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.

SAMUEL H. ARTHUR, LCDR, USN

From USNA Virtual Memorial Hall
Samuel Arthur '20

Date of birth: August 11, 1896

Date of death: August 20, 1936

Age: 40

Lucky Bag

From the 1920 Lucky Bag:

1920 Arthur LB.jpg

Samuel Hyer Arthur

Lecoma, Missouri

"Annie"

BUST away there! Make some gangway! here is "Annie," the boy wonder all the way from Rolla.

Of course you have heard of Rolla because it is the first thing the "Old Woman" tells you about. And the big hulk taught school out there, too. Missouri was too small for him so he joined Uncle Sam's outfit as something a little better than a Mess Moke.

By the way, that's the Uncle he was named for

Does he drag? Well rather! I mean once. It is impossible to make an apt description for we studied refractory material only a few months. Besides that, he had the crust to say he didn't know who was sending him unmarked boxes of candy. Well—"A hae me doots."

In the lighter sports like football and crew "Annie" is there. When he didn't get his "N" after the Henley Youngster year he said: (deleted by censor). But anyway, he always said the Duke was all right. More than that, Youngster year he was playing football until injuries put him out of the game for the rest of the season.

"Annie" has been a good wife, swore moderately and smoked little.

The "Old Woman" has a heart almost as large as himself and nary an enemy.

He's just the kind he appears to be when he gives you his big broad smile and those "baby blue" eyes.

"Shake yuh to see who gets a letter."

"I'd like to be home on leave today."

"Where's m' mail?"

Honors: Buzzard; Football Squad, 4, 3, 1; Football N.


The Class of 1920 was graduated in June 1919 due to World War I. The entirety of 2nd class (junior) year was removed from the curriculum.

1920 Arthur LB.jpg

Samuel Hyer Arthur

Lecoma, Missouri

"Annie"

BUST away there! Make some gangway! here is "Annie," the boy wonder all the way from Rolla.

Of course you have heard of Rolla because it is the first thing the "Old Woman" tells you about. And the big hulk taught school out there, too. Missouri was too small for him so he joined Uncle Sam's outfit as something a little better than a Mess Moke.

By the way, that's the Uncle he was named for

Does he drag? Well rather! I mean once. It is impossible to make an apt description for we studied refractory material only a few months. Besides that, he had the crust to say he didn't know who was sending him unmarked boxes of candy. Well—"A hae me doots."

In the lighter sports like football and crew "Annie" is there. When he didn't get his "N" after the Henley Youngster year he said: (deleted by censor). But anyway, he always said the Duke was all right. More than that, Youngster year he was playing football until injuries put him out of the game for the rest of the season.

"Annie" has been a good wife, swore moderately and smoked little.

The "Old Woman" has a heart almost as large as himself and nary an enemy.

He's just the kind he appears to be when he gives you his big broad smile and those "baby blue" eyes.

"Shake yuh to see who gets a letter."

"I'd like to be home on leave today."

"Where's m' mail?"

Honors: Buzzard; Football Squad, 4, 3, 1; Football N.


The Class of 1920 was graduated in June 1919 due to World War I. The entirety of 2nd class (junior) year was removed from the curriculum.

Loss

Samuel "was killed in an experimental flight at Naval Air Station, Norfolk, Virginia, on 20 August 1936." (Quoted from now-broken link.)

Other Information

From researcher Kathy Franz:

Samuel had been flying the plane for about an hour when, according to an eye witness, it suddenly began to sideslip and then plunged into the water. Robert Witbeck, a representative of the Chance-Vought Aircraft Corporation, was also killed in the crash.

On May, 5, 1923, in Los Angeles, California, Samuel married Helen Sheehan. They had 3 children: son Dennis and daughters Marion “Patsy” and Carolyn. In February, 1936, Patsy had just entered the St. Mary’s Academy in Alexandria. Helen remarried Mr. Fahrney. She died in 1989.

Per the Rolla Herald, August 27, 1936: In 1873 William Waller Rucker's son William J. was born in Salisbury, Missouri. Later, the family moved to Keytesville. William Waller became the U.S. Representative from Missouri from 1899 to 1923. He died on May 30, 1936. On August 21, 1936, William J. wrote from Charlottesville, Virginia: Please convey to the people of Phelps County my feeling of deepest sorrow at the tragic death of its gallant representative in the navy, Lieutenant Commander Samuel H. Arthur. He was a naval officer and a gentleman of the highest type of whom Phelps County will look back upon with feelings of solemn pride.

Samuel’s father was a physician; his mother was Josie. His brother Corrie L. Arthur married Mattie Bradford in 1908. His two sisters were Pearl (Mrs. Walter Bradford) and Blanche (Mrs. H. K. Bradford) of Lancaster, California.

He was survived by his wife, Helen. He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

Commendation

Arthur was one of three officers awarded a commendation for involvement in development and testing of the tailhook and arresting gear aboard aircraft carriers.

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.

January 1921
Ensign, USS New Mexico

January 1922
Ensign, USS New Mexico

May 1923
Lieutenant (j.g.), USS New Mexico

Others at this command:

Others at or embarked at this command:
LCDR James Logan '10 (Battleship Division 5)
July 1923
Lieutenant (j.g.), USS New Mexico

September 1923
Lieutenant (j.g.), USS New Mexico

November 1923
Lieutenant (j.g.), USS New Mexico

May 1924
Lieutenant (j.g.), under instruction, Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida

July 1924
Lieutenant (j.g.), under instruction, Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida

November 1924
Lieutenant (j.g.), for assignment, Aircraft Squadrons, Battle Fleet, USS Aroostook

January 1925
Lieutenant (j.g.), for assignment, Aircraft Squadrons, Battle Fleet, USS Aroostook

March 1925
Lieutenant (j.g.), Observation Plane Squadron 2

May 1925
Lieutenant (j.g.), Observation Plane Squadron 2

July 1925
Lieutenant (j.g.), Observation Plane Squadron 2

October 1925
Lieutenant, Fighting Plane Squadron 2

Others at this command:
January 1926
Lieutenant, Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 2, USS Langley

Others at this command:

Others at or embarked at USS Langley:
LTjg James Carney '21 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 1)
LTjg John Jones '21 (Aircraft Squadrons, Battle Fleet)
October 1926
Lieutenant, Naval Air Station, Naval Operating Base Hampton Roads, Virginia
January 1927
Lieutenant, Naval Air Station, Naval Operating Base Hampton Roads, Virginia
April 1927
Lieutenant, Naval Air Station, Naval Operating Base Hampton Roads, Virginia
October 1927
Lieutenant, Naval Air Station, Naval Operating Base Hampton Roads, Virginia
January 1928
Lieutenant, Naval Air Station, Naval Operating Base Hampton Roads, Virginia
April 1928
Lieutenant, Naval Air Station, Naval Operating Base Hampton Roads, Virginia
July 1928
Lieutenant, Naval Air Station, Naval Operating Base Hampton Roads, Virginia
October 1928
Lieutenant, Naval Air Station, Naval Operating Base Hampton Roads, Virginia
January 1929
Lieutenant, Naval Air Station, Naval Operating Base Hampton Roads, Virginia

Others at this command:
April 1929
Lieutenant, Naval Air Station, Naval Operating Base Hampton Roads, Virginia

Others at this command:
July 1929
Lieutenant, USS Langley
October 1929
Lieutenant, USS Langley

Others at or embarked at this command:
LT Edwin Conway '20 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 1B)
LTjg Carlton Hutchins '26 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 2B)
January 1930
Lieutenant, USS Langley

Others at or embarked at this command:
LT Edwin Conway '20 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 1B)
LTjg Carlton Hutchins '26 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 2B)
April 1930
Lieutenant, USS Langley

Others at or embarked at this command:
LT Edwin Conway '20 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 1B)
October 1930
Lieutenant, USS Langley

Others at this command:

Others at or embarked at this command:
LT Edwin Conway '20 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 1B)
LT James Carney '21 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 2B)
January 1931
Lieutenant, USS Langley

Others at this command:

Others at or embarked at this command:
LT Edwin Conway '20 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 1B)
LT James Carney '21 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 2B)
April 1931
Lieutenant, USS Langley

Others at or embarked at this command:
LT Edwin Conway '20 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 1S)
October 1932
Lieutenant, under instruction, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts

January 1933
Lieutenant, under instruction, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts

April 1933
Lieutenant, under instruction, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts

July 1933
Lieutenant, Naval Air Station, Naval Operating Base Hampton Roads, Virginia

October 1933
Lieutenant, Naval Air Station, Naval Operating Base Hampton Roads, Virginia

April 1934
Lieutenant, Naval Air Station, Naval Operating Base Hampton Roads, Virginia

July 1934
Lieutenant, USS Ranger


Others at or embarked at this command:
LT LaRue Lawbaugh '20 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 3B)
LTjg William Pennewill '29 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 3B)
LTjg Bruce Van Voorhis '29 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 5B)
LTjg Robert Haven '30 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 5B)
LTjg John Burgess '30 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 5B)
October 1934
Lieutenant, USS Ranger


Others at or embarked at this command:
LTjg William Pennewill '29 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 3B)
LTjg Clair Miller '29 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 3B)
LTjg Robert Haven '30 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 5B)
LTjg John Burgess '30 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 3B)
LTjg Alden Irons '31 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 3B)
January 1935
Lieutenant, USS Ranger


Others at or embarked at this command:
LT Hallsted Hopping '24 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 1B)
LTjg Oscar Pate, Jr. '27 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 1B)
LTjg William Pennewill '29 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 3B)
LTjg Clair Miller '29 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 3B)
LTjg Robert Haven '30 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 5B)
LTjg John Burgess '30 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 3B)
LTjg Gilbert Carpenter '30 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 1B)
LTjg Lorenz Forbes '31 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 3B)
LTjg William Freshour '31 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 5B)
LTjg Alden Irons '31 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 3B)
April 1935
Lieutenant, USS Ranger


Others at or embarked at this command:
LT Hallsted Hopping '24 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 1B)
LTjg William Pennewill '29 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 3B)
LTjg Clair Miller '29 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 3B)
LTjg Gilbert Carpenter '30 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 1B)
LTjg Lorenz Forbes '31 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 3B)
LTjg William Freshour '31 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 5B)
LTjg Alden Irons '31 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 3B)
October 1935
Lieutenant, Naval Air Station, Naval Operating Base Hampton Roads, Virginia
January 1936
Lieutenant Commander, Naval Air Station, Naval Operating Base Hampton Roads, Virginia
April 1936
Lieutenant Commander, Naval Air Station, Naval Operating Base Hampton Roads, Virginia

Namesake

Arthur Road, aboard NAS Patuxent River, Maryland, is named for him.


Class of 1920

Samuel is one of 27 members of the Class of 1920 on Virtual Memorial Hall.

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