US Marine Corps - The Black Vault

Ten Years of Big Ship Gunne~y 59
Via: Captain J. H. Dayton, U.S.N. (U.S,S, Arizonu)
Subject: Lieutenant Commander Richmond K. Turner, U. S.N., recommended
for war service recognition by the Board of Awards.
1. I recommend Lieutenant Commander Richmond K. Turner, U. S. Navy,
for the Distinguished Service Medal as having distinguished himself by specially
meritorious service to the Government in a duty of great responsibility
while serving under my command on board the U.S.S. Micbigm as Gunnery
Officer of that vessel from September, 1917, to 10 June 1918.
2. Lieutenant Commander Turner displayed ability, zeal and energy in a
specially meritorious degree in maintaining the battle efficiency of the Gunnery
Department of the U.S.S. Michigan in a high degree of preparedness.
At the same time he rendered specially meritorious service in organizing and
training for transfer to other vessels large numbers of recruits and other men
for war service. Only such service as was rendered by this oflicer as above
indicated could have, under the circumstances, maintained the U.S.S Mirbi-
gan, a battleship of the first line, in the high degree of battle efficiency that
she was in during the period covered and I accordingly recommend him for
the Distinguished Service Medal.
3. In June, 1918, I was succeeded in command of the MicLigan by Captain
J. H. Dayton, U.S.N., and this letter is forwarded through that officer for
such endorsement as he may see fit to make.
WAR’S END AND SHORE DUTY
C. B. BRI~AIN
In June 1919, World War I was well over. Josephus Daniels, still the
Secretary of the Navy, was singing the Navy’s praises to the President and
to the Congress, and distributing Navy Crosses, a personal heroism medal,
On a helter-skelter basis but particularly to Commanding Officers who had
lost their ships to enemy action. This sad practice was continued on by his
successors during World War H.
The Distinguished Service Medal and Navy Cross Medal distribution
met courageous moral and official resistance from Vice Admiral William S.
Sims. The various operational and administrative judgments of the Navy
Department during the war years also evoked a large amount of critical
comment by those who had largely spent the short war at sea in positions
of responsibility.
Before the spitball throwing subsided within the Navy, Congress decided
to look into the squabble, and conducted, over many months, an investigation