WILLIAM B. AULT, CDR, USN
William Ault '22
Lucky Bag
From the 1922 Lucky Bag:
WILLIAM BOWEN AULT
Enterprise, Oregon
"Bill," "Sabo," "The Old Man of the Sea," "W. B. & A."
THE "Pride of Enterprise" came into his own Plebe Year when he played center on the winning Company basketball team. From that time on—with the help of Army games, his notoriety increased until everyone knew W. B. and A.
Yes, it's true he was always bilging, or thought so at least—but he came down the home-stretch to snatch his sheepskin with the best of 'em. During Second Class Year, even during the days of tiresome labor at lacrosse and basketball, he was thrilled to hear a commanding voice from the fileclosers: "Ault, take guide." Oh, yes, big grease with "all the boys."
The Old Man, or as some reverentially call him, "Parson Bill," is well known by his classmates—and his friendship has helped more than one out of trouble. Take it from one who knows, not a man in 1922 can get a better shipmate than "Bill" Ault in more ways than one.
Buzzard (2); Regimental Champions Basketball (4); Class Basketball Captain (3); Numerals (3); Basketball N (3, 2, 1); Captain (1); Lacrosse INt (2, 1); Class Track Numerals (3,2); Track Squad (2).
WILLIAM BOWEN AULT
Enterprise, Oregon
"Bill," "Sabo," "The Old Man of the Sea," "W. B. & A."
THE "Pride of Enterprise" came into his own Plebe Year when he played center on the winning Company basketball team. From that time on—with the help of Army games, his notoriety increased until everyone knew W. B. and A.
Yes, it's true he was always bilging, or thought so at least—but he came down the home-stretch to snatch his sheepskin with the best of 'em. During Second Class Year, even during the days of tiresome labor at lacrosse and basketball, he was thrilled to hear a commanding voice from the fileclosers: "Ault, take guide." Oh, yes, big grease with "all the boys."
The Old Man, or as some reverentially call him, "Parson Bill," is well known by his classmates—and his friendship has helped more than one out of trouble. Take it from one who knows, not a man in 1922 can get a better shipmate than "Bill" Ault in more ways than one.
Buzzard (2); Regimental Champions Basketball (4); Class Basketball Captain (3); Numerals (3); Basketball N (3, 2, 1); Captain (1); Lacrosse INt (2, 1); Class Track Numerals (3,2); Track Squad (2).
Loss
William was lost when USS Lexington (CV 2) was sunk on May 8, 1942 in the Battle of the Coral Sea. He was Lexington's air group commander.
Other Information
From researcher Kathy Franz:
William graduated from Enterprise High school in 1917, but he had already left in April to join the Navy. Four other classmates had also left early to join the military service.
William was stationed in Honolulu aboard the S. S. Monterey. He sailedto San Francisco in February, 1918. He passed the entrance examinations and won his appointment from Senator George E. Champlain to the Naval Academy.
At graduation from the Academy, he received one of the five commendation letters from Rear Admiral Henry Wilson given to graduates. After the summer cruise, he returned to the Academy to be the basketball coach.
He married Margaret Esther Upshur on December 22, 1928, at the Naval Academy chapel. Lieut. Rudolph Johnson (’22) was his best man, and Margaret’s brother was Lieut. John Andrews Upshur (‘21.)
In December, 1932, William took a ten-day leave from the U. S. S. Wright and flew himself cross-country to Norfolk to see his wife and newly born son, William Ashpur Ault. Their other son was Robert born in 1937.
In June, 1940, William gave the Flag day celebration address at the Kansas City chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution.
In October, 2011, William was inducted into the Oregon Aviation Hall of Honor at the Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum, McMinnville, Oregon.
His father Charles A. was a physician, mother Beffie, brother Bird M., and sisters Elli and Indiana (Mrs. David B. Reavis.)
He is listed at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial as well as the Battle of the Coral Sea Memorial Park in Australia.
His wife was listed as next of kin.
Photographs
Career
From Wikipedia:
Ault served briefly as an enlisted man in the Navy (19 April 1917 – 23 April 1918) before entering the Naval Academy as a midshipman. Graduating on 2 June 1922, Ault served at sea on the battleship USS Arkansas (BB-33) before reporting to the Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida, on 23 August 1924 for flight instruction.
After earning his wings, Ault served with Aircraft Squadrons, Scouting Fleet, before commencing a tour in the aviation unit of the light cruiser USS Cincinnati (CL-6) on 10 September 1925. Detached from that ship just over a year later, he served at the Naval Academy as an instructor before reporting for duty with Observation Squadron (VO) 3, Aircraft Squadrons, Scouting Fleet, on 15 June 1927.
Further duty at the Naval Academy, as an instructor in the Department of Ordnance and Gunnery, followed before he flew with Patrol Squadron (VP) 10-S, Scouting Fleet, based in aircraft tender USS Wright (AV-1). He then served on the staff of Capt. George W. Steele, Commander, Aircraft, Scouting Force, from June 1931 to June 1932 and alternated tours of duty afloat and ashore: in Torpedo Squadron (VT) 1-S, based on board USS Lexington (CV-2); at NAS Norfolk, Virginia; and in the observation unit of the battleship USS Mississippi (BB-41).
Ault—by this time a lieutenant—next assisted in fitting-out USS Yorktown (CV-5), thus becoming a "plank owner" of that ship when she went into commission in the autumn of 1937. He then served on Yorktown's sister ship, USS Enterprise (CV-6), commanding VT-6. On 5 August 1939, less than a month before the start of World War II in Poland, Ault assumed command of the Naval Reserve Aviation Base, Kansas City, Kansas, a billet in which he served into 1941.
On 22 July 1941, Lieutenant Commander Ault once more reported to Lexington, and, the following day, became her air group commander. He was serving in that capacity when the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941 drew the United States into World War II.
Ault helped to plan and execute the attacks on Japanese shipping at Lae and Salamaua, New Guinea, in March 1942. On the day before the strike, 9 March, Ault and a wingman flew to Port Moresby, where the group commander learned of the existence of a key mountain pass through the forbidding Owen Stanleys, information that, in the words of the task force commander, contributed "a great deal toward [the] success" of the attacks that ensued. On the day of the raid, 10 March, Ault, given the authority to carry out or abort the attack on the basis of what weather he found, flew unaccompanied to the pass and orbited. Finding favorable weather, he transmitted information to that effect and directed the passage of planes from Lexington and Yorktown toward Lae and Salamaua. Those groups sank three transports, put a fourth transport out of action, and caused varying degrees of damage to a light cruiser, a minelayer, three destroyers and a seaplane carrier. The transmontane raid postponed the Japanese projected conquest of Tulagi and Port Moresby for a month, the time necessary to replace the vital amphibious ships lost off New Guinea and marshal carrier air support. Commander, Aircraft Battle Force, later commended Ault for his work.
Battle of the Coral Sea
In the later Battle of the Coral Sea in May 1942, as Lexington's Air Group Commander, Ault led Lexington's bombers into combat in the successful May 7 attack on the Japanese aircraft carrier Shōhō, sinking the light carrier fifteen minutes after the first attack. The Shōhō was the first Japanese aircraft carrier sunk in World War II.
Early in the morning on 8 May, Ault led the Lexington airwing's attack on the Japanese fleet carrier Shōkaku. The attack was successful; the Shōkaku was damaged severely enough to warrant its removal from battle and its return to base at Chuuk.
Both Ault and his radio-gunner, Aviation Radioman 1st Class William T. Butler, apparently suffered wounds when Zero fighters attacked the group commander's SBD Dauntless. Ault attempted to return to a friendly carrier deck, not realizing that the Lexington had taken mortal damage in his absence. Unaware of Lexington's distress, he radioed the ship at 14:49, to tell her that he had only enough gasoline for 20 minutes. Yorktown, which had taken over communications for "Lady Lex," heard Ault's broadcast but failed to pick him up on her radar. Informed that he was on his own but wished "Good luck." Ault changed course to the north, in a last vain attempt to be picked up on radar. Yorktown again wished him good luck.
Ault, perhaps aware of the fate that lay ahead, radioed : "O.K. So long, people. We put a 1,000 pound hit on the flat top." No further word was received from Lexington's air group commander, and neither he nor Aviation Radioman Butler was ever seen again. No remains of his aircraft have yet been found.
Both Ault and Butler were listed as Missing in Action and presumed dead on May 8, 1942.
From Hall of Valor:
The President of the United States of America takes pride in presenting the Navy Cross (Posthumously) to Commander William Bowen Ault (NSN: 0-57445), United States Navy, for extraordinary heroism in operations against the enemy while serving as Pilot of a carrier-based Navy Combat Plane and Group commander of a Navy Air Group attached to the U.S.S. LEXINGTON (CV-2), in action against enemy Japanese forces during the Air Battle of the Coral Sea, on 7 and 8 May 1942. Commander Ault led the air attack, carried out in the face of severe anti-aircraft barrage and heavy fighter opposition, which resulted in the complete destruction of one enemy carrier on 7 May and major damage to another on 8 May. His failure to return from the latter encounter and his courageous conduct throughout the duration of these actions were an inspiration to the entire air group. Commander Ault's outstanding courage, daring airmanship and devotion to duty were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country.
Service: Navy
General Orders: Commander In Chief Pacific Fleet: Serial 13 (June 16, 1942)
Namesake
USS Ault (DD 698) was named for William; the ship was sponsored by his widow, Margaret.
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.
May 1923
January 1924
March 1924
May 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
LCDR Norman Scott '11
LCDR Albert Rooks '14
LCDR Cassin Young '16
LT John Gillon '20
LT John Burrow '21
LT Joseph Hubbard '21
LT Edwin Crouch '21
LTjg Howard Healy '22
October 1928
January 1929
April 1929
July 1929
October 1929
January 1930
April 1930
October 1930
January 1931
April 1931
July 1931
October 1931
January 1932
April 1932
October 1932
LT William Sample '19 (Aircraft Squadrons)
LT Harry Brandenburger '21 (USS Lexington)
LT Edwin Crouch '21 (USS Lexington)
LT John Jones '21 (Aircraft Squadrons)
LTjg Eugene Lindsey '27 (USS Lexington)
LTjg Henry Twohy '29 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5S)
ENS John Yoho '29 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 3S)
ENS Lance Massey '30 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 3S)
ENS Walter Bailey '31 (USS Lexington)
ENS Eugene Lytle, Jr. '31 (USS Lexington)
ENS John Fairbanks, Jr. '32 (USS Lexington)
ENS Daniel Gothie '32 (USS Lexington)
ENS Albert Major, Jr. '32 (USS Lexington)
ENS William Thorn '32 (USS Lexington)
January 1933
LT William Sample '19 (Aircraft Squadrons)
LT Harry Brandenburger '21 (USS Lexington)
LT Edwin Crouch '21 (USS Lexington)
LT John Jones '21 (Aircraft Squadrons)
LTjg Eugene Lindsey '27 (USS Lexington)
LTjg Henry Twohy '29 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5S)
ENS John Yoho '29 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 3S)
ENS Edwin Kelly '30 (Torpedo Squadron (VT) 1B)
ENS Lance Massey '30 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 3S)
ENS Walter Bailey '31 (USS Lexington)
ENS Eugene Lytle, Jr. '31 (USS Lexington)
ENS John Fairbanks, Jr. '32 (USS Lexington)
ENS Daniel Gothie '32 (USS Lexington)
ENS Albert Major, Jr. '32 (USS Lexington)
ENS William Thorn '32 (USS Lexington)
April 1933
LT Harry Brandenburger '21 (USS Lexington)
LT Edwin Crouch '21 (USS Lexington)
LTjg Arthur Farrell '25 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5B)
LTjg Eugene Lindsey '27 (USS Lexington)
LTjg Henry Twohy '29 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5B)
ENS John Yoho '29 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 3B)
ENS Edwin Kelly '30 (Torpedo Squadron (VT) 1B)
ENS Lance Massey '30 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 3B)
ENS Walter Bailey '31 (USS Lexington)
ENS John Fairbanks, Jr. '32 (USS Lexington)
ENS Daniel Gothie '32 (USS Lexington)
ENS Albert Major, Jr. '32 (USS Lexington)
ENS William Thorn '32 (USS Lexington)
July 1933
October 1933
April 1934
July 1934
October 1934
January 1935
April 1935
October 1935
ENS Frederick Purdy '33 (USS Mississippi)
ENS Walker Ethridge '34 (USS Mississippi)
ENS Philip Torrey, Jr. '34 (USS Mississippi)
ENS Manning Kimmel '35 (USS Mississippi)
ENS George Philip, Jr. '35 (USS Mississippi)
January 1936
ENS Walker Ethridge '34 (USS Mississippi)
ENS Philip Torrey, Jr. '34 (USS Mississippi)
ENS Manning Kimmel '35 (USS Mississippi)
ENS George Philip, Jr. '35 (USS Mississippi)
April 1936
ENS Philip Torrey, Jr. '34 (USS Mississippi)
ENS Edward Robertson '35 (USS Mississippi)
July 1936
January 1937
April 1937
LT Robert Winters '27 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 7B)
September 1937
LT Robert Winters '27 (Scouting Squadron (VS) 5)
LTjg James Averill '27 (Fighting Squadron (VF) 5)
LT Henry Dozier '27 (Scouting Squadron (VS) 5)
LT Lloyd Greenamyer '29 (Scouting Squadron (VS) 5)
LT Finley Hall '29 (Scouting Squadron (VS) 5)
LTjg Robert Donaldson '34 (Scouting Squadron (VS) 5)
January 1938
LT Robert Winters '27 (Scouting Squadron (VS) 5)
LTjg James Averill '27 (Fighting Squadron (VF) 5)
LT Henry Dozier '27 (Scouting Squadron (VS) 5)
LTjg Gilbert Carpenter '30 (Scouting Squadron (VS) 6)
LTjg Robert Donaldson '34 (Scouting Squadron (VS) 5)
July 1938
LT Bruce Van Voorhis '29 (Scouting Squadron (VS) 6)
LT Gilbert Carpenter '30 (USS Enterprise)
LTjg Walker Ethridge '34 (Bombing Squadron (VB) 6)
LTjg James Tyler '34 (Scouting Squadron (VS) 6)
ENS Webster Johnson '36 (USS Enterprise)
ENS Bruce Skidmore '37 (USS Enterprise)
ENS Ernest Wood, Jr. '38 (USS Enterprise)
January 1939
LT Bruce Van Voorhis '29 (Scouting Squadron (VS) 6)
LT Gilbert Carpenter '30 (USS Enterprise)
LTjg Walker Ethridge '34 (Bombing Squadron (VB) 6)
ENS Webster Johnson '36 (USS Enterprise)
ENS Bruce Skidmore '37 (USS Enterprise)
ENS Ernest Wood, Jr. '38 (USS Enterprise)
October 1939
June 1940
November 1940
April 1941
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