US Marine Corps - The Black Vault

136 Amphibians Came To Conquer
been on board long enough to receive a regular fitness report from Turner,
Commander Theiss, the first time his class was considered, failed of selection
to captain as “best fitted” that December and was ordered to shore duty the
following June. He was selected to captain as “fitted” by the next Selection
Board in December 1939 and retained on active duty.” Theiss’s failure of
selection in 1938 actually could not be attributed to Captain Turner in any
way, since Turner did not arrive in the AJtoria until ten days after the regu-
lar 31 August 1938 fitness reports had gone into the Department, the last
semi-annual fitness report before the 1938 Selection Board met in December.
The second and third Executive Officers were Commanders Marion Y.
Cohen, and C. Julian Wheeler. Cohen, Class of 1914, relieved Theiss 15 June
1939, and, by his own official request, in order to better handle a family
problem, left in December 1939 for command of San Diego based Destroyer
Division 70, when relieved by Wheeler, Class of 1916. Commander Cohen
was named “best fitted” captain by his first Selection Board, in a list when
only four of the bottom 15 commanders of the Class of 1914, where he was
positioned on the Navy List, were so picked. So it can be deduced that
Commander Cohen earned more than just highly satisfactory fitness reports
from Captain Turner as did Wheeler, who also cleared the hurdle to “best
fitted” captain at the first try. Wheeler is still around and comments as
follows:
The A~toritI under Turner’s command was what is known in the Navy as a
taut ship. It always stood well in the various competitions we had at that time
and was well thought of in the Division.
Due to his brilliance and ability, Admiral Turner was at his best under
stress. He was thoroughly in command of the situation at all times.
When relaxed he entered into the spirit of the occasion and joined in the
fun, whatever it was. I consider him one of the ablest naval officers of our
time.zg
A lower decks observer reports:
Turner’s reputation reached the fo’c’s’le before he took command of
A.rtoriz. A crew member had served with him previously and he soon got the
word around. Suffice to say ‘Turn-to Turner’ was the word. Apparently this
phrase was hitched to him some years previously as it may have been hitched
to other naval officers. Anyway, it was an inkling as to what to expect. This
meant much, because Captain C. C. Gill (Turner’s predecessor) was, indeed,
a relaxed, ‘no-strain,’ pleasant little gentleman.
AJtorid, of course, was Turner’s first major command and command he did.
= For explanation of ‘best fitted’ and ‘fitted’ selection, see pages 267–69.
= Rear Admiral C. Ju[ian Wheeler, USN (Ret.), to GCD, letter, 17 Mar. 1964.