CHARLES E. TOLMAN, JR., LCDR, USN
Charles Tolman, Jr. '25
Lucky Bag
From the 1925 Lucky Bag:
Loss
From Find A Grave:
Commander Tolman became the commanding officer of USS De Haven (DD-469) upon her commissioning on 21 September 1942. The destroyer steamed to the South Pacific in November 1942 and supported operations in the Solomon Islands. On the afternoon of 1 February 1943, while escorting landing craft, De Haven was attacked by six Japanese dive bombers. Fighting off the attackers, the destroyer downed three enemy planes before a bomb struck her navigating bridge, stopped her, and killed Tolman. Two more hits and a near miss doomed De Haven, which sank within two minutes. Tolman was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross for his valiant leadership.
His wife was listed as next of kin.
Career
From navsource:
Charles E. "Spike" Tolman was born on 25 June 1903 in Concord, Mass. and entered the United States Naval Academy in the summer of 1921 and graduated on 4 June 1925. After serving in battleship Utah (BB-31), he was transferred to Warden (DD-288) in 1926. Tolman then completed training courses at the Naval Torpedo Station, Newport, R.I., and at the Submarine Base, New London, Conn. He served in submarines O-4 in 1928 and S-22 from 1929 to 1932 when he returned to the Naval Academy for two years. Tolman served in submarine S--46 in 1934 and commanded S-30 from April 1935 to May 1937. He was attached to the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations for 17 months before assuming command of Spearfish (SS-190) on 7 October 1939. In January 1941, Tolman joined the staff of Commander, Submarines, Atlantic Fleet.
From Hall of Valor:
The President of the United States of America takes pride in presenting the Navy Cross (Posthumously) to Commander Charles Edward Tolman (NSN: 0-59559), United States Navy, for extraordinary heroism and distinguished service in the line of his profession as Commanding Officer of the Destroyer U.S.S. DeHAVEN (DD-469), during operations in the Solomon Islands in January and February 1943. Commander Tolman operated his ship as group leader during the bombardment of enemy-held plantations on New Georgia Island and was directly responsible for demolition of important buildings and large fires and explosions in adjacent munitions dumps. On 1 February 1943, when eight Japanese dive bombers viciously attacked his ship and dropped a bomb on the navigating bridge, Commander Tolman courageously carried on until two internal explosions destroyed the DeHAVEN. His conduct throughout was in keeping with the highest traditions of the Navy of the United States. He gallantly gave his life for his country.
General Orders: Bureau of Naval Personnel Information Bulletin No. 320 (November 1943)
Namesake
USS Tolman (DM 28) was named for Charles; the ship was sponsored by his widow, Helen.
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 1925
Ensign, Navy Yard, Boston
October 1927
Ensign, under instruction, Naval Torpedo Station, Newport, Rhode Island
Others at this command:
January 1928
Ensign, under instruction, Submarine Base New London, Connecticut
Others at this command:
April 1928
Ensign, under instruction, Submarine Base New London, Connecticut
Others at this command:
July 1928
Ensign, USS O-4
October 1928
Lieutenant (j.g.), USS O-4
January 1929
Lieutenant (j.g.), USS O-4
April 1929
Lieutenant (j.g.), USS O-4
July 1929
Lieutenant (j.g.), USS O-4
Others at or embarked at this command:
October 1929
Lieutenant (j.g.), USS S-22
January 1930
Lieutenant (j.g.), USS S-22
April 1930
Lieutenant (j.g.), USS S-22
October 1930
Lieutenant (j.g.), USS S-22
January 1931
Lieutenant (j.g.), USS S-22
April 1931
Lieutenant (j.g.), USS S-22
July 1931
Lieutenant (j.g.), USS S-22
October 1931
Lieutenant (j.g.), USS S-22
January 1932
Lieutenant (j.g.), USS S-22
April 1932
Lieutenant (j.g.), under instruction, Naval Academy
Others at this command:
CDR Robert English '11
LCDR Lyman Swenson '16
LT Samuel Arthur '20
LT Robert Smith '20
LT Paul Slawson '20
LTjg William Hobby, Jr. '23
LT John Welch '23
October 1932
Lieutenant (j.g.), Naval Academy
Others at this command:
LCDR Charles Cecil '16
LT Robert Smith '20
LT Paul Register '21
LT Francis Bridget '21
LT George Brooke '21
LT William Hobby, Jr. '23
LTjg Neville McDowell '24
January 1933
Lieutenant (j.g.), Naval Academy
Others at this command:
LCDR Charles Cecil '16
LT Robert Smith '20
LT Paul Register '21
LT Francis Bridget '21
LT George Brooke '21
LT William Hobby, Jr. '23
LTjg Neville McDowell '24
April 1933
Lieutenant (j.g.), Naval Academy
Others at this command:
LCDR Charles Cecil '16
LT Robert Smith '20
LT Paul Register '21
LT Francis Bridget '21
LT George Brooke '21
LT William Hobby, Jr. '23
LTjg Neville McDowell '24
LTjg Hubert Hayter '24
July 1933
Lieutenant (j.g.), Naval Academy
Others at this command:
LCDR Lyman Swenson '16
LCDR Charles Cecil '16
LT Robert Smith '20
LT Paul Register '21
LT George Brooke '21
LT Howard Healy '22
1LT Charles Kail '23
LT Hallsted Hopping '24
LTjg Lawrence McPeake '24
LTjg James Smith, Jr. '25
October 1933
Lieutenant (j.g.), Naval Academy
Others at this command:
LCDR Lyman Swenson '16
LCDR Charles Cecil '16
LT Robert Smith '20
LT Paul Register '21
LT George Brooke '21
LT Howard Healy '22
1LT Charles Kail '23
LT Hallsted Hopping '24
LTjg Lawrence McPeake '24
LTjg William Graham, Jr. '25
April 1934
Lieutenant (j.g.), Naval Academy
Others at this command:
LCDR Lyman Swenson '16
LCDR Charles Cecil '16
LT Robert Smith '20
LT Paul Register '21
LT William Gray '21
LT George Brooke '21
LT Howard Healy '22
1LT Charles Kail '23
LT Hallsted Hopping '24
LT Lawrence McPeake '24
LTjg William Graham, Jr. '25
July 1934
Lieutenant (j.g.), USS S-46
October 1934
Lieutenant (j.g.), USS S-46
January 1935
Lieutenant (j.g.), USS S-46
April 1935
Lieutenant (j.g.), commanding officer, USS S-30
October 1935
Lieutenant, commanding officer, USS S-30
January 1936
Lieutenant, commanding officer, USS S-30
April 1936
Lieutenant, commanding officer, USS S-30
September 1937
Lieutenant, Navy Department, Washington, D.C.
Others at this command:
January 1938
Lieutenant, Navy Department, Washington, D.C.
Others at this command:
July 1938
Lieutenant, Navy Department, Washington, D.C.
Others at this command:
January 1939
Lieutenant, commanding officer, USS Spearfish
October 1939
Lieutenant, commanding officer, USS Spearfish
June 1940
Lieutenant Commander, commanding officer, USS Spearfish
November 1940
Lieutenant Commander, commanding officer, USS Spearfish
Others at this command:
April 1941
Lieutenant Commander, staff, Submarines, Atlantic Fleet, USS Vixen
Others at this command:
Others at or embarked at USS Vixen:
Class of 1925
Charles is one of 30 members of the Class of 1925 on Virtual Memorial Hall.
