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| CNO Statement on Passing of Retired Rear Adm. Eugene Fluckey |
| 2007-07-01 |
| Special from Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Mullen WASHINGTON (NNS) -- Every man and woman serving our Navy today joins me in mourning the death of retired Rear Adm. Eugene Fluckey, recipient of the Medal of Honor and a true naval hero. We extend humbly to his family our thoughts, prayers and deepest sympathies in this, their time of great grief and sorrow. Fluckey passed away on June 29. He was one of the most daring and successful submarine skippers of World War II -- he was credited with sinking 29.3 enemy ships totaling more than 146,00 tons -- Eugene Fluckey helped lead and inspire our Navy to victory. He inspires us still today. We will miss him sorely. In addition to the Medal of Honor, they pinned upon his chest four Navy Crosses, the Distinguished Service Medal, the Legion of Merit and a host of other unit and campaign awards. He was known for his audacity and courage, on more than one occasion running his boat in close to shore to attack enemy shipping and bases. He was merely 31 when the war ended. He even helped pioneer the idea of submarine support to special operations. In the summer of 1945, he launched a group of his own commandos ashore to set demolition charges on a coastal railway line, destroying a 16-car train. It was the sole landing by U.S. military forces on the Japanese Home Islands during the war. I never heard of this action until I read this. Fluckey was also a loyal and devoted leader, for whom his people had the greatest respect and in whom they entrusted their lives and their honor. He knew all too well how much they depended on his steady hand, and how much he, in turn, depended on them. In his final war patrol report as commanding officer of USS Barb, he had this to say about his crew: “What wordy praise can one give such men as these; men who … follow unhesitatingly when in the vicinity of minefields so long as there is the possibility of targets … Men who flinch not with the fathometer ticking off two fathoms beneath the keel … Men who will fight to the last bullet and then start throwing the empty shell cases. These are submariners.” As we mourn his passing, so too should we pause and reflect on the contributions of this great man to our Navy and to our nation … and of the thousands of lives he guided, the careers he mentored, the difference he made simply by virtue of his leadership. We ought never forget his own words of wisdom: “Put more into life than you expect to get out of it. Drive yourself and lead others. Make others feel good about themselves. They will outperform your expectations, and you will never lack for friends.” Fluckey certainly never lacked for friends. And on behalf of those of us -- his friends and shipmates -- still serving in the Navy, I wish for his soul fair winds and following seas and for his family and loved ones our deepest respect and sympathies. |
| Posted by:JAB |
| #17 Yesterday Gen. Robin Olds was laid to rest at the Air Force Academy. We were having a unit reunion at the Academy at the same time. There were fly-bys by F-4s, P-51s, and even a Mig-17. I hope people like Admiral Fluckey and Gen. Olds are never forgotten, and that the traditions they inspired continue as long as the US exists. |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2007-07-01 18:51 |
| #16 SHARK WEEK meets FLEET WEEK |
| Posted by: RD 2007-07-01 17:26 |
| #15 thx John M - interesting info - RB reaches far and wide! |
| Posted by: Frank G 2007-07-01 15:03 |
| #14 One source states that one of the scuttling charges aboard the Barb was the explosive device used to destroy the 16-car RR train. |
| Posted by: mrp 2007-07-01 14:48 |
| #13 I had the good fortune to be assigned to the Naval Academy as an instructor in Plebe skinny,or chemistry to civilians when Gene Fluckey was a Capt and head of the Dept. I only met him on one or two occasions , buthe was a smiling relaxed skipper who could not have been nicer to everyoneincluding young Jg s.They did not mention that Fluckeys CMH was for going into Tokyo harbor andsinking a ship inside the harbor , then siting on the bottom for several days while depth charges went off everywhere.I humbly thank the parents of such men |
| Posted by: john e morrissey 2007-07-01 12:13 |
| #12 just how the hell do you sink .3 of a ship? 2/3 were afloat after the hit? ;-) |
| Posted by: twobyfour 2007-07-01 12:01 |
| #11 Winged one, and the others finished it off? OK I'll buy that, just sounds really odd. |
| Posted by: Redneck Jim 2007-07-01 12:01 |
| #10 .3? May have been a combined assault on a Jap ship w/another U.S. Sub or American vessel(s). God Bless this man. What a true hero. |
| Posted by: Broadhead6 2007-07-01 11:57 |
| #9 it's that metric system.... :-) tons tonnes, you know? |
| Posted by: Frank G 2007-07-01 11:57 |
| #8 he was credited with sinking 29.3 enemy ships I agree, just how the hell do you sink .3 of a ship? |
| Posted by: Redneck Jim 2007-07-01 11:38 |
| #7 29.3 sunk. Must have winged a catamoran. |
| Posted by: Super Hose 2007-07-01 11:34 |
| #6 Not to worry Frank the |
| Posted by: Shipman 2007-07-01 11:05 |
| #5 Iirc, Captain Fluckey's rampage up the Japanese coast also included shelling attacks against against dock facilities and seaside factories and the first use of surface-to-surface rockets from a submarine. According to The Rocket by David Baker, the latter were the standard 4.5" type often fired from converted landing craft to soften up beach defenses. Barb had been rigged with a multiple launcher on the foredeck. |
| Posted by: Atomic Conspiracy 2007-07-01 08:39 |
| #4 How blessed is the country that produces men like this! |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2007-07-01 08:32 |
| #3 With two frigates pursuing, Barb set a then-world speed record for a submarine of 23.5 knots (44 km/h) using 150% overload. bet that was exciting - LOL! |
| Posted by: Frank G 2007-07-01 08:19 |
#2 From Wikipedia:On 27 April 1943, Commander Fluckey assumed command of Barb (SS-220). |
| Posted by: Mike 2007-07-01 08:06 |
| #1 "Eternal Father, Strong to save, Whose arm hath bound the restless wave, Who bid'st the mighty Ocean deep Its own appointed limits keep; O hear us when we cry to thee, for those in peril on the sea." |
| Posted by: GORT 2007-07-01 06:17 |