Miguel Nava '17
On February 7, 2024 Captain Miguel Nava, USMC '17 was killed in a helicopter crash. Please consider a donation to his family to honor his service, and the incredible sacrifice of his wife and five-month-old son.

ERNEST D. HODGE, LT, USN

From USNA Virtual Memorial Hall
Ernest Hodge '32

Date of birth: October 19, 1909

Date of death: March 1, 1942

Age: 32

Lucky Bag

From the 1932 Lucky Bag:

1932 Hodge LB.jpg

ERNEST DEBBES HODGE

Tuolumne, California

"Micky" "Tuolumne"

How "Tuolumne" ever managed to break away from Paradise, or California, which is next to it, is a wonder. But he did, and became resigned to live for four years away from his beloved state and made the best of Maryland. Much to his surprise it wasn't such a bad place after all.

An injury early in Plebe year put an end to his athletic hopes, forcing him to concentrate his physical efforts at company sports. Company rifle competition is his specialty.

Micky is not what one would call savvy, but by dint of hard and continuous study and an excellent start from Summerville Union High, back in Tuolumne, he has raised himself to a place among the ranking men of the class.

He is occasionally seen dragging, though he seldom goes to hops or informals. From the prominent place on his desk occupied by the picture of a beautiful girl with dreamy eyes and a wistful smile, we think he must be in love. And didn't we see a miniature on his desk some time during second class year? Congratulations, Micky!

Cross Country; 2 Stripes.

1932 Hodge LB.jpg

ERNEST DEBBES HODGE

Tuolumne, California

"Micky" "Tuolumne"

How "Tuolumne" ever managed to break away from Paradise, or California, which is next to it, is a wonder. But he did, and became resigned to live for four years away from his beloved state and made the best of Maryland. Much to his surprise it wasn't such a bad place after all.

An injury early in Plebe year put an end to his athletic hopes, forcing him to concentrate his physical efforts at company sports. Company rifle competition is his specialty.

Micky is not what one would call savvy, but by dint of hard and continuous study and an excellent start from Summerville Union High, back in Tuolumne, he has raised himself to a place among the ranking men of the class.

He is occasionally seen dragging, though he seldom goes to hops or informals. From the prominent place on his desk occupied by the picture of a beautiful girl with dreamy eyes and a wistful smile, we think he must be in love. And didn't we see a miniature on his desk some time during second class year? Congratulations, Micky!

Cross Country; 2 Stripes.

Loss

Ernest was lost when USS Houston (CA 30) was sunk on on March 1, 1942 during the Battle of Sunda Strait. He was the ship's communications officer.

Other Information

From researcher Kathy Franz:

Ernest graduated from Summerville High School. He was nominated to the Naval Academy by Congressman Harry L. Englebright.

After a visit to introduce Hannah Fields to his parents, Ernest and Hannah were married on November 26, 1932, in San Francisco.

His father Ernest H., owned a dairy farm, was a carpenter, and later became the county supervisor. His mother was Maud, sister Margaret, and brothers Frederic, Albert, Lawrence and Noel.

His wife was listed as next of kin. He has a memory marker in California. (Note the date of death given is incorrect.)

Photographs

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.

October 1932
Ensign, USS West Virginia


Others at or embarked at this command:
LTjg Theodore Marshall '24 (Observation Plane Squadron (VO) 4B)
January 1933
Ensign, USS West Virginia


Others at or embarked at this command:
LTjg Theodore Marshall '24 (Observation Plane Squadron (VO) 4B)
April 1933
Ensign, USS West Virginia


Others at or embarked at this command:
LTjg Theodore Marshall '24 (Observation Plane Squadron (VO) 4B)
ENS Willis Thomas '31 (Battleship Division 4)
July 1933
Ensign, USS West Virginia


Others at or embarked at this command:
ENS Willis Thomas '31 (Battleship Division 4)
October 1933
Ensign, USS West Virginia

April 1934
Ensign, USS West Virginia

July 1934
Ensign, USS West Virginia

October 1934
Ensign, Observation Plane Squadron (VO) 4B, USS West Virginia

Others at or embarked at USS West Virginia:
ENS Reynolds Smith '32 (Battleship Division 4)
ENS Ludwell Pickett, Jr. '33 (USS West Virginia)
ENS Thomas Oakley, Jr. '34 (USS West Virginia)
January 1935
Ensign, Observation Plane Squadron (VO) 4B, USS West Virginia

Others at or embarked at USS West Virginia:
ENS Reynolds Smith '32 (Battleship Division 4)
ENS Ludwell Pickett, Jr. '33 (USS West Virginia)
ENS Thomas Oakley, Jr. '34 (USS West Virginia)
April 1935
Ensign, Observation Plane Squadron (VO) 4B, USS West Virginia

Others at or embarked at USS West Virginia:
ENS Reynolds Smith '32 (Battleship Division 4)
ENS Ludwell Pickett, Jr. '33 (USS West Virginia)
ENS Thomas Oakley, Jr. '34 (USS West Virginia)
October 1935
Lieutenant (j.g.), Observation Plane Squadron (VO) 4B, USS West Virginia

Others at this command:

Others at or embarked at USS West Virginia:
ENS Thomas Oakley, Jr. '34 (USS West Virginia)
ENS John Powers '35 (USS West Virginia)
ENS Allan Edmands '35 (USS West Virginia)
January 1936
Lieutenant (j.g.), Observation Plane Squadron (VO) 4B, USS West Virginia

Others at this command:

Others at or embarked at USS West Virginia:
ENS Thomas Oakley, Jr. '34 (USS West Virginia)
ENS John Powers '35 (USS West Virginia)
ENS Allan Edmands '35 (USS West Virginia)
April 1936
Lieutenant (j.g.), Observation Plane Squadron (VO) 4B, USS West Virginia

Others at this command:

Others at or embarked at USS West Virginia:
ENS Thomas Oakley, Jr. '34 (USS West Virginia)
ENS John Powers '35 (USS West Virginia)
ENS Allan Edmands '35 (USS West Virginia)
July 1936
Lieutenant (j.g.), Observation Plane Squadron (VO) 4B, USS West Virginia


Others at or embarked at USS West Virginia:
LT William Haynsworth, Jr. '23 (USS West Virginia)
ENS John Powers '35 (USS West Virginia)
ENS Allan Edmands '35 (USS West Virginia)
ENS Frank Graham '36 (USS West Virginia)
January 1937
Lieutenant (j.g.), Observation Plane Squadron (VO) 4B, USS West Virginia


Others at or embarked at USS West Virginia:
LT William Haynsworth, Jr. '23 (USS West Virginia)
ENS John Powers '35 (USS West Virginia)
ENS Allan Edmands '35 (USS West Virginia)
ENS Frank Graham '36 (USS West Virginia)
April 1937
Lieutenant (j.g.), Observation Plane Squadron (VO) 4B, USS West Virginia


Others at or embarked at USS West Virginia:
LT William Haynsworth, Jr. '23 (USS West Virginia)
ENS Keats Montross '35 (Battleship Division 4)
ENS Allan Edmands '35 (USS West Virginia)
ENS Frank Graham '36 (USS West Virginia)
September 1937
Lieutenant (j.g.), USS Chandler
January 1938
Lieutenant (j.g.), USS Chandler
June 1940
Lieutenant, under instruction, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts

Others at this command:
November 1940
Lieutenant, under instruction, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts
April 1941
Lieutenant, under instruction, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts


Class of 1932

Ernest is one of 53 members of the Class of 1932 on Virtual Memorial Hall.

QR code

The "category" links below lead to lists of related Honorees; use them to explore further the service and sacrifice of alumni in Memorial Hall.