EDWIN P. MARTIN, LCDR, USN

Edwin Martin '29

Date of birth: January 25, 1907

Date of death: August 22, 1942

Age: 35

Lucky Bag

From the 1929 Lucky Bag:

EDWIN PRATHER MARTIN

Maysville, Kentucky

"Ed" "Doc" "Flossie"

LADIES and gentlemen, a true son of the old Bluegrass State. With but slight interest in horses, he devotes himself to the other half of the famous pair—pretty women. When the time of hops rolls around, Ed is there in his glory—usually dragging. An otherwise good average received a grave set-back one week-end during Youngster year, but usually he has been a credit to his class. His one bad habit is his love of fishing—he goes crabbing almost every week-end. He's not the perfect snake as yet, but it's not for lack of trying. He, too, takes his dragging seriously.

There's a streak of Scotch somewhere in his make-up, as he demonstrated when someone attempted to inveigle him into a bet. Ed doesn't bet; he makes investments. The quiet of Second Class Cruise was shattered with a loud bang, when overnight "Flossie" burst forth into fame, achieved his new nick-name, a private yell, and much notoriety. No reason has yet been found for this occurrence, but it might have been San Francisco. Quien sabe?

Doc is an athlete, too, but of the radiator variety. Those of us who have been privileged to know Ed well will always remember him as a quiet and unassuming friend, a true shipmate, and an always dependable member of the gold-brick squad.

Crew 3, 2; 150 lb. Gymkhana 4. Sub-Squad 4, 3, 2. 1 P.O.

EDWIN PRATHER MARTIN

Maysville, Kentucky

"Ed" "Doc" "Flossie"

LADIES and gentlemen, a true son of the old Bluegrass State. With but slight interest in horses, he devotes himself to the other half of the famous pair—pretty women. When the time of hops rolls around, Ed is there in his glory—usually dragging. An otherwise good average received a grave set-back one week-end during Youngster year, but usually he has been a credit to his class. His one bad habit is his love of fishing—he goes crabbing almost every week-end. He's not the perfect snake as yet, but it's not for lack of trying. He, too, takes his dragging seriously.

There's a streak of Scotch somewhere in his make-up, as he demonstrated when someone attempted to inveigle him into a bet. Ed doesn't bet; he makes investments. The quiet of Second Class Cruise was shattered with a loud bang, when overnight "Flossie" burst forth into fame, achieved his new nick-name, a private yell, and much notoriety. No reason has yet been found for this occurrence, but it might have been San Francisco. Quien sabe?

Doc is an athlete, too, but of the radiator variety. Those of us who have been privileged to know Ed well will always remember him as a quiet and unassuming friend, a true shipmate, and an always dependable member of the gold-brick squad.

Crew 3, 2; 150 lb. Gymkhana 4. Sub-Squad 4, 3, 2. 1 P.O.

Loss

Edwin was lost when USS Ingraham (DD 444) was sunk on August 22, 1942 by a collision with an oil tanker while on convoy duty off the coast of Nova Scotia. Ingraham sank almost immediately, and depth charges on her stern detonated as she went down. Only eleven men survived.

He was the only Lieutenant Commander aboard; he was likely the ship's executive officer.

Edwin wife was listed as next of kin. He has a memory marker in Kentucky.

Note

Despite multiple sites that list him as a Commander, believe Memorial Hall is correct with Lieutenant Commander. Both the Register of Commissioned and Warrant Officers of the United States Navy and Marine Corps of 1943 and Register of Commissioned and Warrant Officers of the United States Navy and Marine Corps of 1944 — which gives his date of death — list him as LCDR.

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.

July 1929

Ensign, USS Texas

Others at this command: LT Irving Wiltsie '21, ENS Joseph Flynn '27, ENS William Pye, Jr. '28, and ENS John Collett '29.

Others at or embarked at this command: ENS Warren Graf '27 (United States Fleet).

October 1929

Ensign, USS Texas

Others at this command: LT Paul Thompson '19, LT Irving Wiltsie '21, ENS Joseph Flynn '27, and ENS John Collett '29.

Others at or embarked at this command: ENS Warren Graf '27 (United States Fleet).

January 1930

Ensign, USS Texas

Others at this command: LT Paul Thompson '19, LT Irving Wiltsie '21, ENS Joseph Flynn '27, and ENS John Collett '29.

Others at or embarked at this command: ENS Warren Graf '27 (United States Fleet).

April 1930

Ensign, USS Pensacola

Others at this command: 1LT Stuart King '20 and LTjg Lawrence McPeake '24.

October 1930

Ensign, USS Claxton

Others at this command: LTjg Douglas Fox '26.

January 1931

Ensign, USS Claxton

Others at this command: LTjg Douglas Fox '26.

April 1931

Ensign, under instruction, Naval Torpedo Station, Newport, Rhode Island

Others at this command: LTjg August Lentz, Jr. '26, LTjg Eugene Sarsfield '26, and ENS Lance Massey '30.

July 1931

Ensign, USS Pensacola

Others at this command: 1LT Stuart King '20 and ENS Albert Gray '31.

October 1931

Ensign, USS Pensacola

Others at this command: 1LT Stuart King '20 and ENS Albert Gray '31.

January 1932

Ensign, USS Pensacola

April 1932

Ensign, USS Pensacola

October 1932

Lieutenant (j.g.), USS Pensacola

Others at this command: ENS Albert Gray '31.

January 1933

Lieutenant (j.g.), USS Pensacola

Others at this command: ENS Albert Gray '31.

April 1933

Lieutenant (j.g.), USS Pensacola

Others at this command: ENS Albert Gray '31.

July 1933

Lieutenant (j.g.), USS Gilmer

Others at this command: ENS Henry Wygant, Jr. '30.

October 1933

Lieutenant (j.g.), USS Gilmer

Others at this command: LTjg Henry Wygant, Jr. '30.

April 1934

Lieutenant (j.g.), USS Gilmer

Others at this command: LTjg Henry Wygant, Jr. '30.

July 1934

Lieutenant (j.g.), USS Gilmer

Others at this command: LTjg Henry Wygant, Jr. '30.

October 1934

Lieutenant (j.g.), under instruction, Finance and Supply School, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

January 1935

Lieutenant (j.g.), under instruction, Finance and Supply School, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

April 1935

Lieutenant (j.g.), under instruction, Finance and Supply School, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

October 1935

Lieutenant (j.g.), Naval Clothing Depot, Brooklyn, New York

January 1936

Lieutenant (j.g.), Naval Clothing Depot, Brooklyn, New York

April 1936

Lieutenant (j.g.), Naval Clothing Depot, Brooklyn, New York

July 1936

Lieutenant (j.g.), USS Wyoming

Others at this command: CAPT Edward Trumble '25.

January 1937

Lieutenant (j.g.), USS Wyoming

Others at this command: CAPT Edward Trumble '25 and ENS Edward Worthington '34.

April 1937

Lieutenant (j.g.), USS Mindanao

September 1937

Lieutenant (j.g.), USS Guam

January 1938

Lieutenant, USS Guam

July 1938

Lieutenant, USS Canopus

January 1939

Lieutenant, USS Canopus

October 1939

Lieutenant, Naval Academy

Others at this command: CAPT James Logan '10, LCDR Raymond Hansen '22, LT Hilan Ebert '26, LT Lion Miles '31, LT Seymour Owens '31, LT Thomas Ashworth, Jr. '31, LTjg Albert Gates, Jr. '32, LTjg Arthur Vorpahl '32, LTjg Edgar Chase '32, LTjg Edwin Hurst '32, LTjg Ernest Hodge '32, LTjg James Marshall '32, LTjg John Fairbanks, Jr. '32, LTjg John Tennent, III '32, LTjg John Speer '32, LTjg Reader Scott '32, and LTjg George Fuller '35.

Others at or embarked at this command: LT James Willis '27 (Postgraduate School, Naval Academy).

June 1940

Lieutenant, Naval Academy

Others at this command: CAPT James Logan '10, LCDR John French '22, LTjg Albert Gates, Jr. '32, LTjg Arthur Vorpahl '32, LTjg Charles Brindupke '32, LTjg James Marshall '32, LTjg John Fairbanks, Jr. '32, LTjg John Tennent, III '32, LTjg John Speer '32, LT Milton Pavlic '32, LTjg Nathaniel Dial '32, LTjg Reader Scott '32, LT Thomas Williamson '32, LTjg Francis Brown '33, LTjg Frederick Purdy '33, LTjg Joseph Bourland '33, and LTjg George Fuller '35.

Others at or embarked at this command: LT James Willis '27 (Postgraduate School, Naval Academy) and 2LT Alfred Gordon '39 (USS Reina Mercedes, Naval Academy).

November 1940

Lieutenant, Naval Academy

Others at this command: CAPT James Logan '10, LCDR John French '22, LT Arthur Vorpahl '32, LT John Fairbanks, Jr. '32, LT John Tennent, III '32, LT Milton Pavlic '32, LT Nathaniel Dial '32, LT Reader Scott '32, LTjg George Fuller '35, and LTjg George Lambert '35.

Others at or embarked at this command: LT James Willis '27 (Postgraduate School, Naval Academy) and 2LT Alfred Gordon '39 (USS Reina Mercedes, Naval Academy).

April 1941

Lieutenant, Naval Academy

Others at this command: CAPT James Logan '10, LCDR John French '22, LT Arthur Vorpahl '32, LT John Fairbanks, Jr. '32, LT John Tennent, III '32, LT Milton Pavlic '32, LT Nathaniel Dial '32, LT Reader Scott '32, and LTjg George Fuller '35.

Others at or embarked at this command: LT James Willis '27 (Postgraduate School, Naval Academy).

Class of 1929

Edwin is one of 29 members of the Class of 1929 on Virtual Memorial Hall.