CHARLES H. OSTROM, CDR, USN
Charles Ostrom '30
Lucky Bag
From the 1930 Lucky Bag:
Loss
Charles was lost on November 24, 1943 when USS Liscome Bay (CVE 56) was torpedoed and sunk by a Japanese submarine.
His wife was listed as next of kin.
Charles was credited with seven air-to-air victories in World War II.
From USS Liscome Bay Crew list:
F4F Wilcat Ace (7 Japs). Dist. Flying Cross, 2 Air Medals. Purple Heart. Son C.H. Ostrom Jr. USNA 1958, Grandson LT Brian S. Ostrom USNA 1983, Great Grandson Sgt. Brian S. Ostrom, Jr. 2nd Recon Bn.
The above link also claims he was the embarked composite squadron's commanding officer; this is incorrect. (It also lists him as aboard from November 1, 1941, but the ship was not commissioned until August 1943.) Unclear on what unit or billet he was assigned, though he was not the ship's commanding officer, executive officer, or the chief of staff of the embarked admiral.
Distinguished Flying Cross
From Hall of Valor:
The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Flying Cross to Commander Charles H. Ostrom, United States Navy, for extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight while commanding a Fighter Squadron in the Solomon Islands from 2 to 20 February 1943. Commander Ostrom directed attacks on shore installations at Munda Point and on 20 Japanese destroyers. On the latter occasion his squadron shot down seven enemy fighters, enabling our bombers to carry out their attacks unmolested and score two direct hits on two destroyers.
General Orders: Bureau of Naval Personnel Information Bulletin No. 320 (November 1943)
Service: Navy
Rank: Commander
Note
Charles is listed on the Class of 1930 panel as if he was lost in November 1944; as he was listed as missing, this was the standard official date of death (year + 1 day).
Related Articles
Henry Mullinnix '16, Irving Wiltsie '21, Lester Kern '23, Finley Hall '29, and George Williams '40 were also lost in Liscome Bay.
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 1930
Ensign, USS New Mexico
Others at this command:
Others at or embarked at this command:
January 1931
Ensign, USS New Mexico
Others at this command:
Others at or embarked at this command:
April 1931
Ensign, under instruction, Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida
Others at this command:
LT Irving Wiltsie '21
LTjg Matthias Marple, Jr. '23
LTjg Robert Larson '24
LTjg James McDonough '24
LTjg John Waldron '24
LTjg Charles McDonald '24
LTjg Richard Moss '24
LTjg John Duke '26
LTjg James Averill '27
LTjg William Potts '27
July 1931
Ensign, under instruction, Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida
Others at this command:
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 Carlton Hutchins '26
LTjg Charles Signer '26
LTjg John Duke '26
LTjg William Potts '27
October 1931
Ensign, under instruction, Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida
Others at this command:
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
Ensign, under instruction, Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida
Others at this command:
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 Carlton Hutchins '26
April 1932
Ensign, Patrol Plane Squadron (VP) 7F, USS Argonne
October 1932
Ensign, Patrol Plane Squadron (VP) 7F, USS Argonne
January 1933
Ensign, Patrol Plane Squadron (VP) 7F, USS Argonne
April 1933
Ensign, Patrol Plane Squadron (VP) 7F, USS Argonne
Others at or embarked at USS Argonne:
July 1933
Lieutenant (j.g.), Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 3B, USS Lexington
Others at this command:
Others at or embarked at USS Lexington:
LTjg James McDonough '24 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5B)
LTjg Arthur Farrell '25 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5B)
LTjg Henry Twohy '29 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5B)
ENS John Fairbanks, Jr. '32 (USS Lexington)
ENS Daniel Gothie '32 (USS Lexington)
ENS William Thorn '32 (USS Lexington)
October 1933
Lieutenant (j.g.), Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 3B, USS Lexington
Others at this command:
Others at or embarked at USS Lexington:
LTjg James McDonough '24 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5B)
LTjg Arthur Farrell '25 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5B)
LTjg Henry Twohy '29 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5B)
ENS John Fairbanks, Jr. '32 (USS Lexington)
ENS Daniel Gothie '32 (USS Lexington)
ENS William Thorn '32 (USS Lexington)
April 1934
Lieutenant (j.g.), Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 2B, USS Saratoga
Others at or embarked at USS Saratoga:
LT Matthias Marple, Jr. '23 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
2LT Ernest Pollock '28 (Scouting Squadron 14-M)
LTjg Mathias Wyatt '29 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg Lloyd Greenamyer '29 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 1B)
ENS James Murphy '31 (Torpedo Plane Squadron (VT) 2B)
ENS George Ottinger '32 (USS Saratoga)
ENS Frank Latta '32 (USS Saratoga)
ENS Paul Burton '33 (USS Saratoga)
ENS Robert Fair '33 (USS Saratoga)
July 1934
Lieutenant (j.g.), Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 2B, USS Saratoga
Others at this command:
Others at or embarked at USS Saratoga:
LT Matthias Marple, Jr. '23 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg Charles McDonald '24 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)
LTjg Harold Richards '27 (Aircraft Squadrons)
LTjg Leonard Southerland '27 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg Mathias Wyatt '29 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg Robert Patten '30 (Aircraft Squadrons)
ENS James Murphy '31 (Torpedo Plane Squadron (VT) 2B)
ENS Eugene Lytle, Jr. '31 (Aircraft Squadrons)
ENS James Kelsey, Jr. '31 (Aircraft Squadrons)
ENS Bertram Prueher '33 (USS Saratoga)
ENS Paul Burton '33 (USS Saratoga)
ENS Robert Fair '33 (USS Saratoga)
ENS Wendell Froling '34 (USS Saratoga)
October 1934
Lieutenant (j.g.), Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 2B, USS Saratoga
Others at this command:
Others at or embarked at USS Saratoga:
LT Arnold Isbell '21 (Aircraft Squadrons)
LT John Jones '21 (USS Saratoga)
LT Matthias Marple, Jr. '23 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LT Charles McDonald '24 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)
LTjg Harold Richards '27 (Aircraft Squadrons)
LTjg Leonard Southerland '27 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg Mathias Wyatt '29 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg Bruce Van Voorhis '29 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)
LTjg Charles Palmer, Sr. '31 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)
LTjg James Murphy '31 (Torpedo Plane Squadron (VT) 2B)
ENS George Stone '31 (USS Saratoga)
ENS Albert Gates, Jr. '32 (USS Saratoga)
ENS Bertram Prueher '33 (USS Saratoga)
ENS Paul Burton '33 (USS Saratoga)
ENS Robert Fair '33 (USS Saratoga)
ENS Wendell Froling '34 (USS Saratoga)
January 1935
Lieutenant (j.g.), Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 2B, USS Saratoga
Others at this command:
Others at or embarked at USS Saratoga:
LT Arnold Isbell '21 (Aircraft Squadrons)
LT John Jones '21 (USS Saratoga)
LT Matthias Marple, Jr. '23 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LT Charles McDonald '24 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)
LTjg Harold Richards '27 (Aircraft Squadrons)
LTjg Leonard Southerland '27 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg Mathias Wyatt '29 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg Bruce Van Voorhis '29 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)
LTjg Charles Palmer, Sr. '31 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)
LTjg James Murphy '31 (Torpedo Plane Squadron (VT) 2B)
LTjg Edward Blessman '31 (Aircraft Squadrons)
LTjg George Stone '31 (USS Saratoga)
ENS Albert Gates, Jr. '32 (USS Saratoga)
ENS Bertram Prueher '33 (USS Saratoga)
ENS Paul Burton '33 (USS Saratoga)
ENS Robert Fair '33 (USS Saratoga)
ENS Wendell Froling '34 (USS Saratoga)
April 1935
Lieutenant (j.g.), Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 2B, USS Saratoga
Others at this command:
Others at or embarked at USS Saratoga:
LT Arnold Isbell '21 (Aircraft Squadrons)
LT John Jones '21 (USS Saratoga)
LT Matthias Marple, Jr. '23 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LT Charles McDonald '24 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)
LTjg Harold Richards '27 (Aircraft Squadrons)
LTjg Leonard Southerland '27 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg Mathias Wyatt '29 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg Charles Palmer, Sr. '31 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)
LTjg Ford Wallace '31 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg James Murphy '31 (Torpedo Plane Squadron (VT) 2B)
ENS Albert Gates, Jr. '32 (USS Saratoga)
ENS Bertram Prueher '33 (USS Saratoga)
ENS Paul Burton '33 (USS Saratoga)
ENS Wendell Froling '34 (USS Saratoga)
October 1935
Lieutenant (j.g.), Patrol Plane Squadron (VP) 6F, Naval Air Station Pearl Harbor
Others at this command:
January 1936
Lieutenant (j.g.), Patrol Plane Squadron (VP) 6F, Naval Air Station Pearl Harbor
Others at this command:
April 1936
Lieutenant (j.g.), Patrol Plane Squadron (VP) 6F, Naval Air Station Pearl Harbor
Others at this command:
July 1936
Lieutenant (j.g.), Patrol Plane Squadron (VP) 6F, Naval Air Station Pearl Harbor
Others at this command:
January 1937
Lieutenant (j.g.), Patrol Plane Squadron (VP) 6F, Naval Air Station Pearl Harbor
Others at this command:
April 1937
Lieutenant (j.g.), Patrol Plane Squadron (VP) 6F, Naval Air Station Pearl Harbor
Others at this command:
September 1937
Lieutenant (j.g.), Cruiser Scouting Squadron (VCS) 5, USS Louisville
Others at this command:
Others at or embarked at USS Louisville:
January 1938
Lieutenant (j.g.), Cruiser Scouting Squadron (VCS) 5, USS Louisville
Others at this command:
Others at or embarked at USS Louisville:
July 1938
Lieutenant, Cruiser Scouting Squadron (VCS) 5, USS Louisville
Others at this command:
Others at or embarked at USS Louisville:
January 1939
Lieutenant, Cruiser Scouting Squadron (VCS) 5, USS Louisville
Others at this command:
Others at or embarked at USS Louisville:
October 1939
Lieutenant, Scouting Squadron (VS) 71, USS Wasp
Others at this command:
Others at or embarked at USS Wasp:
June 1940
Lieutenant, Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida
Others at this command:
LT Finley Hall '29
LT Lance Massey '30
LTjg George Bellinger '32
LTjg Martin Koivisto '32
LTjg Daniel Gothie '32
1LT Floyd Parks '34
LTjg Charles Ware '34
LTjg Jack Ferguson '35
LTjg Joel Davis, Jr. '35
LTjg Francis Maher, Jr. '35
LTjg John Powers '35
LTjg Frank Robinson '36
Others at or embarked at this command:
LTjg Robert Strickler '32 (Training Squadron (VN) 5D8)
LT William Townsend '32 (Training Squadron (VN) 5D8)
LTjg Dewitt Shumway '32 (Training Squadron (VN) 1D8)
LTjg William Widhelm '32 (Training Squadron (VN) 5D8)
November 1940
Lieutenant, Naval Air Station Miami, Florida
Others at this command:
April 1941
Lieutenant, Naval Air Station Miami, Florida
Others at this command:
Class of 1930
Charles is one of 42 members of the Class of 1930 on Virtual Memorial Hall.