HUBERT M. HAYTER, LCDR, USN
Hubert Hayter '24
Lucky Bag
From the 1924 Lucky Bag:
HUBERT MONTGOMERY HAYTER
Abingdon, Virginia
"Virgie"
HERE we have him, a true representative of "The Old Dominion", straight from the mountainous Blue Grass region at that, and better known as "Virginia".
Plebe year his ability to call the cows, pigs, chickens, etc., won him distinction and very frequently his melodious, well-trained voice resounded throughout the mess-hall. Yes, it was a hard Plebe year, but the climax was reached two weeks before '21 B's graduation. He attempted an ill-timed exploration of the corridor, yea, even in his pajamas and being caught, took several showers upside down and had a damp, disagreeable sleep for several nights.
Tho' a Red Mike, there is that little girl in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia waiting to be called his own.
Class Football (4, 3, 2); Numerals (2); Crew Squad (4, 3, 2); Expert Rifleman.
HUBERT MONTGOMERY HAYTER
Abingdon, Virginia
"Virgie"
HERE we have him, a true representative of "The Old Dominion", straight from the mountainous Blue Grass region at that, and better known as "Virginia".
Plebe year his ability to call the cows, pigs, chickens, etc., won him distinction and very frequently his melodious, well-trained voice resounded throughout the mess-hall. Yes, it was a hard Plebe year, but the climax was reached two weeks before '21 B's graduation. He attempted an ill-timed exploration of the corridor, yea, even in his pajamas and being caught, took several showers upside down and had a damp, disagreeable sleep for several nights.
Tho' a Red Mike, there is that little girl in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia waiting to be called his own.
Class Football (4, 3, 2); Numerals (2); Crew Squad (4, 3, 2); Expert Rifleman.
Loss
Hubert was lost on November 30, 1942 when USS New Orleans (CA 32) was heavily damaged at the Battle of Tassafaronga.
From National WWII Museum:
The Damage Control Officer on the New Orleans, Lieutenant Commander Hubert M. Hayter, and two of his men, Lieutenant Richard Haines '28 and Ensign Andrew L. Forman, remained at their damage control posts despite the fact that it was filling up with toxic fumes. These three brave men were eventually asphyxiated by the fumes and perished. The ship’s chaplain, Howell M. Forgy, later wrote about Hayter, “I wondered what he thought about in those final minutes, but I knew one thing: he was not afraid.”
Other Information
Hubert was commanding officer of USS Ramsay (DM 16) from September 1939 through February 1941.
From researcher Kathy Franz:
Hubert attended William King high school at Abingdon and the Virginia Polytechnic Institute at Blacksburg.
He was appointed to the Naval Academy by H. Bascom Slemp.
Hubert met his future wife, Maurine Knatvold Sieglaff, on the USS Arizona shortly after graduating from the Naval Academy. They were married on April 8, 1926, at the home of her uncle and aunt in Pasadena, California. Her brother William Bernard Sieglaff (‘31) was a submarine commander.
While detailed to the Augusta, Hubert received a letter of commendation from the secretary of the navy for the highest score for 5-inch gun division in heavy cruisers, 1934-35.
Hubert, his wife and three children were in Hawaii during the Pearl Harbor attack.
In addition to the Navy Cross, he received the second Nicaraguan medal, USS Yarborough, American Defense Service medal, Fleet Clasp, and the Asiatic-Pacific campaign medal.
His wife was listed as next of kin; he was also survived by a son and two daughters. Hubert is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
Photographs
From Hall of Valor:
The President of the United States of America takes pride in presenting the Navy Cross (Posthumously) to Lieutenant Commander Hubert Montgomery Hayter, United States Navy, for extraordinary heroism and distinguished service in the line of his profession as a Damage Control Officer aboard the Heavy Cruiser U.S.S. NEW ORLEANS (CA-32), in action against the Japanese after the torpedoing of his ship in enemy-controlled waters during the Battle of Tassafaronga on the night of 30 November 1942. Lieutenant Commander Hayter directed the evacuation of all men when a torpedo hit exploded the magazine and gasoline storage. Although rapidly becoming affected by asphyxiating gas, he continued to direct evacuation and gave his own mask to an affected seaman. After clearing all compartments, he kept at his duties until overcome. The conduct of Lieutenant Commander Hayter throughout this action reflects great credit upon himself, and was in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.
General Orders: Bureau of Naval Personnel Information Bulletin No. 328 (July 1944)
Service: Navy
Division: U.S.S. New Orleans (CA-32)
The "Register of Commissioned and Warrant Officers of the United States Navy and Marine Corps" was published annually from 1815 through at least the 1970s; it provided rank, command or station, and occasionally billet until the beginning of World War II when command/station was no longer included. Scanned copies were reviewed and data entered from the mid-1840s through 1922, when more-frequent Navy Directories were available.
The Navy Directory was a publication that provided information on the command, billet, and rank of every active and retired naval officer. Single editions have been found online from January 1915 and March 1918, and then from three to six editions per year from 1923 through 1940; the final edition is from April 1941.
The entries in both series of documents are sometimes cryptic and confusing. They are often inconsistent, even within an edition, with the name of commands; this is especially true for aviation squadrons in the 1920s and early 1930s.
Alumni listed at the same command may or may not have had significant interactions; they could have shared a stateroom or workspace, stood many hours of watch together… or, especially at the larger commands, they might not have known each other at all. The information provides the opportunity to draw connections that are otherwise invisible, though, and gives a fuller view of the professional experiences of these alumni in Memorial Hall.
July 1924
September 1924
November 1924
January 1925
March 1925
May 1925
July 1925
October 1925
January 1926
October 1926
January 1927
April 1927
October 1927
January 1928
April 1928
July 1928
October 1928
January 1929
April 1929
July 1929
October 1929
LT John Jones '21
LTjg William Davis '22
LT James Craig '22
LTjg Matthias Marple, Jr. '23
LTjg Walter Dey '24
LTjg John Waldron '24
LTjg Hubert Waters '25
ENS Henry G'Sell '26
LTjg Claude Haman '26
January 1930
April 1930
January 1931
April 1931
July 1931
LCDR Robert English '11
LT Joseph Severyns, Jr. '20
LT Samuel Arthur '20
LT Robert Smith '20
LT Paul Slawson '20
LT John Jones '21
LT John French '22
October 1931
January 1932
April 1932
CDR Robert English '11
LCDR Lyman Swenson '16
LT Samuel Arthur '20
LT Robert Smith '20
LT Paul Slawson '20
LTjg William Hobby, Jr. '23
LT John Welch '23
October 1932
LCDR Charles Cecil '16
LT Robert Smith '20
LT Paul Register '21
LT Francis Bridget '21
LT George Brooke '21
LT William Hobby, Jr. '23
LTjg Neville McDowell '24
January 1933
LCDR Charles Cecil '16
LT Robert Smith '20
LT Paul Register '21
LT Francis Bridget '21
LT George Brooke '21
LT William Hobby, Jr. '23
LTjg Neville McDowell '24
April 1933
LCDR Charles Cecil '16
LT Robert Smith '20
LT Paul Register '21
LT Francis Bridget '21
LT George Brooke '21
LT William Hobby, Jr. '23
LTjg Neville McDowell '24
LTjg Lawrence McPeake '24
July 1933
October 1933
April 1934
July 1934
October 1934
January 1935
April 1935
October 1935
January 1936
April 1936
July 1936
January 1937
April 1937
September 1937
January 1938
July 1938
January 1939
October 1939
June 1940
November 1940
April 1941
Namesake
USS Hayter (DE 212) was named for Hubert; the ship was sponsored by his widow, Maurine.
The "category" links below lead to lists of related Honorees; use them to explore further the service and sacrifice of alumni in Memorial Hall.
