COMMISSIONING OF USS RICHARD M. MCCOOL JR. (LPD 29)

In Pensacola, Florida on September 7, 2024, the first ship named after Congressional Medal of Honor recipient Richard M. McCool Jr. was commissioned into the Fleet. The choice of Pensacola as a site for the event was met by rave reviews from crew, and attendees as all present marveled at the hospitality of the host city led by the Commissioning committee and the Chamber of Commerce. Despite brief showers at the commencement of the ceremony, it was a delight to see this massive amphibious ship welcome its first crew of sailors and marines.

The namesake and the crew were honored by the presence of the Secretary of the Navy, Carlos Del Toro, the Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Lisa M. Franchetti, the Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps, General Christopher J. Mahoney, and Congressman Matt Gaetz. Ship Co-Sponsor and granddaughter of the namesake Shana E. McCool gave the command to bring her ship to life.

Richard Miles McCool Jr. was born in Tishomingo, Oklahoma in 1922 and graduated from the U.S. Navy Naval Academy as an Ensign in June 1944. He assumed command of a landing craft support ship LCS-122 and was promoted to Lieutenant in January of 1945. During the Battle of Okinawa, on June 10, 1945, he led his crew in rescuing 99 of the crew of the USS Porter (DD529) which was sunk by enemy bombers. The following day, the LCS was attacked by two enemy suicide planes. He directed fire, which shot down the first and damaged the second but the later managed to continue, crashing into the conning tower killing 12 sailors and injuring 28 including the CO, LT. McCool. Severely burned and injured, he was knocked unconscious. He woke to fire and turmoil but rallied to lead the crew in rescuing men trapped in the burning deckhouse, carrying one sailor to safety despite his own severe wounds.

President Truman awarded him the Congressional Medal of Honor on December 8, 1945. Following recovery from his wounds he rejoined the Fleet and served 28 more years in the Navy, achieving the rank of Captain in 1965. This despite being riddled with shrapnel from the attack and its painful sequelae for the rest of his life, Captain McCool always implored his sailors to “fight as a unit not as individuals” which is memorialized as the Ship’s motto, very apropos a ship which houses a Navy/Marine combined force. His family described him as a humble man who asked that he be remembered for the totality of his life, not just “two days in June 1945.” Captain McCool retired in 1974 to Bainbridge Island with his beloved wife Carole Elaine. He became involved in local politics and was also active with the Congressional Medal of Honor Society.

Admiral Lisa Franchetti, the 33rd Chief of Naval Operations, welcomed the ship to the fleet as the 13th ship of the San Antonio LPD Class. As the last of the flight one cohort, this ship is the most advanced of its class to date and is outfitted with new SPY6 radar technology placing it as a “workhorse in our amphibious fleet…., embarking, transporting and landing elements of our Navy Marine Corps team.” General Mahoney stated this ship enables projection of naval power “This ship you are looking at is at once a hotel, a restaurant, a gas station, a hospital, a marina, an airport, a sensor and a fortress… Her most important role is to deliver marines to the battlefield and get them back home again.” LPD 29 is at once massive and technologically sophisticated; able to carry 600 marines, their equipment, landing craft and aircraft.

The Keynote speaker was the Honorable Carlos Del Toro, the 78th Secretary of the Navy. He spoke of his new National Maritime Statecraft program as a national whole of government effort to restore the maritime capabilities of the United States. He took the occasion of this commissioning to announce a new agreement to acquire three additional San Antonio Class LPDs and an America Class Amphibious Assault Ship. Secretary Del Toro read from Captain McCool’s US Naval Academy Yearbook (The Lucky Bag) which recalled his big smile, participation in every intramural sport and his character as described by another midshipman: “if there is a finer man alive, I have never met him”.

Secretary Del Toro ordered Commanding Officer Captain Jeffrey D. Baker to place the USS Richard M. McCool in commission, followed by the traditional hoisting of the Commissioning pennant. Captain Baker then ordered the First Watch to stand, and the attendees were introduced to another American Hero, Commander (retired) Larry Friese who presented the Long Glass to the first watch. Commander Friese, who is Captain Baker’s uncle, flew as a Marine combat pilot until he was forced to eject over Vietnam on February 24, 1968. He evaded capture for four days but was then a POW, lasting 1842 days in captivity before his release. In 1974 he transferred his commission to the Navy where he served until his retirement in 1985. Captain Baker then introduced the ship’s Co-Sponsor, Ms. Shana E. McCool. Shana addressed the attendees to reflect upon her grandfather and ship’s namesake. “When I think of my grandfather and his courage under fire, the only way I could describe him is to simply say: Grandpa is a bad ass”. Shana lives in Bristow, Virginia with her husband Garth and their two children. Shana works as a civilian DOD employee for the US Army. She with her cousin, Kate Oja, proudly honor their grandfather’s legacy as co-sponsors of USS Richard M. McCool Jr. Following her brief remarks, she ordered Captain Baker to “man my ship and bring her to life”. Over two hundred Navy officers and sailors ran aboard on cue dressed in whites, along with 79 Marines in their khaki uniforms. Captain Baker pointed out that as they manned the rails sailors and marines, officers and enlisted men and women were interspersed throughout with no rank or uniform separating them. He noted they were committed to “fight as a unit not as individuals.” As he closed his remarks, Captain Baker assured his seniors on the podium that USS McCool was ready to join the fleet and complete its mission wherever and whenever asked.

The USS RICHARD M. MCCOOL JR (LPD 29) is duly commissioned and will honor its namesake, a true American hero, in its role to deliver future generations of American heroes to the battle. Perhaps one of those future heroes was in attendance on this great Navy Day as over 400 young sea cadets and a large contingent of JROTC from Arkansas were able to witness the moving traditions of a United States Navy warship commissioning.

Contributed by Ann Zumwalt

Author: Martha Hill

website admin & member