US Marine Corps - The Black Vault

24 Amphibian-r Came To Conquer
The harbor defense monitors assigned to his cruise were later to have
their names changed to Ozark, Tuilabassee, and Tonapab, respectively.
Midshipman First Class R. K. Turner, luckily, was assigned to the Oiytnpia,
for not only was she a respectable appearing man-of-war that gave a sense
of pride to her ship’s company, but attached thereto was one Lieutenant
Ernest J. King, U. S. Navy, the future Commander in Chief, U. S. Fleet and
Chief of Naval Operations during World War II. Lieutenant King was an
instructor in ordnance and gunnery at the Naval Academy, temporarily on
duty in the Olympia for the Summer Practice Cruise. Turner admired the
brainy, professionally alert and strict disciplinarian Lieutenant King. Presumably,
King personally thought enough of Turner to join with others to
recommend him for battalion command during the coming year.67
A member of the Class of 1910 did not look upon Midshipman Turner
with the same kind eyes as Lieutenant King. He writes:
We were shipmates in the OlyrnpZUon my youngster cruise in 1907. He was
overbearing and split. Unpleasant to be on watch with. Inspired, I am sure by
a sense of duty-which he understood required him to be ‘Commanding.’ ‘e
FIRST CLASS YEAR ( 1907-1908)
Much to Midshipman Turner’s surprise, in view of his conduct standing
during the previous th~ee years (number 111, 149, and 65), but to his considerable
delight, he was given four stripes and named to command the
2nd Battalion at the commencement of First Class Academic Year. This was
high honor indeed.’g
Harry Booth Hird who stood number 14 in efficiency and graduated num-
ber 30 in the class was the “Five Striper” and Midshipman Commander of
the Regiment of Midshipmen, and Edmund Randall Norton who stood
number 39 in efficiency and graduated number 2 in the class was the
other “Four Striper” and in command of the 1st Battalion.
Both Hird and Norton turned their attention to specialties of the naval
profession; the first became an engineer, the latter a naval constructor.
Both retired as captains; the first voluntarily in 1939, after 31 years of post-
Academy service, and the latter in 1943, with physical disability after 35
years’ service.’”
0’Turner.
WMember Class of 1910 to GCD (the author),
WTurner.
letters, 24Feb.1962.
‘“ U.S. Naval Register, 1939, 1943; U.S. Naval Academy Regi~ter, 1908