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Contact Info
Home Town Utica, NY
Last Address Honolulu, HI
Date of Passing Feb 06, 1956
Location of Interment U.S. Naval Academy Cemetery and Columbarium (VLM) - Annapolis, Maryland
Wall/Plot Coordinates 01-0131 A
Official Badges
Unofficial Badges
Additional Information
Last Known Activity:
William Garrett Greenman was born on August 26, 1888, in Utica, New York. He entered the navy in June 1909, just short of his twenty-first birthday, having been appointed a midshipman from his home state on June 26, 1908. He graduated from the Naval Academy with the class of 1912. His first assignment was to the battleship North Dakota and the commissioning of the gunboat Sacramento (PG-19).
World War I found Greenman raising to the rank of lieutenant commander as he spent time aboard the battleships Nevada and Florida. By the late 1920's Greenman was given his own ship, assuming command of the destroyer Preston DD-327 followed by the Brooks DD-232. In April 1934, the same month that the Astoria was commissioned, Greenman was made a commander.
The outbreak of World War II in Europe found Greenman, with the rank of captain, in command of a destroyer squadron. The ships were part of what was known as the Atlantic Squadron operating off America's East Coast. The destroyers became part of the Neutrality Patrol, whose purpose was to show the world that the United States Navy was ready and able to deend the Western Hemisphere. Greenman later became chief of staff to Commander Destroyers, Atlantic Fleet. During his tenure he assisted in the transfer of fifty old destroyers to the British. On May 16, 1942, he received orders to report to the Pacific as the new commanding officer of the Astoria.
Having a new commanding officer come aboard can cause a level of uneasiness among a ship's crew. No one for sure knows what to expect. By the time the Guadalcanal operation had begun, word spread around the Astoria that the new captain had a sense of humor. It was a boost to moral to know that Greenman was a so-called regular.
The USS Astoria CA-34 was sunk at the battle of Savo Island on August 9, 1942. Captain Greenman received the Legion of Merit for his gallant attempts to save the sinking ship. A second LM was awarded to Captain William G. Greenman, Head of the Advanced Base Planning Section. He was responsible for the general planning and coordination of the establishment of all advanced bases in the Central Pacific Area (CincPac and CincPoa)during 1943 until January 1944.
In 1945, Wm. G. Greenman was Director, Office of Naval Petroleum and Oil Shale Reserves. He retired with the rank of Commodore.
