CARLTON B. HUTCHINS, LT, USN
Carlton Hutchins '26
Lucky Bag
From the 1926 Lucky Bag:
Carlton Barmore Hutchins
Albany, New York
"Hutch"
IN spite of a scholarship at Cornell plus an annuity from the State of New York beckoning alluringly, our own little Hutch withdrew from the cold, cold woild into the protective shell of Crabtown. Plebe year was marked by his sophisticated representation of Sophie Tucker and by his athletic prowess in football and crew. He also found the time to earn fixed stars on his monkey jacket. Youngster Cruise he offered a glass of wine to his roommate's prohibition uncle in Glasgow, and spurned the paltry 65c tendered him by the government when he left early with the A-squad. Football again—New York—Pasadena—Wrestling—Beaucoup Bridge—June Week—and once again, Europe.
London and Paris proved Hutch's undoing, for he was in no condition to withstand the rigors of ptomaine poisoning as administered off the Hook of Holland, and he was forcibly deprived of his appendix while in Antwerpen. Reaching Albany a mere wraith of 170 pounds, the famous Hutchins System returned our hero to Annapolis at par.
"And then he took up Snaking." Which we submit as the end.
Football Squad (4, 3, 1), N (l); Crew Squad (4); Wrestling Squad (3, 1); Class Lacrosse (2, 1); Star (4, 3, 2, 1).
Carlton Barmore Hutchins
Albany, New York
"Hutch"
IN spite of a scholarship at Cornell plus an annuity from the State of New York beckoning alluringly, our own little Hutch withdrew from the cold, cold woild into the protective shell of Crabtown. Plebe year was marked by his sophisticated representation of Sophie Tucker and by his athletic prowess in football and crew. He also found the time to earn fixed stars on his monkey jacket. Youngster Cruise he offered a glass of wine to his roommate's prohibition uncle in Glasgow, and spurned the paltry 65c tendered him by the government when he left early with the A-squad. Football again—New York—Pasadena—Wrestling—Beaucoup Bridge—June Week—and once again, Europe.
London and Paris proved Hutch's undoing, for he was in no condition to withstand the rigors of ptomaine poisoning as administered off the Hook of Holland, and he was forcibly deprived of his appendix while in Antwerpen. Reaching Albany a mere wraith of 170 pounds, the famous Hutchins System returned our hero to Annapolis at par.
"And then he took up Snaking." Which we submit as the end.
Football Squad (4, 3, 1), N (l); Crew Squad (4); Wrestling Squad (3, 1); Class Lacrosse (2, 1); Star (4, 3, 2, 1).
Loss
Carlton was lost on February 2, 1938 when his patrol bomber collided with another and crashed off the coast of California. He remained at the controls to allow his crew to parachute to safety; for this action he was awarded the Medal of Honor.
Biography
From Naval History and Heritage Command:
Carlton Barmore Hutchins was born on 12 September 1904 in Albany, New York. He was appointed to the U.S. Naval Academy from that state and graduated in June 1926. As a newly commissioned Ensign, Hutchins served on board the battleship Pennsylvania, then attended aviation courses at the Naval Academy and flight training at Naval Air Station, Pensacola, Florida. After receiving his aviator designation in February 1929 Ensign Hutchins was assigned to the aircraft carrier Saratoga, serving with Bombing Squadron Two-B and Fighting Squadron Six-B. In June 1929, he was promoted to Lieutenant (Junior Grade). In the Summer of 1931, he returned to Pensacola as an instructor. The following year, Hutchins began study at the Naval Postgraduate School and continued his higher education at the California Institute of Technology at Pasadena, from which he received a Master of Science degree.
In the Summer of 1934, Lt(JG) Hutchins reported to Scouting Squadron Five-B on board the light cruiser Memphis and transferred a year later to Scouting Squadron Six-B on the light cruiser Concord. In June 1936, he was promoted to Lieutenant and assigned to Naval Air Station, Anacostia in Washington, D.C. Hutchins next served with Patrol Squadron Seventeen, operating with the seaplane tender Thrush. In November 1937, he transferred to Patrol Squadron Eleven, based on the tender Langley. On 2 February 1938, while piloting a PBY-2 in a tactical exercise off the southern Californian coast, he collided with another VP-11 PBY-2. Exhibiting courage and coolness, Lt. Hutchins remained at his badly damaged plane's controls, allowing members of his crew to parachute to safety, but was killed in the plane's subsequent crash. For his "extraordinary heroism" on this occasion, he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. Carlton B. Hutchins' remains were not recovered.
From the New York Times on August 4, 1938:
For the first time in more than-four years the Medal of Honor, awarded to United States soldiers, sailors and marines for extraordinary heroism in the line of duty, was awarded posthumously to Lieutenant Carlton B. Hutchins, U. S. N., who was a native of Albany, N. Y.
From Heroes of the United States Naval Academy:
Following a mid-air collision Lieutenant Hutchins remained at the controls of his heavily damage PBY-2 allowing his crew members to parachute to safety. For his actions he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.
Carleton Barmore Hutchins was born in Albany, New York on September 12, 1904. On July 11, 1922, he entered the United States Naval Academy as a Midshipman. Midshipman Hutchins was a member of the Navy football team earning his varsity N first class year. He also was on the Navy wrestling team. An excellent student he earned is gold stars on his collar all four years. During first class year he was a three striper on the Regimental Staff as Regimental Adjutant. Midshipman Hutchins graduated 25 of 456 Midshipmen from the United States Naval Academy on June 3, 1926.
From October 26, 1926, to April 1928, Ensign Hutchins was assigned to battleship USS Pennsylvania (BB-38) homeported in San Pedro, California.
On March 21, 1928, Ensign Hutchins married Miss Elizabeth Poehler in Los Angeles, California. Together they had two children, Walter Hutchins (USNA 1953) and Susan.
On April 19, 1928, Ensign Hutchins was assigned under instruction at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida.
In February 1929, Ensign Hutchins was designated a Naval Aviator.
From March 8, 1929, to June 1931, Ensign Hutchins was assigned to Bombing Squadron 2B (VB-2A), Aircraft Squadrons, Battle Fleet aboard aircraft carrier USS Saratoga (CV-3).
On June 30, 1931, LTJG Hutchins was assigned as instructor to Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida.
On July 2, 1932, LTJG Hutchins was assigned under instruction at post graduate school United States Naval Academy, Annapolis Maryland.
By January 1, 1934, LTJG Hutchins was assigned under instruction at California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California. He earned a master’s degree in aeronautical engineering.
From June 30, 1934 to June 1935, LTJG Hutchins was assigned to Scouting Squadron 5-B (VS-2B) aboard light cruiser Memphis (CL-13).
From June 1935 to June 1936 LTJG Hutchins transferred to Scouting Squadron 6-B (VS-6B) aboard light cruiser USS Concord (CL-10).
On June 30, 1936, Lieutenant Hutchins was assigned to Naval Air Station Anacostia, Washington D.C.
In 1937, Lieutenant Hutchins served with a seaplane squadron in the Caribbean and in November 1937 he was transferred to Patrol Squadron 11 based on the tender Langley in San Diego California.
On February 2, 1938, a mid-air collision occurred between two Consolidated PBY-2 Catalinas. The planes were flying in darkness and after entered an area of heavy rain and poor visibility when the collision occurred. Lieutenant Hutchins was killed while conducting a formation bombing attack during fleet tactical exercises. Seaplanes from PBY-2 Squadron designations 11-P-3 flown by Lieutenant Elmer Glenn Cooper (USNA 1927) and 11-P-4 flown by Lieutenant Hutchins crashed in mid-air, at sea, 110 kilometers west of San Diego, California. Plane PBY-2, No. 0462 (of 11-P-3) burst into flames and sank upon hitting the water. Lieutenant Hutchins remained in the pilot’s seat maintaining control of this aircraft so that four members of his crew could parachute to safety. Wreckage of plane No. 0463 (11-P-4) was kept afloat for about three hours by destroyer USS Smith (DD-378), then sank. His body was not recovered.
In 1942, the destroyer USS Hutchins (DD-476) was named in his honor.
Lieutenant Hutchins is remembered in Memorial Hall, United States Naval Academy, Annapolis, Maryland where his name is engraved on the Class of 1926 plaque honoring those alumni of the class killed in action or killed in the line of duty.
Other Information
From researcher Kathy Franz:
Carlton graduated from Albany high school in 1922. In the 1921 yearbook under “What We Live For,” Carlton said, “To be a real sailor.” The yearbook also said, “he was always noticeably bright since his first day in school . . . and he is a football man and track star, which proves that “smart” people can also be athletes.”
He married Elizabeth Poehler on March 21, 1928, in Los Angeles. They had two children Walter (’53) born March 23, 1931, and Susan. Walter died in 2006.
In the 1910 and 1920 census, his father Walter was the private secretary to the mayor in Albany. He died in 1936. Carlton’s mother was Clara, and brother Lt. Walter L. Hutchins was stationed at Annapolis.
Carlton has a memory marker in New York.
Medal of Honor
From Hall of Valor:
The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pride in presenting the Medal of Honor (Posthumously) to Lieutenant Carlton Barmore Hutchins, United States Navy, for extraordinary heroism as the Pilot of the U.S. Navy Seaplane PBY-2 No. 0463 (11-P-3) while engaged in tactical exercises with the U.S. Fleet on 2 February 1938 of the California coast. Although his plane was badly damaged, Lieutenant Hutchins remained at the controls endeavoring to bring the damaged plane to a safe landing and to afford an opportunity for his crew to escape by parachutes. His cool, calculated conduct contributed principally to the saving of the lives of all who survived. His conduct on this occasion was above and beyond the call of duty.
Photographs
"Photograph taken on 15 September 1934 when he was assigned to USS Memphis (CL-13)."
Namesake
USS Hutchins (DD 476) was named for Carlton; the ship was sponsored by his widow.
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.
October 1926
January 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
LT Arnold Isbell '21 (Torpedo and Bombing Plane Squadron (VT) 1B)
October 1929
January 1930
April 1930
LTjg Creighton Lankford '25 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 1B)
LTjg Charles Signer '26 (Torpedo and Bombing Plane Squadron (VT) 2B)
LTjg Claude Haman '26 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 2B)
ENS Henry Twohy '29 (USS Saratoga)
ENS Jacob Britt '29 (USS Saratoga)
October 1930
LT Van Moore '19 (USS Saratoga)
LT Dixie Kiefer '19 (USS Saratoga)
LT William Sample '19 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 2B)
LTjg Creighton Lankford '25 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 1B)
LTjg Claude Haman '26 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 2B)
LTjg Robert Symes '27 (Torpedo and Bombing Plane Squadron (VT) 2B)
LTjg Renwick Calderhead '27 (Torpedo and Bombing Plane Squadron (VT) 2B)
LTjg John Eldridge, Jr. '27 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 2B)
ENS Weldon Hamilton '28 (Torpedo and Bombing Plane Squadron (VT) 2B)
ENS Jacob Britt '29 (USS Saratoga)
ENS Charles Hart '30 (USS Saratoga)
ENS James Clarkson '30 (USS Saratoga)
ENS Dudley Morton '30 (USS Saratoga)
ENS John Craig '30 (USS Saratoga)
ENS James Kyes '30 (USS Saratoga)
January 1931
LT Van Moore '19 (USS Saratoga)
LT Dixie Kiefer '19 (USS Saratoga)
LT William Sample '19 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 2B)
LTjg Creighton Lankford '25 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 1B)
LTjg Claude Haman '26 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 2B)
LTjg Robert Symes '27 (Torpedo and Bombing Plane Squadron (VT) 2B)
LTjg Renwick Calderhead '27 (Torpedo and Bombing Plane Squadron (VT) 2B)
LTjg John Eldridge, Jr. '27 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 2B)
ENS Weldon Hamilton '28 (Torpedo and Bombing Plane Squadron (VT) 2B)
ENS Jacob Britt '29 (USS Saratoga)
ENS Charles Hart '30 (USS Saratoga)
ENS James Clarkson '30 (USS Saratoga)
ENS Dudley Morton '30 (USS Saratoga)
ENS John Craig '30 (USS Saratoga)
ENS James Kyes '30 (USS Saratoga)
April 1931
LT Van Moore '19 (USS Saratoga)
LT Dixie Kiefer '19 (USS Saratoga)
LT William Sample '19 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 2B)
LTjg Creighton Lankford '25 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 1B)
LTjg Claude Haman '26 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 2B)
LTjg Robert Symes '27 (Torpedo and Bombing Plane Squadron (VT) 2B)
LTjg John Eldridge, Jr. '27 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 2B)
LTjg Warren Graf '27 (USS Saratoga)
ENS Weldon Hamilton '28 (Torpedo and Bombing Plane Squadron (VT) 2B)
ENS Jacob Britt '29 (USS Saratoga)
ENS James Clarkson '30 (USS Saratoga)
ENS James Kyes '30 (USS Saratoga)
July 1931
LT Irving Wiltsie '21
LTjg Matthias Marple, Jr. '23
LTjg Robert Larson '24
LTjg James McDonough '24
LTjg Charles McDonald '24
LTjg Richard Moss '24
LTjg Charles Signer '26
LTjg John Duke '26
LTjg William Potts '27
ENS Carl Lindgren '28
October 1931
LT Irving Wiltsie '21
LTjg Matthias Marple, Jr. '23
LTjg Robert Larson '24
LTjg James McDonough '24
LTjg Charles McDonald '24
LTjg Arthur Farrell '25
January 1932
LT Jack Richardson '19
LT Irving Wiltsie '21
LTjg Matthias Marple, Jr. '23
LTjg Robert Larson '24
LTjg James McDonough '24
LTjg Charles McDonald '24
LTjg Arthur Farrell '25
LTjg Charles Signer '26
April 1932
LT Jack Richardson '19
LT Irving Wiltsie '21
LTjg Matthias Marple, Jr. '23
LTjg Robert Larson '24
LTjg James McDonough '24
LTjg Charles McDonald '24
LTjg Arthur Farrell '25
LTjg Charles Signer '26
2LT Lofton Henderson '26
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 Hubert Hayter '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
The "category" links below lead to lists of related Honorees; use them to explore further the service and sacrifice of alumni in Memorial Hall.