Franklin Van Valkenburgh was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on 5 April 1888. Appointed a Midshipman in 1905, he graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in June 1909. His initial service was in battleships, punctuated by a tour with the Asiatic Squadron in 1911-14. He received postgraduate education in the field of steam engineering and was Engineering Officer of the battleship Rhode Island during the First World War. Van Valkenburgh was twice an instructor at the Naval Academy during the late 'Teens and in the 'Twenties, and also served in the battleships Minnesota and Maryland during that time. Following promotion to the rank of Commander, he was assigned to the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, in Washington, D.C., during 1928-31
In the early 1930s, Commander Van Valkenburgh commanded the destroyer Talbot and Destroyer Squadron Five. He was a student at the Naval War College and inspector of naval materiel at the New York Navy Yard before again serving at sea as Commanding Officer of the destroyer tender Melville in 1936-38. Captain Van Valkenburg then spent a tour ashore with the Third Naval District and, in February 1941 became Commanding Officer of the battleship Arizona. He was killed in action when his ship exploded and sank during the 7 December 1941 Japanese Attack on Pearl Harbor. For his "conspicuous devotion to duty and extraordinary courage" at that time, he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.
The destroyer USS Van Valkenburgh (DD-656), 1944-1967, was named in honor of Captain Van Valkenburgh.
This page features our only view of Captain Franklin Van Valkenburgh, USN.
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Medal of Honor citation of Captain Franklin Van Valkenburgh (as printed in the official publication "Medal of Honor, 1861-1949, The Navy", page 272): |
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Page made 31 December 2000