Eugene Parks Wilkinson | |
|---|---|
 Vice Admiral Eugene Parks Wilkinson | |
| Nickname | Dennis |
| Born | (1918-08-10)August 10, 1918 |
| Died | July 11, 2013(2013-07-11) (aged 94) |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Branch | United States Navy |
| Service years | 1940–1974 |
| Rank | Vice Admiral |
| Commands | USS Volador USS Sea Robin USS Wahoo USS Nautilus USS Long Beach Submarine Force U.S. Atlantic Fleet |
| Conflicts | World War II Korean War |
| Awards | Distinguished Service Medal Silver Star Legion of Merit Joint Service Commendation Medal Navy Unit Commendation Order of the Sacred Treasure, 2nd Class (Japan) Navy Meritorious Civilian Service Award Golden Fleece Award Henry DeWolf Smyth Nuclear Statesman Award |
| Relations | Wife, Janice; Daughter, Marian Lynn; Sons, Dennis, Stephen, and Rodney |
| Other work | Institute of Nuclear Power Operations |
Eugene Parks "Dennis" Wilkinson (August 10, 1918 – July 11, 2013) was aUnited States Navy officer. He was selected for three historic command assignments. The first, in 1954, was as the first commanding officer ofUSS Nautilus, the world's first nuclear-powered submarine. The second was as the first commanding officer ofUSS Long Beach, America's first nuclear surface ship. The third was in 1980 when he was chosen as the first President and CEO of theInstitute of Nuclear Power Operations (INPO) from which he retired in 1984.
Wilkinson, born in August 1918 inLong Beach, California, the son of Dennis William and Daisy Parks Wilkinson. He attendedHoltville, California, High School andSan Diego State College. He graduated from the latter in 1938 with a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in chemistry. He taught chemistry there for a year. He also filled in and taught a course in mathematics. During this year he attended theUniversity of Southern California. The next year he had a teaching fellowship in chemistry at USC. During those two years he completed all of the course work for a doctorate, but never did a thesis or received any graduate degree. Commissioned as an ensign in theU.S. Naval Reserve on 12 December 1940, he was transferred to the regularU.S. Navy on 28 August 1946.
Wilkinson's commissioned service began in theheavy cruiserUSS Louisville, in which he had duty in the engineering department until December 1941.
Wilkinson was detached inSan Francisco, with orders to the Submarine School,New London, Connecticut, for instruction in submarines. After completing the course in March 1942, he served in the engineering department of the submarineUSS R-10 in April and May, after which he was ordered to the submarineUSS Blackfish. After the commissioning of that boat in July, he served on board for one year, making four war patrols. He had commissary, engineering, and electrical duties. During his time in the crew the submarine participated in the North African operation (Algeria-Morocco landings).
From June 1943 to October 1944 Wilkinson was in the crew of the submarineUSS Darter which participated in four war patrols, including the Truk attack and theBattle of Leyte Gulf. Wilkinson was awarded theSilver Star for his service aboardDarter. Officially detached fromDarter in November 1944, following her loss the previous month, he returned to the United States. From January to March 1945 he was an instructor at the Submarine School, New London, Connecticut. He next served as executive officer and navigator of the submarineUSS Menhaden from March to October 1945 and had similar duty on board the submarineUSS Raton.
Upon his transfer from the Naval Reserve to the U.S. Navy, he was ordered to the General Line School,Newport, Rhode Island, where he completed the assigned course in May 1947. From June 1947 until April 1948, Wilkinson was executive officer and navigator ofUSS Cusk.
Joining then-CaptainHyman G. Rickover atOak Ridge National Laboratory after passing one of the first of Rickover's many such interviews, the mathematically-gifted Wilkinson "ultimately developed the nuclear physics equations and formulas for the team...and for the final reactor design" of the prototype reactor forUSS Nautilus.[1]
From April 1948 to April 1950, he completed assignments at the Oak Ridge; theArgonne National Laboratory inChicago as an associate engineer, and at theU.S. Atomic Energy Commission in thePittsburgh, Pennsylvania, area, as chief of the operations branch and Bureau of Ships representative. In May 1950 he assumed command of the submarineUSS Volador in which he participated in action in the Korean area from 12 August to 2 November 1951. In February 1952 Wilkinson had temporary duty for one month as commanding officer of the submarineUSS Sea Robin due to an injury to the assigned CO. From January to May 1952 he fitted out the submarineUSS Wahoo and on her commissioning on 10 May of that year became her first commanding officer. He was detached fromWahoo in June 1953.
Wilkinson then carried out a series of temporary assignments by way of preparation for becoming prospective commanding officer of USSNautilus, the world's first nuclear-powered submarine. He took command of the ship upon her commissioning on 30 September 1954 and held that billet until relieved in June 1957. During his three-year tour aboardNautilus, he presided over pre-commissioning and post-commissioning trials of the submarine. These trials established the capabilities of the nuclear-powered submarine and were used in the development of early nuclear-powered submarine tactics.Nautilus successfully attacked surface ships without being detected and evaded most pursuers.
At 1100 on January 17, 1955, after getting underway, Commander Wilkinson signaled "Underway on Nuclear Power."[2] This historic message ushered in the nuclear age for the United States Navy, as well as the world. Wilkinson was the first commanding officer in a nuclear fleet that would eventually cover most of the aircraft carriers, several cruisers, and the entire submarine fleet for the United States Navy.
After spending the following academic year as a student at theNaval War College, Newport, Rhode Island, Wilkinson served as Commander Submarine Division 102, a subunit ofSubmarine Squadron 10 at New London, Connecticut, for a year and had brief temporary duty as commanding officer ofNautilus.
In September 1959 he became the initial commanding officer of the guided missile cruiserUSS Long Beach, the U.S. Navy's first nuclear-powered surface ship. After completion of that command and selection for promotion to rear admiral, he reported on 1 November 1963 as Director of the Submarine Warfare Division (OP-31), in the Office of theChief of Naval Operations, Navy Department, Washington, D.C. Upon assignment to that billet he was promoted to the rank of rear admiral, six years below zone and the first non–Naval Academy graduate selected admiral after World War II. While in this role, he oversaw the development of the Navy'sSubSafe program in response to the loss ofUSS Thresher in April 1963. He also initiated the Nuclear Propulsion Examining Board (NPEB) in the Atlantic and Pacific fleet, in which operational Navy line officers took over nuclear submarine inspection responsibilities from civilians atNaval Reactors, as well as the associated Operational Reactor Safeguards Examination (ORSE).[3]
On 23 November 1966, he assumed duties as Chief of Staff for the U.S. Forces in Japan. After earning theDistinguished Service Medal for his service in Japan, Admiral Wilkinson assumed command ofSubmarine Flotilla 2 on 6 June 1969. He was promoted to vice admiral upon becoming Commander of the Atlantic Fleet Submarine Force on 12 February 1970. He had additional duty as Submarine Operations Advisor for Polaris Operations, Atlantic Command and Supreme Allied Command Atlantic, Commander Submarines Allied Command, and Commander Submarine Force Western Atlantic. His final billet on active duty, from 1972 to 1974, was as Deputy Chief of Naval Operations (Submarine Warfare), OP-02, on the staff of the Chief of Naval Operations.
He retired with the rank ofVice Admiral, having commanded theSubmarine Force U.S. Atlantic Fleet (COMSUBLANT) from 1970 to 1972 as its first nuclear-trained officer, and served as Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Submarine Warfare from 1972 until his retirement in 1974.
He died on July 11, 2013.[4] A biography on his life was published in 2017 by theAmerican Nuclear Society.[5]
During his noteworthy naval career, Admiral Wilkinson earned:[6]
Navy Distinguished Service Medal with two gold stars (3 awards - 1969, 1972, 1974)
Silver Star (1944)
Legion of Merit (1953)
Joint Service Commendation Medal (1964)
Navy Unit Commendation (1944)
American Campaign Medal
World War II Victory Medal
China Service Medal
National Defense Service Medal with star
Korean Service Medal
United Nations Korea Medal
Philippine Liberation Medal_2Class_BAR.svg)
Order of the Sacred Treasure, Second Class (Japan) (1969)[7]
Submarine Combat Patrol insignia with three bronze service starAfter retiring from the Navy Admiral Wilkinson received the following awards:
Navy Meritorious Civilian Service AwardRemarks by VADM Eugene P. "Dennis" Wilkinson, USN (ret.)Archived 2011-06-13 at theWayback Machine First Commanding Officer of USS NAUTILUS (SSN 571) 50th Anniversary of NAUTILUS' First Underway on Nuclear Power Submarine Force Museum Monday, January 17, 2005
Wilkinson, Eugene P., Stillwell, Paul, (interviewer).The Reminiscences of Vice Admiral Eugen P. Wilkinson U.S. Navy (Retired). Annapolis:U.S. Naval Institute, 2006.OCLCOCLC 73501313
Stillwell, Paul, ed.Submarine Stories: Recollections from the Diesel Boats. 2007.
This article incorporatespublic domain material from the United States Navy
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