"Only a seaman realizes to what great extent an entire ship reflects the personality of one individual, her Commanding Officer. To a Landsman this is not understandable and sometimes it is even difficult for us to comprehend, but it is so!"
"A ship at sea is a different world in herself and in consideration of the protracted and distant operations of the fleet units the Navy must place great power, responsibility, and trust in the hands of those leaders chosen for command."
"In each ship there is one man who, in the hour of emergency or peril at sea can turn to no other man. There is one who alone is ultimately responsible for the safe navigation, engineering performance, accurate gunfire and morale of his ship. He is the Commanding Officer. He is the ship!"
"This is the most difficult and demanding assignment in the Navy. There is not an instant during his tour as Commanding Officer that he can escape the grasp of command responsibility. His privileges in view of his obligations are almost ludicrously small: nevertheless Command is the spur which has given the Navy its great leaders."
"it is a duty which mast richly deserves the highest, time honored title of the seafaring world . . . CAPTAIN."
JOSEPH CONRADCommanding Officers of the USS Biddle
Name: Dates: Captain Maylon T. Scott, USN Jan 67 to Sep 68 Captain Alfred R. Olsen, USN (no photo) Sep 68 to May 70 Captain Louis J. Collister, USN (no photo)
May 70 to Jun 71 Captain William O. McDaniel, USN Jun 71 to Jul 72 Captain Edward W. Carter III, USN ** Jul 72 to Aug 74 Captain Francis L. Carelli, USN Aug 74 to Aug 76 Captain Albert L. Henry, USN Aug 76 to Aug 78 Aug 78 to Sep 80 Captain Hollis E. Robertson, USN Sep 80 to Sep 82 Captain Alvaro R. Gomez, USN* Sep 82 to Jun 84 Captain Joseph T. Hock, USN Jun 84 to Jun 86 Captain Benjamin E. Allen, Jr., USN Jun 86 to Oct 88 Captain Grant D. Fulkerson, USN Oct 88 to Sep 90 Captain Louis F. Harlow, Jr., USN Sep 90 to May 92 Captain Laurence J. Gionet, Jr., USN May 92 to Nov 93 * - Attained rank of Rear Admiral (Lower Half)
** - Attained rank of Rear Admiral (Upper Half)
Some of these bios were taken from the cruise books of the years when they commanded. Updates are welcome and should be sent to webmaster@ussbiddle.org.
