US Marine Corps - The Black Vault

118 Amphibians Came To Conquer
Another shipmate of early aviation days remembered:
While Exec of the Stiratoga,Kelly was a legend. It is said he studied music so
that he could give the band hell.’
Before the 1932 Christmas holidays were over, the new Executive
Officer had gathered together all the naval aviators of the squadrons
attached to the Saratoga and told them:
You are all naval aviators, and from what I hear, darn good ones. But from
now on, you have got to also be naval officers ! ~
The practice under the previous Executive, a classmate of Turner’s, Com-
mander A. H. Douglas, had been for the squadron aviators to do their flying
and a very minimum of shipkeeping and watch standing. Kelly put them all
on the ship’s watch lists, the younger ones as Junior Officer of the Watch or
as Officer of the Deck, the senior ones on a Squadron Watch List similar to
the ship’s Head of Department Watch List. The squadron officers took their
duty turns with the ship’s officers, a day of watch duty every fourth day, but
watches so scheduled to give them eight hours off watch before flying.
This broad concept of officer seagoing and ship qualification endeared
Commander Turner, neither to the officers, nor to their wives when the
Saratoga was in port. However, the policy paid big, big dividends in forma-
tion handling skills and in self-confidence during World War II when a
number of these aviators increased in rank markedly and, by CINCPAC fiat,
automatically senior to all non-flying officers in surface ship commands in
the same unit or group and thus the task unit or task group commander.
This Saratoga policy spread its wings softly throughout the aeronautical
organization of the Fleet during later pre-World War II years.
The cruise in the Saratoga included all the usual chores borne by Execu-
tive Officers of that 193+1934 period including much umpiring of other
ships, most frequently the Lexington, gunnery and torpedo practices, and
much inspecting and writing of reports.
This latter aspect resulted in Commander Turner receiving two official
letters of praise from the Commander in Chief of the United States Fleet,
Admiral David F. Sellers, one stating that his report had shown “a broad
tactical knowledge.” “
In late March 1934, Commander Turner learned that his services were
4 Arty Doyle.
‘ Interviews with Vice Admiral William M, Callaghan, USN, and Rear Admiral Carl K. Fink,
USN, both lieutenants in the Surutoga in 1932-1933, 2 Mar. 1966.
‘ CINCUS to Commander Turner, letters, A163/3817 of 29 Dec. 1933 and 11=-O of
16 May 1934.