  There was no other insignia for him to wear in regulation. 

 

 

Edited April 27, 2023 by RAL