Julius A. Raven
Julius A. Raven (1918–1942) was a United States Navy officer who received the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal for his actions during World War II.
Julius Arthur Raven | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 6, 1918 New York, New York |
| Died | August 9, 1942 (aged 24) Aleutian Islands, Territory of Alaska |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Service/ | United States Naval Reserve |
| Years of service | 1939–1942 |
| Rank | Lieutenant, junior grade |
| Battles/wars | World War II *Aleutian Islands campaign |
| Awards | Distinguished Flying Cross Air Medal |
Biography
Julius Arthur Raven was born in New York City on 6 January 1918. He enlisted in the United States Naval Reserve as seaman second class on 5 June 1939 at New York City. He was discharged and accepted an appointment as Aviation Cadet on 5 September 1939. After preliminary flight training at the Naval Reserve Aviation Base, Floyd Bennett Field, Brooklyn, New York, he was assigned advanced training at Naval Air Station Pensacola at Pensacola, Florida. After flight school, Raven was assigned to a patrol squadron in the Pacific, where he served during World War II.
On 25 June 1942, while returning from a combat mission in the Aleutian Islands and flying over Japanese-controlled waters, Raven sighted the U.S. Navy submarine USS S-27 (SS-132), which had run aground on Amchitka Island. Disregarding the danger to his life, Raven skillfully and coolly landed in a rough sea, embarked 13 of the submarine's crew, and took off, all without damage to his plane. He safely returned them to Dutch Harbor on Unalaska Island. All of the men of S-27 were later rescued due to the information on their whereabouts provided by Raven.
During the Aleutian Islands campaign, Raven conducted dangerous reconnaissance and bombing runs against Japanese-occupied Kiska Island until he was lost at sea while on a mission on 9 August 1942.
Awards
For the S-27 incident, Raven was awarded the Air Medal for meritorious achievement and extreme courage while effecting a rescue at sea. Posthumously, he also received the Distinguished Flying Cross for action against enemy forces during the Aleutian Islands campaign.
Namesake
The U.S. Navy destroyer escort USS Julius A. Raven (DE-600) was named for Lieutenant, junior grade, Raven. She was converted during construction into the high-speed transport USS Julius A. Raven (APD-110), and was in commission as such from 1945 to 1946.
References
- This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.