Howard W. Gilmore
| Howard Walter Gilmore | |
|---|---|
 
Gilmore with first Navy Cross
|
|
| Born |
September 29, 1902 Selma, Alabama |
| Died | February 7, 1943 (aged 40) off the Solomons |
| Place of burial | lost at sea |
| Allegiance |
 United States of America
|
| Service/branch |
 United States Navy
|
| Years of service | 1920–1943 |
| Rank | Commander |
| Commands held |
USS Shark (SS-174) USS Growler (SS-215) |
| Battles/wars |
U.S. submarine campaign against the Japanese Empire Action of 5 July 1942 Action of 7 February 1943 |
| Awards |
Medal of Honor Navy Cross (2) Purple Heart |
Howard Walter Gilmore (September 29, 1902 – February 7, 1943) was a submarine commander in the United States Navy who received the Medal of Honor posthumously for his heroic self-sacrifice during World War II.
Howard Gilmore was born in Selma, Alabama, September 29, 1902 and enlisted in the Navy November 15, 1920. In 1922 he was appointed to the United States Naval Academy by competitive examination. Standing 34 in a class of 436, Gilmore was commissioned in 1926 and reported to the battleship USS Mississippi (BB-41). Gilmore underwent submarine training in 1930 and in the years that followed served in various submarines and at stations ashore.
Gilmore served as the executive officer of USS Shark (SS-174), and in a near-fatal incident during Shark's shakedown cruise, narrowly survived an assault by a group of thugs in Panama, who cut his throat during an excursion ashore. He had to deal with several other instances of tragedy in his life, including the death of his first wife from disease, and at the time of his Medal of Honor action his second wife was still in a coma from a fall she had taken down a flight of stairs. In 1941, he assumed his first command, USS Shark SS-174, only to be transferred the day following the attack on Pearl Harbor to take command of the still-unfinished USS Growler (SS-215).
Gilmore commanded his submarine skillfully during four Pacific war patrols. During his first, on 5 July 1942 Growler attacked three enemy destroyers off Kiska, sinking one and severely damaging the other two, while narrowly avoiding two torpedoes fired in return, for which Gilmore received the Navy Cross.
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