Description
Here we have the fixed bale US M1 Helmet named twice to the then Lt Commander Amos Townsend Hathaway.
Hathaway was awarded the Navy Cross for his attack on the Yamato and other Japanese Imperial Navy Ships in the Battle Off Samar Island 1944.
His citation reads,
The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Navy Cross to Commander Amos Townsend Hathaway, United States Navy, for extraordinary heroism and distinguished service in the line of his profession as Commanding Officer of the Destroyer U.S.S. HEERMANN (DD-532), during a strike against major units of the enemy Japanese Fleet, in the Battle off Samar Island, on 25 October 1944. When a formidable column of Japanese battleships, cruisers and destroyers attacked our small Task Unit of Escort Carriers, Commander Hathaway twice closed to four thousand yards of the hostile disposition to launch torpedo attacks on heavy ships of the enemy, holding his ship under a constant bombardment of gunfire and succeeded in scoring one confirmed hit on a battleship. Again maneuvering within short range, he skillfully brought his surface guns to bear on two heavy cruisers and greatly assisted in putting these ships out of action. By his courageous action he diverted enemy fire from our lightly armed carriers to his own ship, thereby materially aiding in their protection. His leadership, gallant fighting spirit and devotion to duty were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.
His career Biography taken from: https://www.bosamar.com/pages/hathaway_bio
Amos T. Hathaway was born on December 5, 1913 in Pueblo, Colorado, the son of James A. and Nina North Hathaway. His hometown was Chevy Chase, Maryland. He was a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and Duke University.
His first sea duty assignment was on battleship USS Mississippi (BB 41). In the late 1930s he served on the destroyer USS Craven (DD 382) and light cruiser USS Boise (CL 47).
During World War 2 he first served as Navigator, then Executive Officer of the high-speed minesweeper USS Zane (DMS-14). Later he was assigned as the Executive Officer of USS Hoel (DD-533).
In April 1944 Commander Hathaway was assigned as Commanding Officer of the Fletcher Class destroyer USS Heermann (DD 532). For the next month she divided her time between protecting troop and resupply convoys which were occupying Emirau Island and hunting enemy supply barges along the coast of New Hanover. Back in Port Purvis 3 June, Heermann participated in the bombardment of a tank farm on Fangelawa Bay, New Ireland, 11 June, and then searched for submarines along sealanes leading from the Solomons towards the Admiralties, the Carolines, and the Marshall Islands until 26 June. The summer of 1944 found Heermann busy escorting Navy and Merchant shipping to rendezvous where they joined convoys bound for various ports. This duty took Commander Hathaway to Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides Islands and Noumea, New Caledonia Island. Heermann cleared Port Purvis 6 September 1944 with Rear Admiral William D. Sample’s escort carrier force that provided air support during the invasion of the Palau Islands.
After replenishing at Seeadler Harbor, Admiralty Islands, Commander Hathaway sortied on 12 October 1944 with a fire support group for the liberation of the Philippine Islands. Heermann screened transports and landing ships safely to the beaches of Leyte and then joined Rear Admiral Thomas L. Sprague’s Escort Carrier Group (Task Group 77.4).
At the outset of the Battle Off Samar the ship laid protective smoke in the rear of the escort carriers of Task Unit 77.4.3 with the smaller destroyer escorts. He bravely turned Heermann to attack the heavy cruisers and battleships of the IJN Centre Force. Although none of the torpedoes found their target, almost better results were realized. The mighty Japanese battleship HIJMS YAMATO was forced to comb Heermann’s torpedo wakes and was subsequently placed out of position for the remainder of the action. After her torpedoes were expended, Commander Hathaway bravely engaged the Japanese warships with 5-inch gunfire. Heermann was hit several times and was notably down by the bow before the action concluded. Heermann was the only surviving destroyer of Taffy III. For his actions in the battle he was awarded the Navy Cross and as a member of the Task Unit a Presidential Unit Citation.
Commander Hathaway served as Executive Officer of the cruiser USS Saint Paul (CA-73) from November 1950 to July 1951 during the Korean War. During this time he was awarded the Legion of Merit by the U.S. Army. In the 1950s he served as Commander of Destroyer Division 92.
His shore duty billets include Staff at the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island; Logistics Commander at Far East Command General Headquarters in Tokyo, Japan; and Director, Logistics Plans Division for the Joint Chiefs of Staff in Washington, DC in 1960.
His final sea duty billets were as Chief of Staff, Commander Carrier Division 16 in USS Valley Forge (CV-45) and Commanding Officer of the gun cruiser USS Rochester CA-124) from August 1959 to June 1960.
After he retired from the Naval service he served as a professor at The Citadel military college in Charleston, SC from 1966 to 1979 where he taught fundamental mathematics and computer science.
Captain Hathaway passed away on August 26, 1996 at a nursing home in Charleston, South Carolina at the age of 82. He was interred at Arlington National Cemetery in section 12 plot 8533-7 on September 6, 1996.
More on the USS Hermann
Heermann screened transports and landing ships to the beaches of Leyte under the command of recently promoted Commander Amos T. Hathaway, then joined Rear Admiral Thomas L. Sprague’s Escort Carrier Group (Task Group 77.4) which was made up of three escort carrier task units, known as the “Three Taffies” because of their voice calls: “Taffy 1”, “Taffy 2”, and “Taffy 3”. Destroyers Hoel and Johnston joined her in screening Rear Admiral Clifton Sprague’s unit, “Taffy 3” which also included his flagship Fanshaw Bay and five other escort carriers.
On 25 October 1944 found the task group east of Samar steaming north as the Northern Air Support Group. At 06:45 lookouts observed anti-aircraft fire to the north and within three minutes, were under heavy fire from Japanese Admiral Takeo Kurita’s Center Force of four battleships, six heavy cruisers, two light cruisers, and 11 destroyers. In an effort to withdraw away to the south from Kurita’s force, the escorts began to make smoke screens to mask the movement of the larger ships. Heermann, on the opposite side of the carriers from the Japanese force at the opening of the battle, steamed into the action at flank speed through the escort carriers which, after launching their planes, formed a rough circle as they made for Leyte Gulf. Smoke and intermittent rain squalls reduced visibility to less than 100 yards (91 m) which led to near collisions, with Heermann forced to avoid the destroyer escort Samuel B. Roberts and destroyer Hoel.
As the escorts began torpedo runs at the Japanese force, Heermann began firing her 5-inch guns at one heavy cruiser, Chikuma, while directing torpedoes at Haguro. Heermann then changed course to engage a column of four battleships whose shells began falling around the destroyer. Heermann targeted Kongō, the column’s leader, at which the destroyer launched three torpedoes. Then Heermann switched targets to Haruna, and fired three torpedoes, which were launched from only 4,400 yards (4,000 m). The destroyer retreated after believing one of the torpedoes had struck a target. Japanese records claim that the battleship successfully evaded all of the torpedoes from Heermann, but they were slowed in their pursuit of the American carriers. The battleship Yamato was forced out of the action altogether after reversing course when caught between two spreads.
Heermann laid another smoke screen along the starboard quarter of the carrier formation and then returned to engage the Japanese force of four heavy cruisers. Here the destroyer dueled with Chikuma. A series of 8-inch (203 mm) hits stuck the forward section of the destroyer, flooding it and pulling the bow down so far that the anchors were dragging in the water. One of the 5-inch guns was put out of action but in conjunction with strikes from the carrier aircraft forced Chikuma to withdraw, and the Japanese cruiser sank during her retreat. The heavy cruiser Tone took up Chikuma’s battle and engaged Heermann until the destroyer withdrew to lay more smoke. At this point, support from “Taffy 2” arrived to aid the escorts and aircraft attacked Tone forcing the cruiser to withdraw. As more support arrived, the Japanese withdrew. For his skillful maneuvering and leadership Heermann’s Commanding Officer, Commander Amos Hathaway, was awarded the Navy Cross.
