CHARLES M. REDFIELD, LT, USN

Morgan Redfield '26

Date of birth: August 11, 1901

Date of death: April 4, 1933

Age: 31

Lucky Bag

From the 1926 Lucky Bag:

Charles Morgan Redfield

The Bronx, New York

"Rojo" "Red" "Mose"

"WHEN Red entered the Navy the barbers profession lost a promising artist, to judge from the shingle-bob he constructed on his roommate's cranium during the early stages of Plebe year.

Although often hard-pressed by the Ac Department, Rojo managed to emerge from each scuffle with colors still flying, though generally a bit tattered. Though not one of our prominent reptiles, he is not a Red Mike by a long shot. In fact, he has quite a way with the feebler sex. Since Second Class Christmas leave Mose is a changed man. Since finding his heart's desire he no longer lavishes on femininity the blandishments of his charms.

Though not an athlete of distinction, he is one of exceptional versatility, having gone out for every sport but checkers during Plebe year. Three days per sport was his usual limit. Then having mastered its intricacies he would turn to another for more worlds to conquer.

His unfailing good-nature and humor make him always a welcome addition to any party and should help him a long way through this vale of tears called Life.

"Sit down, Mr. Redfield, I'm afraid you're a sea-lawyer."

Soccer Squad (4); Class Lacrosse (4, 3); Sub-Squad (4, 3, 2, 1); Gymkhana (4, 3, 2); Keeper of the Goat.

Charles Morgan Redfield

The Bronx, New York

"Rojo" "Red" "Mose"

"WHEN Red entered the Navy the barbers profession lost a promising artist, to judge from the shingle-bob he constructed on his roommate's cranium during the early stages of Plebe year.

Although often hard-pressed by the Ac Department, Rojo managed to emerge from each scuffle with colors still flying, though generally a bit tattered. Though not one of our prominent reptiles, he is not a Red Mike by a long shot. In fact, he has quite a way with the feebler sex. Since Second Class Christmas leave Mose is a changed man. Since finding his heart's desire he no longer lavishes on femininity the blandishments of his charms.

Though not an athlete of distinction, he is one of exceptional versatility, having gone out for every sport but checkers during Plebe year. Three days per sport was his usual limit. Then having mastered its intricacies he would turn to another for more worlds to conquer.

His unfailing good-nature and humor make him always a welcome addition to any party and should help him a long way through this vale of tears called Life.

"Sit down, Mr. Redfield, I'm afraid you're a sea-lawyer."

Soccer Squad (4); Class Lacrosse (4, 3); Sub-Squad (4, 3, 2, 1); Gymkhana (4, 3, 2); Keeper of the Goat.

Loss

Charles was lost when the airship USS Akron (ZRS 4) crashed off the coast of New Jersey on April 4, 1933.

Other Information

From researcher Kathy Franz:

Charles mostly went by his middle name, Morgan. He was the watch and communications officer of the Akron.
His wife was the former Mildred Martha Champion. They married in 1926, and their son John was born on February 6, 1928, in California. They lived in Lakewood, New Jersey, in 1930.
In the spring of 1927, Morgan’s ship, the Nevada, returned from Panama maneuvers.
His father was Willard, a marine machinist, mother Josephine “Josie,” and brother Conway F.

He has a memory marker in Connecticut.

Photographs

From the Daily News on April 5, 1933
From the Daily News on April 5, 1933
From the Brooklyn Times Union on April 5, 1933

Video

Akron's executive officer, LCDR Herbert V. Wiley '15, one of only three survivors, was filmed shortly after the crash:

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.