WALTER C. DEY, LT, USN
Walter Dey '24
Lucky Bag
From the 1924 Lucky Bag:
Loss
Walter was lost when the seaplane he was aboard crashed into San Diego Bay on August 23, 1937.
He earned his wings as naval aviator #3624 on March 20, 1930.
From researcher Kathy Franz:
His wife was Caroline, and his sons were Walter Jr and James. Son Walter was born in California in 1927, and James in Washington, D.C., in 1929. In 1930 the family lived in Palmetto Beach, Florida; in 1935, San Diego, and in 1940, his widow and children lived near other naval officers in Coronado, California.
Related Articles
William Freshour '31 and Ford Wallace '31 were also lost in this crash.
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 1924
Ensign, USS Mississippi
Others at this command:
September 1924
Ensign, USS Mississippi
Others at this command:
November 1924
Ensign, USS Mississippi
Others at this command:
January 1925
Ensign, USS Mississippi
Others at this command:
March 1925
Ensign, USS Mississippi
Others at this command:
May 1925
Ensign, USS McCawley
July 1925
Ensign, USS McCawley
October 1925
Ensign, USS McCawley
January 1926
Ensign, USS McCawley
October 1926
Ensign, USS Nokomis
January 1927
Ensign, USS Nokomis
April 1927
Ensign, USS Nokomis
October 1928
Lieutenant (j.g.), Navy Department, Washington, D.C.
Others at this command:
January 1929
Lieutenant (j.g.), Navy Department, Washington, D.C.
Others at this command:
April 1929
Lieutenant (j.g.), Navy Department, Washington, D.C.
Others at this command:
July 1929
Lieutenant (j.g.), under instruction, Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida
Others at this command:
LT LaRue Lawbaugh '20
LT James Carney '21
LT John Jones '21
LTjg William Davis '22
LT James Craig '22
LTjg Matthias Marple, Jr. '23
LTjg Walter Leach, Jr. '24
LTjg Hubert Waters '25
ENS Henry G'Sell '26
October 1929
Lieutenant (j.g.), under instruction, Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida
Others at this command:
LT John Jones '21
LTjg William Davis '22
LT James Craig '22
LTjg Matthias Marple, Jr. '23
LTjg Hubert Hayter '24
LTjg John Waldron '24
LTjg Hubert Waters '25
ENS Henry G'Sell '26
LTjg Claude Haman '26
January 1930
Lieutenant (j.g.), under instruction, Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida
Others at this command:
LT John Jones '21
LTjg William Davis '22
LT James Craig '22
LTjg Matthias Marple, Jr. '23
LTjg Ted Marshall '24
LTjg John Waldron '24
LTjg Andrew Harris '25
April 1930
Lieutenant (j.g.), under instruction, Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida
Others at this command:
LT James Carney '21
LT John Jones '21
LTjg William Davis '22
LT James Craig '22
LTjg Matthias Marple, Jr. '23
LTjg Ted Marshall '24
LTjg James McDonough '24
LTjg John Waldron '24
LTjg Andrew Harris '25
October 1930
Lieutenant (j.g.), Observation Plane Squadron (VO) 5B, USS Colorado
Others at or embarked at USS Colorado:
January 1931
Lieutenant (j.g.), Observation Plane Squadron (VO) 5B, USS Colorado
Others at or embarked at USS Colorado:
April 1931
Lieutenant (j.g.), Observation Plane Squadron (VO) 5B, USS Colorado
Others at or embarked at USS Colorado:
July 1931
Lieutenant (j.g.), Observation Plane Squadron (VO) 4B, USS Colorado
Others at or embarked at USS Colorado:
LTjg Andrew Harris '25 (USS Colorado)
ENS Benjamin Ghetzler '31 (USS Colorado)
ENS Ernest Evans '31 (USS Colorado)
ENS John Hollingsworth '31 (USS Colorado)
October 1931
Lieutenant (j.g.), Observation Plane Squadron (VO) 4B, USS Colorado
Others at or embarked at USS Colorado:
LTjg Andrew Harris '25 (USS Colorado)
ENS Benjamin Ghetzler '31 (USS Colorado)
ENS Ernest Evans '31 (USS Colorado)
ENS John Hollingsworth '31 (USS Colorado)
January 1932
Lieutenant (j.g.), Observation Plane Squadron (VO) 4B, USS Colorado
Others at or embarked at USS Colorado:
ENS Benjamin Ghetzler '31 (USS Colorado)
ENS John Huntley '31 (USS Colorado)
April 1932
Lieutenant (j.g.), Observation Plane Squadron (VO) 4B, USS Colorado
Others at or embarked at USS Colorado:
October 1932
Lieutenant (j.g.), Naval Air Station San Diego, California
Others at this command:
Others at or embarked at this command:
January 1933
Lieutenant (j.g.), Naval Air Station San Diego, California
Others at this command:
Others at or embarked at this command:
April 1933
Lieutenant (j.g.), Naval Air Station San Diego, California
Others at this command:
Others at or embarked at this command:
July 1933
Lieutenant (j.g.), Naval Air Station San Diego, California
Others at this command:
Others at or embarked at this command:
October 1933
Lieutenant (j.g.), Naval Air Station San Diego, California
Others at this command:
Others at or embarked at this command:
April 1934
Lieutenant (j.g.), Naval Air Station San Diego, California
Others at this command:
Others at or embarked at this command:
July 1934
Lieutenant (j.g.), Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5B, USS Lexington
Others at this command:
Others at or embarked at USS Lexington:
LT James Carney '21 (USS Lexington)
LTjg Edwin Kelly '30 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 1B)
LTjg Victor Gaulin '30 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 3B)
ENS Daniel Gothie '32 (USS Lexington)
ENS Edward Worthington '34 (USS Lexington)
October 1934
Lieutenant (j.g.), Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5B, USS Lexington
Others at this command:
Others at or embarked at USS Lexington:
LT James Carney '21 (USS Lexington)
LTjg Edwin Kelly '30 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 1B)
LTjg Victor Gaulin '30 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 3B)
LTjg Baylies Clark '30 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 1B)
ENS Philip Ashworth '31 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 3B)
ENS Daniel Gothie '32 (USS Lexington)
ENS Edward Worthington '34 (USS Lexington)
January 1935
Lieutenant (j.g.), Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5B, USS Lexington
Others at this command:
Others at or embarked at USS Lexington:
LT James Carney '21 (USS Lexington)
LTjg Edwin Kelly '30 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 1B)
LTjg Victor Gaulin '30 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 3B)
LTjg Baylies Clark '30 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 1B)
ENS Philip Ashworth '31 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 3B)
ENS Daniel Gothie '32 (USS Lexington)
ENS Edward Worthington '34 (USS Lexington)
April 1935
Lieutenant (j.g.), Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5B, USS Lexington
Others at this command:
Others at or embarked at USS Lexington:
LT James Carney '21 (USS Lexington)
LTjg Victor Gaulin '30 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 3B)
LTjg Baylies Clark '30 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 1B)
LTjg Philip Ashworth '31 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 3B)
ENS Daniel Gothie '32 (USS Lexington)
ENS Edward Worthington '34 (USS Lexington)
October 1935
Lieutenant (j.g.), Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5B, USS Lexington
Others at this command:
Others at or embarked at USS Lexington:
LT James Carney '21 (USS Lexington)
LTjg Baylies Clark '30 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 1B)
LTjg Philip Ashworth '31 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 3B)
ENS John Eichmann '35 (USS Lexington)
ENS Richard McGowan '35 (USS Lexington)
January 1936
Lieutenant, Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5B, USS Ranger
Others at this command:
Others at or embarked at USS Ranger:
LT Hallsted Hopping '24 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 1B)
LTjg Ralph Smith '26 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 1B)
LTjg Seymour Johnson '27 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 3B)
LTjg James McRoberts '27 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 3B)
LTjg Baylies Clark '30 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 1B)
LTjg Lorenz Forbes '31 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 3B)
LTjg Alden Irons '31 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 3B)
LTjg William Sisko '31 (USS Ranger)
LTjg Alfred Tucker, III '31 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 1B)
ENS Earle Schneider '33 (USS Ranger)
ENS Milton Ricketts '35 (USS Ranger)
April 1936
Lieutenant, Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5B, USS Ranger
Others at this command:
Others at or embarked at USS Ranger:
LT Hallsted Hopping '24 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 1B)
LTjg Ralph Smith '26 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 1B)
LTjg Seymour Johnson '27 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 3B)
LTjg James McRoberts '27 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 3B)
LTjg Baylies Clark '30 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 1B)
LTjg William Freshour '31 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 5B)
LTjg Alden Irons '31 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 3B)
LTjg Alfred Tucker, III '31 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 1B)
ENS Earle Schneider '33 (USS Ranger)
ENS Milton Ricketts '35 (USS Ranger)
July 1936
Lieutenant, USS Langley
Others at or embarked at this command:
LTjg Robert Symes '27 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 1B)
LTjg J. C. Riggs, Jr. '28 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 1B)
LTjg William Thorn '32 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 1B)
January 1937
Lieutenant, Patrol Plane Squadron (VP) 11F
Others at this command:
April 1937
Lieutenant, Patrol Plane Squadron (VP) 11F
Others at this command:
Class of 1924
Walter is one of 42 members of the Class of 1924 on Virtual Memorial Hall.
