ADOLPH HEDE, LCDR, USN

Adolph Hede '25

Date of birth: November 26, 1903

Date of death: December 14, 1944

Age: 41

Lucky Bag

From the 1925 Lucky Bag:

Adolph Hede

New York City, New York

"Al" "Hed" "Abie"

WHEN our handsome Leatherneck gave up the Gyrenes for the Navy, he naturally stepped right into responsibility. We first saw him teaching the rudiments of military drill to his less apt classmates who stared, awe-stricken, at this finished product of Paris Island and Quantico.

He early made a choice of activities, and picked soccer as his one sport beside sub-squad swimming. In both of these branches of athletics he proved his worth by making the squad all four years.

But "Al's" greatest achievements were along journalistic lines. As chief of the Athletic Staff, he greatly improved that section of the Log. Not satisfied with one man's work, he also landed the job of Athletic Editor for the "Lucky Bag" which likewise was successful under his care.

Not to mention "Abie's" affairs of the heart would be to leave his biography decidedly incomplete; but due to lack of space, we can only say that he is eternally in love, and with one girl (one at a time).

However, in spite of this and a curious failing for odd souvenirs from such places as Thorwaldsen's in Copenhagen, we consider "Al" the finest shipmate of all, and look with certainty to his success, whether he enters the Army, the Navy, or the Horse Marines.

"Wotsay Abie?"

Class Soccer (4); Varsity (4, 3, 2, 1); Log Staff (4, 3, 2, 1); Athletic Editor (1); Athletic Editor, Lucky Bag; Reception Committee; Expert Rifleman; Sub-Squad (4, 3, 2).

Adolph Hede

New York City, New York

"Al" "Hed" "Abie"

WHEN our handsome Leatherneck gave up the Gyrenes for the Navy, he naturally stepped right into responsibility. We first saw him teaching the rudiments of military drill to his less apt classmates who stared, awe-stricken, at this finished product of Paris Island and Quantico.

He early made a choice of activities, and picked soccer as his one sport beside sub-squad swimming. In both of these branches of athletics he proved his worth by making the squad all four years.

But "Al's" greatest achievements were along journalistic lines. As chief of the Athletic Staff, he greatly improved that section of the Log. Not satisfied with one man's work, he also landed the job of Athletic Editor for the "Lucky Bag" which likewise was successful under his care.

Not to mention "Abie's" affairs of the heart would be to leave his biography decidedly incomplete; but due to lack of space, we can only say that he is eternally in love, and with one girl (one at a time).

However, in spite of this and a curious failing for odd souvenirs from such places as Thorwaldsen's in Copenhagen, we consider "Al" the finest shipmate of all, and look with certainty to his success, whether he enters the Army, the Navy, or the Horse Marines.

"Wotsay Abie?"

Class Soccer (4); Varsity (4, 3, 2, 1); Log Staff (4, 3, 2, 1); Athletic Editor (1); Athletic Editor, Lucky Bag; Reception Committee; Expert Rifleman; Sub-Squad (4, 3, 2).

Loss

Adolph was lost on December 13, 1944 when the prisoner of war "Hell Ship" he was aboard was attacked by American planes.

From Find A Grave:

Lt. Commander Adolph Hede was held as a POW in the Philippine Islands. In December 1944, he was boarded onto the Oryoku Maru for transport to Japan. The ship sailed on December 13th and came under attack from American planes on December 14th. As evening approached, the attack was called off. Hede was killed during this initial attack.

Other Information

From researcher Kathy Franz:

Born Adolph Peter Hede, he was an errand boy for a tailor shop in 1920. He enlisted in the Navy on July 6, 1921.
He married Adalyn Mayer in Los Angeles on June 29, 1928.
In May, 1935, he and his wife sailed from Guantanamo Bay to San Diego. In July, 1940, they sailed from Los Angeles to Honolulu.
He belonged to Submarine Squadron 20 on the USS Canopus. With the fall of Corregidor, he was declared a prisoner on May 6, 1942.
His father Peter, who was born in Denmark, was a butcher. He died Feb 9, 1933, and is buried in Mt. Olivet cemetery. His mother Elizabeth “Lizzie” (Bach) was born in Germany. His brother Charles was born in August, 1891. His WWI draft card in 1917 reported that he was a soda dispenser at the upscale Schrafft’s restaurant on West 34th Street. Brother Edward Bach Hede was born March 25, 1901, and died June 8, 1901.

From Hall of Valor:

Adolph Hede was a member of the crew of the submarine tender USS Canopus (AS 9), serving in the Philippine Islands. After the ship was severely damaged on December 29, 1941, and subsequently scuttled to prevent the vessel from falling into enemy hands, he and his surviving comrades joined the ground forces in defense of Bataan and Corregidor. He was subsequently captured and interned as a Prisoner of War.

Adolph was mentioned in Part II of a history of Canopus (Shipmate, September 1948); the below was following a bomb hit on the ship while moored:

In the meantime, below decks, Lt. Comdr. "Al" Hede had organized another fire party which tackled the problem by carrying their hoses through choking smoke in the compartments near the magazines, pulling wounded and dying men away from the blasted areas where they had fallen. Most of the oxygen type breathing apparatus had been cut off by the explosion, but Shipfitter Cambron donned the one remaining outfit, and carried the hose right down to the magazines, backed up by his shipmates working in relays, each of which stayed as long as men could stand the fumes.

His wife was listed as next of kin.

Silver Star

Unable to find a citation for the Silver Star he was awarded.

Bronze Star

Unable to find a citation for either of the Bronze Stars he was awarded.

Prisoner of War Medal

From Hall of Valor:

Lieutenant Commander Adolph Hede (NSN: 0-59600), United States Navy, a former crewman of the U.S.S. CANOPUS (AS-9), was captured by the Japanese after the fall of Corregidor, Philippine Islands, on 6 May 1942, and was held as a Prisoner of War until his death while in captivity.
General Orders: NARA Database: Records of World War II Prisoners of War, created, 1942 - 1947
Service: Navy
Rank: Lieutenant Commander

Navy Directories & Officer Registers

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.