William Bernard Goggins (September 10, 1898 – December 27, 1985) was an American Navy officer.

William Bernard Goggins
Goggins' portrait for the United States Naval Academy, 1920
Birth nameWilliam Bernard Goggins
BornSeptember 10, 1898
DiedDecember 27, 1985(1985-12-27) (aged 87)
BranchNavy
RankRear admiral
Battles/wars
AwardsLegion of Merit (2)
Purple Heart
Navy Unit Commendation
Combat Action Ribbon
Navy Occupation Service Medal
Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal
Philippine Liberation Medal
Philippine Defense Medal
World War II Victory Medal
Asiatic–Pacific Campaign Medal
American Campaign Medal
American Defense Service Medal
World War I Victory Medal
Alma materYale University

Biography

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Born September 10, 1898, to William Goggins and Midge May Goggins (née McCarter),[1] Goggins graduated from Yale University with a master's degree in electrical engineering. He graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1920. He served on battleships during World War I.[2] During World War II, he served as executive officer on the USS Marblehead in the Java Sea. The ship was damaged during the Battle of Makassar Strait, and Goggins was severely burned.[3]

Goggins worked as head of Station HYPO in the United States Pacific Fleet headquarters[4][5] from October 1942 until assuming command of the USS Alabama on January 18, 1945, later fighting in the Battle of Okinawa.[6]

After the war, Goggins served as a commanding officer of the Naval Administrative Command for the Central Intelligence Group. He worked as a chief of staff in the construction of the Panama Canal. He retired from the military in 1949, at the rank of rear admiral.[2]

After retiring, Goggins was a researcher for Johns Hopkins University. He founded the General Kinetics Institute, a computing and telecommunications company. From 1949, he lived in Washington, D.C.. He died on December 27, 1985, at Inova Fairfax Hospital, aged 87.[2]

References

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  1. ^ "Goggins, William Bernard - TracesOfWar.com". www.tracesofwar.com. Retrieved 2024-07-28.
  2. ^ a b c "William B. Goggins, 87, Retired Rear Admiral, Dies". The Washington Post. 31 December 1985. Retrieved 2024-07-28.
  3. ^ Winslow, Walter G. (2014-08-15). The Fleet the Gods Forgot: The U.S. Asiatic Fleet in World War II. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-1-61251-293-8.
  4. ^ Carlson, Elliot W. (2013-09-15). Joe Rochefort's War: The Odyssey of the Codebreaker Who Outwitted Yamamoto at Midway. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-1-61251-073-6.
  5. ^ Kahn, David (1996-12-05). The Codebreakers: The Comprehensive History of Secret Communication from Ancient Times to the Internet. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 978-1-4391-0355-5.
  6. ^ Whitaker, Kent; Park, USS Alabama Battleship Memorial (2013-08-05). USS Alabama. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4396-4375-4.