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William Alexander Glassford, Jr.
Vice-Admiral, United States Navy
Vice Admiral William A. Glassford was a U.S. Navy officer who served during World War II. He commanded naval forces of the Asiatic Fleet during the first month of the war, and then relocated to Java to combine his forces with the American-British-Dutch-Australian Command ("ABDA"). His most notable battle was the Naval Battle of Balikpapan, in which he led a U.S. task force in an attack against Japanese forces that had occupied the port. When Glassford's flagships, the light cruisers USS Boise and USS Marblehead were disabled, he ordered his supporting destroyers to continue with the mission under Commander Paul H. Talbot. The attack came too late to prevent the capture of Balikpapan, and had little effect on the Japanese campaign to capture the resources of the Netherlands East Indies.
After the campaign, Glassford returned to the United States where he held a variety of positions in the Sixth Naval District and the Eighth Fleet.
Other Comments:
William A. Glassford, Jr., former commander of the Yangtze River Patrol in China, has been appointed on December 8th, 1941 to take command of the Task Force Five - the fighting unit of the US Asiatic Fleet, with USS heavy cruiser Houston as his flagship.
The Balikpapan Raid, January 1942
Rhe ABDA command was the American naval force located at Timor in Koepang Bay. Known as TF.5, this force is commanded by USN Rear-Admiral William A. Glassford and consisted of the light cruisers Boise and Marblehead and the destroyers of Destroyer Division 59: Parrott, Pope, John D. Ford, and Paul Jones.
He later set up his headquarters in Soerabaja in order to work with the Royal Dutch Navy in facilitating cooperation between the two naval forces. During the campaign he was promoted to Vice-Admiral and put in charge of "United States Naval Forces in the Southwest Pacific". He was evacuated from Java Island in March 1942.
Awards and Citations
Navy Distinguished Service Medal Awarded for actions during World War I
The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Navy Distinguished Service Medal to Commander William A. Glassford, United States Navy, for exceptionally meritorious service in a duty of great responsibility as Commanding Officer of the U.S.S. SHAW upon the occasion of the collision between that vessel and H.M.S. AQUTANITA on 9 October 1918, when his presence of mind, prompt and courageous action and resolute persistence and further, as a result of the splendid discipline of those under his command, the SHAW was saved from becoming a total loss and was safely brought into port after her bow had been completely severed from the remainder of the ship, and the ship still further endangered by fire and by threatened explosion of ammunition.
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