This past November 13, 2021, we celebrated the 130th anniversary of the birth of one of the most distinguished graduates in the United States Naval Academy’s long and illustrious history. Vice-Admiral Edward Orrick McDonnell was a member of the class of 1912. His classmates included men such as Richard Byrd and Charles P. Mason. I know this because his daughter Elizabeth (Betty) Barry was my mother. I was the only grandchild never to have met Eddie McDonnell. All of my knowledge came through spending many hours listening to the stories and tales my mother told me. This, combined with the hundreds of photos and articles have painted a picture of a man who has been called the greatest naval aviator in American history. This is just part of his story.
Eddie McDonnell was born on Friday November 13th, 1891, in Baltimore, Maryland. The youngest of five children, Eddie knew he was destined for Annapolis at a very young age.
Graduating in 1912 as one of the youngest men ever to be commissioned an Ensign, Eddie served on the USS New Jersey, Montana and Florida before being ordered aboard the USS Prairie. It was while serving on the Prairie that Eddie was awarded the Medal of Honor for his courage at Vera Cruz, Mexico in 1914.
Eddie then was selected for aviation training and went on to become the number 18th Naval Aviator in U.S. history. His accomplishments as an aviator were truly remarkable. After graduating from flight training at N.A.S Pensacola, he assumed duties there as an instructor. Soon after Eddie was named the first commander of the navy’s “Yale Unit” just prior to our entry into World War I. During the war he became the first man to fly a multi-engine bomber, (Caproni) over the Alps to N.A.S Pauillac, France, as a member of the Northern Bombing Group.
When WWI ended, Eddie was assigned to the USS Texas. While in route back to the states, Eddie helped to design an aircraft launching ramp atop turret #2 on the battleship. Then on March 10, 1919, with the USS Texas at anchor in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Lt. Commander Eddie McDonnell became the first man to take off from an American battleship.
Several months after Cuba, while serving at N.A.S. Huntington, New York, Eddie was given the unenviable task of determining the feasibility of aerial torpedo bombing. After his plane was nearly hit by bouncing torpedoes, Eddie made adjustments and successfully proved that aerial torpedo bombing would indeed be an effective strategy in attacking enemy ships. His methods were later copied and demonstrated with deadly effectiveness at Pearl Harbor in 1941.
In 1920, Eddie McDonnell entered the active reserves and joined the Wall Street investment banking firm of Grayson M-P Murphy, which was later purchased by the Boston firm of Hornblower and Weeks. Due to his extensive background in aviation, Eddie quickly became an expert in the rapidly growing field of civilian aircraft and travel. He was named to the board of directors of several major airlines and manufacturers. These included Boeing, Pan American and United Aircraft. This access to travel also allowed Eddie to indulge in his other great passions, hunting and fishing. His exploits with a rifle and rod were legendary and he shared these adventures with many other famous men of his time. Men like Ernest Hemingway, William Holden and John Houston were counted among his friends and acquaintances.
In the fall of 1936, he joined Juan Trippe aboard the airship Hindenburg on what was to be dubbed the “Millionaires Flight.” This was the final flight of the Zeppelin Hindenburg until it returned the next year and met its’ fiery end in Lakehurst, New Jersey.
This remarkable man was also included in many of the earliest survey flights to Europe, South America and Asia. He was asked to participate as both a board member and naval observer on the first flight to Oceania and was instrumental in the selection of locals for naval bases and air stations throughout the Pacific. Eddie and his wife Helen were on board the Pan American’s Clipper for the first trans-Atlantic and trans-Pacific commercial flights.
Just prior to World War II Eddie was promoted to Commander called back to active duty. He was assigned to the Bureau of Aeronautics in D.C. and later served as the Attaché for Air in London and in Beijing, China.
In the summer of 1941 Eddie was given command of the Naval Air Station at New York City. Just prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor, Eddie was promoted to Captain and then Rear Admiral the following year. About a year later Eddie’s only son Edward, Jr., was shot down and killed over North Africa while flying his P-40 in support of British and American forces. (Gold Star Family)
The death of his son forced Eddie to take stock and he redoubled his efforts to provide the best training possible for new naval aviators. He was assigned duties at both N.A.S Pensacola and the Naval Air Training Center, Corpus Christi, Texas. In early 1944, Eddie asked for and received a battle command. His first assignment was the USS Long Island, the earliest of the escort carriers. Later he was given command of the USS Nehenta Bay. Both ships were highly decorated escort carriers that participated at a number of engagements including the Battle of Okinawa and the surrender of the Japanese at Mutsu Bay in northern Japan.
After the war ended Eddie was relieved from active duty and went back to Hornblower & Weeks. There he continued his remarkable string of investment successes. These included reviving Hertz Rent-A-Car, investing in National Airlines and seizing the opportunity to help lead PepsiCo into its golden age.
It was a time when Eddie could focus on his family and other passions. Eddie’s wife took the death of their son Edward, Jr. very hard. In 1946 they received the Gold Star Citation from the American Legion. This unfortunately brought on a bout of deep depression for Eddie’s wife Helen. Even his promotion to Vice-Admiral, when he transferred to the reserve retired list in December, 1951, brought little joy to Helen. His solution was simple. He started to include her on his business trips. She joined him on his hunting and fishing excursions and found great comfort in being with her beloved husband. There are numerous pictures of my grandparents posing with other board members while disembarking. Eddie was always easy to spot. He was the one with a fly-rod or gun case in hand.
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Unfortunately, these happy years of togetherness didn’t last long. On January 6th 1960, Eddie was killed while flying from New York City to his winter home in Hobe Sound, Florida. But those details are for another story. This man who had survived so many close calls over the course of his naval career was buried in “Admiral’s Corner” of Arlington National Cemetery.
But Eddie’s legacy wasn’t complete. In the early spring of 1963, it was announced that a new type of Destroyer Escort was to be built at the Avondale Shipyards in Louisiana. It was to be named in honor of Eddie. The USS Edward McDonnell, DE-1043, was commissioned in February, 1965 and served proudly until 1988.
As I wrote earlier, I am the grandson of Edward O. McDonnell. I was born just weeks before his death and learned about this remarkable man from my mother Betty and the scores of photos and archives that my family kept. To find out more about Eddie McDonnell, please look for the soon to be published book, Admiral Eddie: The Story of America’s Greatest Naval Aviator.
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