# Kenneth Whiting > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Kenneth_Whiting > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Kenneth_Whiting.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenneth_Whiting > Source revision: 1352212186 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|United States Navy officer}} {{about||the Canadian kayaker|Ken Whiting|the United States Navy ship|USS Kenneth Whiting (AV-14)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=February 2021}} {{Infobox military person |name=Kenneth Whiting |birth_date= {{birth date|1881|7|22}} |death_date= {{death date and age|1943|4|24|1881|7|22}} |birth_place=[Stockbridge, Massachusetts](/source/Stockbridge%2C_Massachusetts), US |death_place=[Bethesda, Maryland](/source/Bethesda%2C_Maryland), US |burial_place= sea off [Execution Rocks](/source/Execution_Rocks_Light) in [Long Island Sound](/source/Long_Island_Sound) |image=Kenneth Whiting aboard USS Saratoga CV-3.JPG |caption=[Commander](/source/Commander_(United_States)) Kenneth Whiting aboard the [aircraft carrier](/source/aircraft_carrier) {{USS|Saratoga|CV-3}} during his 1927–1929 tour as her [executive officer](/source/executive_officer). |nickname= |allegiance= United States of America |branch= [United States Navy](/source/United_States_Navy) |service_years=1905–1943 |rank=[Captain](/source/Captain_(United_States_O-6)) |commands=*{{USS|Shark|SS-8}} *{{USS|Porpoise|SS-7}} *{{USS|Tarpon|SS-14}} *{{USS|G-1|SS-20}} *[1st Naval Air Unit](/source/1st_Naval_Air_Unit) *[Naval Air Station 14](/source/Naval_Air_Station_14) *[Naval Air Station 15](/source/Naval_Air_Station_15) *[Naval Air Station Norfolk](/source/Naval_Air_Station_Norfolk) *{{USS|Langley|CV-1}} *{{USS|Saratoga|CV-3}} *Aircraft Squadrons, [Battle Fleet](/source/Battle_Fleet) *Fleet Air Base [Pearl Harbor](/source/Pearl_Harbor) *[Patrol Wing 2](/source/Patrol_Wing) *[Naval Air Station New York](/source/Naval_Air_Station_New_York) |unit= |battles= *[World War I](/source/World_War_I) **[Atlantic U-boat Campaign](/source/Atlantic_U-boat_Campaign_(World_War_I)) *[World War II](/source/World_War_II) |awards=*[Navy Cross](/source/Navy_Cross_(United_States)) *[Legion of Honor (Chevalier)](/source/Legion_of_Honour) (France){{Cite web |url=http://larchmonthistory.org/memorials/individual/Times/19430429WhitingAnnouncement.html |title=''Larchmont Times'' obituary of Kenneth Whiting, April 1943. |access-date=March 16, 2012 |archive-date=January 6, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090106125315/http://larchmonthistory.org/memorials/individual/Times/19430429WhitingAnnouncement.html |url-status=dead }} *[Victory Medal](/source/World_War_I_Victory_Medal_(United_States)){{Cite web |url=http://larchmonthistory.org/memorials/individual/Times/19430429WhitingAnnouncement.html |title=''Larchmont Times'' obituary of Kenneth Whiting, April 1943. |access-date=March 16, 2012 |archive-date=January 6, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090106125315/http://larchmonthistory.org/memorials/individual/Times/19430429WhitingAnnouncement.html |url-status=dead }} *[American Defense Service Medal](/source/American_Defense_Service_Medal){{Cite web |url=http://larchmonthistory.org/memorials/individual/Times/19430429WhitingAnnouncement.html |title=''Larchmont Times'' obituary of Kenneth Whiting, April 1943. |access-date=March 16, 2012 |archive-date=January 6, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090106125315/http://larchmonthistory.org/memorials/individual/Times/19430429WhitingAnnouncement.html |url-status=dead }} |other_work= }} '''Kenneth Whiting''' (July 22, 1881 – April 24, 1943) was a [United States Navy](/source/United_States_Navy) [officer](/source/Commissioned_officer) who was a pioneer in [submarine](/source/submarine)s and is best known for his lengthy career as a pioneering naval aviator. During [World War I](/source/World_War_I), he commanded the first American military force to arrive in [Europe](/source/Europe) for combat. After the war, he was instrumental in development of the [aircraft carrier](/source/aircraft_carrier) in the United States, where he sometimes is known as the U.S. Navy{{'}}s "father of the aircraft carrier". He was involved in some way in the design or construction of five of the first six U.S. Navy aircraft carriers, and served as acting [commanding officer](/source/commanding_officer) of the first carrier to enter U.S. Navy service and as [executive officer](/source/executive_officer) of the first two American carriers. In the earliest days of the U.S. Navy{{'}}s development of an aircraft carrier force, he led many shipboard innovations still in use aboard carriers today. ==Birth and early career== Whiting was born in [Stockbridge, Massachusetts](/source/Stockbridge%2C_Massachusetts), on July 22, 1881, but moved to [Larchmont, New York](/source/Larchmont%2C_New_York), at an early age. Larchmont remained his residence for the rest of his life.{{Cite web |url=http://larchmonthistory.org/memorials/individual/Times/19430429WhitingAnnouncement.html |title=''Larchmont Times'' obituary of Kenneth Whiting, April 1943. |access-date=March 16, 2012 |archive-date=January 6, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090106125315/http://larchmonthistory.org/memorials/individual/Times/19430429WhitingAnnouncement.html |url-status=dead }} He was appointed as a [naval cadet](/source/naval_cadet) on September 7, 1900, and became a [midshipman](/source/midshipman) from New York at the [United States Naval Academy](/source/United_States_Naval_Academy) in [Annapolis, Maryland](/source/Annapolis%2C_Maryland), in 1901. After graduating from the Naval Academy on January 30, 1905,[http://www.usna.edu/Library/sca/findingaids/whiting/index.html Nimitz Library Special Collections and Archives Guide to the Kenneth Whiting Papers, 1914-1943 MS 294] he reported aboard the [armored cruiser](/source/armored_cruiser) {{USS|West Virginia|ACR-5|6}}. After serving the requisite sea duty, he was commissioned as an [ensign](/source/Ensign_(rank)) on either January 31, 1907[http://www.usna.edu/Library/sca/findingaids/whiting/index.html Nimitz Library: Guide to the Kenneth Whiting Papers, 1914-1943] or February 25, 1908, according to different sources.[https://web.archive.org/web/20040229153954/http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/k2/kenneth_whiting.htm ''Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships'' at http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/k2/kenneth_whiting.htm] In June 1907, Whiting detached from ''West Virginia'' and transferred to the [gunboat](/source/gunboat) {{USS|Concord|PG-3|6}} in the [United States Asiatic Fleet](/source/United_States_Asiatic_Fleet). He transferred again, to the [steamer](/source/Steamboat) {{USS|Supply|1873|6}}, in May 1908.[http://www.usna.edu/Library/sca/findingaids/whiting/index.html Nimitz Library Special Collections and Archives Guide to the Kenneth Whiting Papers, 1914-1943 MS 294] ==Submarine service== After a brief stint aboard ''Concord'' again from August to October 1908,[http://www.usna.edu/Library/sca/findingaids/whiting/index.html Nimitz Library Special Collections and Archives Guide to the Kenneth Whiting Papers, 1914-1943 MS 294] Whiting volunteered for [submarine](/source/submarine) duty[http://www.navsource.net/archives/09/41/pdf/09411405.pdf NavSource Kenneth Whiting.] and was reassigned to command of the submarine {{USS|Shark|SS-8|6}} at [Naval Station Cavite](/source/Naval_Station_Cavite) in the [Philippine Islands](/source/Philippine_Islands) to oversee her [fitting-out](/source/fitting-out). He then assumed command of the submarine {{USS|Porpoise|SS-7|6}} at Cavite on November 20, 1908.[http://www.usna.edu/Library/sca/findingaids/whiting/index.html Nimitz Library Special Collections and Archives Guide to the Kenneth Whiting Papers, 1914-1943 MS 294] On April 15, 1909, Whiting took ''Porpoise'' out for what his crew of six thought would be a routine run. After ''Porpoise'' leveled off in [Manila Bay](/source/Manila_Bay) at a depth of {{convert|20|ft|m|abbr=off|sp=us}}, Whiting informed his crew that he was convinced that a man could escape from a submarine through a [torpedo tube](/source/torpedo_tube) and that he intended to test the idea on himself. He squeezed into ''Porpoise{{'}}''s 18-inch (460-mm) tube and clung to the crossbar which stiffened the outer torpedo tube door as the crew closed the inner door. When the crew opened the outer door and seawater rushed in, Whiting hung onto the crossbar, which drew his elbows out of the tube{{'}}s mouth, and then muscled his way out using his hands and arms. After 77 seconds, he was free of the submarine and swam to the surface; ''Porpoise'' soon surfaced and recovered him. Reluctant to speak about the incident in public – in ''Porpoise''{{'}}s log that day, Whiting simply commented, "Whiting went through the torpedo tube, boat lying in water in normal condition, as an experiment..." – he nevertheless informed his [flotilla](/source/flotilla) commander, [Lieutenant](/source/Lieutenant) [Guy W. S. Castle](/source/Guy_W._S._Castle), who submitted a report on how the feat had been accomplished.[http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/a1/a-6.htm ''Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships'' at http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/a1/a-6.htm.] In September 1910, Whiting detached from ''Porpoise''. He next took command of the [Atlantic Fleet](/source/United_States_Atlantic_Fleet) submarine {{USS|Tarpon|SS-14|6}}. In January 1911, he reported to the [Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company](/source/Newport_News_Shipbuilding_and_Drydock_Company) in [Newport News, Virginia](/source/Newport_News%2C_Virginia), to fit out the new submarine [USS ''Seal''](/source/USS_G-1_(SS-19%C2%BD)), which was renamed ''G-1'' later that year. He became the first commanding officer of ''G-1'' when she was [commissioned](/source/Ship_commissioning) on October 28, 1912.[http://www.usna.edu/Library/sca/findingaids/whiting/index.html Nimitz Library Special Collections and Archives Guide to the Kenneth Whiting Papers, 1914-1943 MS 294] ==Naval aviation== In 1910, Whiting applied for flight training by [Glenn Curtiss](/source/Glenn_Curtiss) and talked his friend from the submarine service [Theodore G. Ellyson](/source/Theodore_G._Ellyson) into applying as well. Ellyson was accepted and went on to become Naval Aviator No. 1 in 1911, but Whiting was not and continued his submarine duties.[http://www.navsource.net/archives/09/41/pdf/09411405.pdf NavSource Kenneth Whiting] On June 29, 1914, however, Whiting finally began his career in naval aviation, the field in which he was to make his name as a true pioneer, when he reported to the [Wright Company](/source/Wright_Company) at [Dayton, Ohio](/source/Dayton%2C_Ohio), to learn to fly.[http://www.usna.edu/Library/sca/findingaids/whiting/index.html Nimitz Library Special Collections and Archives Guide to the Kenneth Whiting Papers, 1914-1943 MS 294] The last naval officer to take flight training from [Orville Wright](/source/Orville_Wright) personally,[http://www.navsource.net/archives/09/41/pdf/09411405.pdf NavSource Kenneth Whiting] Whiting was designated Naval Aviator No. 16 on September 6, 1914.[http://www.usna.edu/Library/sca/findingaids/whiting/index.html Nimitz Library Special Collections and Archives Guide to the Kenneth Whiting Papers, 1914-1943 MS 294] Whiting then became officer-in-charge of the [Naval Aeronautic Station](/source/Naval_Air_Station_Pensacola) at [Pensacola, Florida](/source/Pensacola%2C_Florida). He and fellow naval aviator [Henry C. Mustin](/source/Henry_C._Mustin_(1874%E2%80%931923)) worked together on [seaplane](/source/seaplane) designs and filed a [patent](/source/patent) application for the design of a "hydroaeroplane" on October 27, 1916.[http://wavetops.usna.com.s3.amazonaws.com/July2011/Aviation.pdf Universal Ship Cancellation Society Log, July 2011, p. 21.] In November 1916, he transferred to the armored cruiser {{USS|Washington|ACR-11|6}} – renamed USS ''Seattle'' on December 1, 1916 – and took command of a unit of seaplanes attached to the ship.[http://www.usna.edu/Library/sca/findingaids/whiting/index.html Nimitz Library Special Collections and Archives Guide to the Kenneth Whiting Papers, 1914-1943 MS 294] Whiting would later become a member of the [Early Birds of Aviation](/source/Early_Birds_of_Aviation), an organization founded in 1928 and dedicated to the history of pilots who learned to fly before December 17, 1916. ===World War I=== The United States entered [World War I](/source/World_War_I) on April 6, 1917, and Whiting was selected to command the [1st Naval Air Unit](/source/1st_Naval_Air_Unit) (or [First Aeronautic Detachment](/source/First_Aeronautic_Detachment)) and assigned to the [collier](/source/Collier_(ship)) {{USS|Neptune|AC-8|6}} in May 1917. The unit{{'}}s seven officers and 122 [enlisted men](/source/Enlisted_personnel) crossed the [Atlantic Ocean](/source/Atlantic_Ocean) to [France](/source/France) aboard ''Neptune'' and the collier {{USS|Jupiter|AC-3|6}} to become the first American military unit to debark in Europe for combat, with ''Jupiter'' arriving at [Pauillac](/source/Pauillac) on June 5, 1917, and ''Neptune'' at [St. Nazaire](/source/St._Nazaire) on June 8, 1917.Layman, p. 116.[http://www.usna.edu/Library/sca/findingaids/whiting/index.html Nimitz Library Special Collections and Archives Guide to the Kenneth Whiting Papers, 1914-1943 MS 294][http://www.history.navy.mil/branches/avchr2.htm Naval History and Heritage Command Naval Aviation Chronology 1917-1919.] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100411024539/http://www.history.navy.mil/branches/avchr2.htm |date=April 11, 2010 }} With only vague guidance and, at first, no aircraft, Whiting set about establishing a European presence for U.S. Navy aviation.[https://archive.today/20120715071247/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb3101/is_2_58/ai_n57783595/ ResourceLibrary.comn Review by Sherman N. Mullin of ''Stalking the U-Boat: U.S. Naval Aviation in World War I'' by Geoffrey L. Rossano.] In June 1917, he selected [Dunkirk](/source/Dunkirk) as the site for a U.S. Navy air base,[http://www.americanmilitaryhistorymsw.com/blog/745389-usn-northern-bombing-group-i/ American Military and Naval History USN Northern Bombing Group I] laying the groundwork for the establishment in 1918 of the U.S. Navy{{'}}s [Northern Bombing Group](/source/Northern_Bombing_Group).[http://www.history.navy.mil/branches/avchr2.htm Naval History and Heritage Command Naval Aviation Chronology 1917-1919.] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100411024539/http://www.history.navy.mil/branches/avchr2.htm |date=April 11, 2010 }} He also instructed French pilots. On June 1 or July 20, 1918, according to different sources, Whiting, by now promoted to [lieutenant commander](/source/lieutenant_commander), took command of [Naval Air Stations](/source/Naval_air_station) 14 and 15 at [RNAS Killingholme](/source/RNAS_Killingholme), England.[http://www.usna.edu/Library/sca/findingaids/whiting/index.html Nimitz Library Special Collections and Archives Guide to the Kenneth Whiting Papers, 1914-1943 MS 294][http://www.history.navy.mil/branches/avchr2.htm Naval History and Heritage Command Naval Aviation Chronology 1917-1919.] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100411024539/http://www.history.navy.mil/branches/avchr2.htm |date=April 11, 2010 }} For his World War I service, Whiting was awarded the [Navy Cross](/source/Navy_Cross_(United_States)) "for exceptionally meritorious service in a duty of great responsibility,"[https://web.archive.org/web/20040229153954/http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/k2/kenneth_whiting.htm ''Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships'' at http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/k2/kenneth_whiting.htm] and France awarded him the [Legion of Honor (Chevalier)](/source/Legion_of_Honour).{{Cite web |url=http://larchmonthistory.org/memorials/individual/Times/19430429WhitingAnnouncement.html |title=''Larchmont Times'' obituary of Kenneth Whiting, April 1943. |access-date=March 16, 2012 |archive-date=January 6, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090106125315/http://larchmonthistory.org/memorials/individual/Times/19430429WhitingAnnouncement.html |url-status=dead }} ===Interwar aircraft carrier advocacy=== Whiting sometimes is referred to as the U.S. Navy{{'}}s "father of the aircraft carrier". He had begun agitating for the U.S. Navy development of what were then called "plane carriers" in the spring of 1916,[http://www.navsource.net/archives/09/41/pdf/09411405.pdf NavSource Kenneth Whiting] and as early as March 1917 he had proposed to [United States Secretary of the Navy](/source/United_States_Secretary_of_the_Navy) [Josephus Daniels](/source/Josephus_Daniels) that the Navy acquire a ship with an [aircraft catapult](/source/aircraft_catapult) and a [flight deck](/source/flight_deck), prompting the first serious U.S. Navy consideration of the acquisition of any kind of aviation ship since the [American Civil War](/source/American_Civil_War) of 1861–1865.Layman, p. 116. The [United States Department of the Navy](/source/United_States_Department_of_the_Navy) rejected his proposal on June 20, 1917.Layman, R.D., ''Before the Aircraft Carrier: The Development of Aviation Vessels 1849-1922'', Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1989, {{ISBN|0-87021-210-9}}, p. 116. In the years between World War I and [World War II](/source/World_War_II), however, Whiting would be instrumental in the construction of five of the U.S. Navy{{'}}s first six aircraft carriers and serve as [executive officer](/source/executive_officer) of its first two.[http://wavetops.usna.com.s3.amazonaws.com/July2011/Aviation.pdf Universal Ship Cancellation Society Log, July 2011, p. 23.] He also served as acting commanding officer of its first carrier at a time when the United States was experimenting with many aspects of the operation of aircraft carriers and their aircraft. Returning to the United States after World War I, Whiting was assigned to the [Chief of Naval Operations](/source/Chief_of_Naval_Operations){{'}} Office of Naval Aviation in [Washington, D.C.](/source/Washington%2C_D.C.), in 1919.[http://www.usna.edu/Library/sca/findingaids/whiting/index.html Nimitz Library Special Collections and Archives Guide to the Kenneth Whiting Papers, 1914-1943 MS 294] Testifying along with other leading naval aviators, including [Henry C. Mustin](/source/Henry_C._Mustin_(1874%E2%80%931923)) and [John Henry Towers](/source/John_Henry_Towers), before the [General Board of the United States Navy](/source/General_Board_of_the_United_States_Navy) about the need for U.S. Navy aircraft carriers, Whiting was partially responsible for the General Board{{'}}s April 1919 recommendation that the [collier](/source/Collier_(ship)) {{USS|Jupiter|AC-3|6}} be converted into the U.S. Navy{{'}}s first aircraft carrier. On July 11, 1919, the [United States Congress](/source/United_States_Congress) authorized ''Jupiter''{{'}}s conversion into the carrier, which later would be named {{USS|Langley|CV-1}}.[http://www.usna.edu/Library/sca/findingaids/whiting/index.html Nimitz Library Special Collections and Archives Guide to the Kenneth Whiting Papers, 1914-1943 MS 294]Wadle, p. 13.[http://www.history.navy.mil/branches/avchr2.htm Naval History and Heritage Command Naval Aviation Chronology 1917-1919.] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100411024539/http://www.history.navy.mil/branches/avchr2.htm |date=April 11, 2010 }} Later in 1919, after the [battleship](/source/battleship) {{USS|Texas|BB-35}} experimented successfully with the use of aircraft to spot her gunfire and found that the aircraft spotters allowed her greater accuracy, Whiting testified before the General Board, attesting that aircraft spotting could increase the accuracy of ship gunnery by up to 200 percent.Hone and Hone, p. 81. The success of the experiments led the Navy to embark [floatplane](/source/floatplane)s aboard all of its battleships and [cruiser](/source/cruiser)s.Hone and Hone, pp. 94-96. On September 1, 1921, Whiting transferred to the Navy{{'}}s newly established [Bureau of Aeronautics](/source/Bureau_of_Aeronautics).[http://www.usna.edu/Library/sca/findingaids/whiting/index.html Nimitz Library Special Collections and Archives Guide to the Kenneth Whiting Papers, 1914-1943 MS 294] There he continued his advocacy for an American aircraft carrier force. In January 1922, he said, "The ''Langley'' when commissioned will provide our Navy with an experimental {{'}} carrier{{'}} which, while not ideal, will be sufficiently serviceable to conduct any experiment required for the design of future {{'}}carriers{{'}} and for the development of naval aerial tactics, and for the development of the various types of aircraft...for these last are also lacking in our Navy, due to concentrating on anti-submarine work during the War [i.e., World War I]. That {{'}}carriers{{'}} will be successful, and an absolute necessity to any well-equipped navy in the future, there is not the slightest doubt in my mind. We are asking this [Congress](/source/United_States_Congress) for the first properly designed 'carrier.' It will take from three to four years to build it. Will they give it to us?"Quote from "Aircraft Caiiers: Floating Homes For Naval Planes," ''Literary Digest'', February 18, 1922, at [http://www.1920-30.com/military/aircraft-carriers.html 1920-30.com The First Aircraft Carriers.] The "properly designed" carriers Whiting wanted first began to appear in 1927, with the commissioning of {{USS|Saratoga|CV-3}} and {{USS|Lexington|CV-2}}. ===USS ''Langley'' (CV-1)=== Whiting reported aboard ''Langley'' on March 20, 1922, the day of her commissioning, as her first [executive officer](/source/executive_officer), also serving on an acting basis as her first commanding officer and thus becoming the first person to command a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier.[http://www.usna.edu/Library/sca/findingaids/whiting/index.html Nimitz Library Special Collections and Archives Guide to the Kenneth Whiting Papers, 1914-1943 MS 294]. ''Langley'' was far too slow to keep up with the [battle fleet](/source/Battle_Fleet),''Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906-1921'', p. 121. and her main purpose was to serve as a laboratory for the exploration of the new naval warfare discipline of [aircraft carrier operations](/source/Aircraft_Carrier_Operations), with her personnel and those of her embarked air [squadrons](/source/Squadron_(aviation)) experimenting to discover what practices worked best.Tate, p.66. Flying a [Vought VE-7](/source/Vought_VE-7), Lieutenant [Virgil C. Griffin](/source/Virgil_C._Griffin) made the first takeoff from an American carrier from ''Langley'' on October 17, 1922, and Lieutenant Commander [Godfrey Chevalier](/source/Godfrey_Chevalier) made the first landing on October 26, 1922, in an [Aeromarine 39](/source/Aeromarine_39)B.[http://www.navalhistory.org/2011/03/20/navy%E2%80%99s-first-carrier-commissioned-20-march-1922/ Naval History Blog, U.S. Naval Institute-U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command, "Navy's First Carrier Commissioned, 20 March 1922," 20 March 2011, 12:01 a.m.] On November 18, 1922, Whiting himself made the world{{'}}s first [catapult](/source/Aircraft_catapult) launch of an aircraft from an aircraft carrier while aboard ''Langley'', piloting a [Naval Aircraft Factory PT](/source/Naval_Aircraft_Factory_PT)Sweeny, p. 150.[http://www.navsource.net/archives/09/41/pdf/09411405.pdf NavSource Kenneth Whiting] while ''Langley'' was at anchor in Virginia{{'}}s [York River](/source/York_River_(Virginia)).{{Cite web |url=http://www.dcmilitary.com/article/20111117/NEWS12/711179961/this-week-in-naval-history |title=DCMilitary.com This Week in History 17 November 2011 |access-date=March 16, 2012 |archive-date=July 30, 2012 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120730233010/http://www.dcmilitary.com/article/20111117/NEWS12/711179961/this-week-in-naval-history |url-status=dead }} Whiting was credited with establishing many basic tenets of carrier aviation, largely worked out during his first ''Langley'' tour. He established the first pilot [ready room](/source/ready_room)s aboard ''Langley''.Tate, pp. 62-69 He had a hand-cranked movie camera film every landing on the carrier to aid in the evaluation of landing techniques,Tate., p. 68. and had a [darkroom](/source/darkroom) and [photography](/source/photography) laboratory installed on board to allow the landing films to be developed at sea.Tate, pp. 62-69. ''Langley''{{'}}s pilots had no signaling system with which shipboard personnel could assist them in landing,Tate, p.68. so when not flying himself, Whiting observed all landings from the aft port corner of ''Langley''{{'}}s flight deck.Tate, p. 68. where he was visible to pilots in critical touchdown attitudes when the nose of the aircraft might obscure their view straight ahead as they approached the ship to land. Pilots found Whiting{{'}}s body language helpful and suggested an experienced pilot be assigned to occupy that position as a "[landing signal officer](/source/landing_signal_officer)" or "landing safety officer" (LSO), using signals to guide them to safe landings. In an advanced form, the LSO concept survives aboard aircraft carriers to this day.Tate, p. 68. Whiting also was influential in the U.S. Navy{{'}}s decision to make pilot qualification a requirement for command of an aircraft carrier.Tate, pp. 62-69 ===Later duties=== In July 1924, Whiting returned to duty at the Bureau of Aeronautics to serve as its assistant chief. Later he became head of the Aircraft Carriers Division.[http://www.usna.edu/Library/sca/findingaids/whiting/index.html Nimitz Library Special Collections and Archives Guide to the Kenneth Whiting Papers, 1914-1943 MS 294] In September 1926, he reported to the [Brown-Boveri Electric Company](/source/Brown%2C_Boveri_%26_Cie) in [Camden, New Jersey](/source/Camden%2C_New_Jersey), to oversee the construction of the aircraft carrier {{USS|Saratoga|CV-3}}, which was commissioned in 1927 as the second American aircraft carrier and the first one capable of operating with the battle fleet. He became her first executive officer on November 16, 1927, remaining in that position until May 1929.[http://www.usna.edu/Library/sca/findingaids/whiting/index.html Nimitz Library Special Collections and Archives Guide to the Kenneth Whiting Papers, 1914-1943 MS 294] Whiting was promoted to [captain](/source/Captain_(United_States)) on July 1, 1929. He became aide and chief of staff to Commander, Aircraft Squadrons, [Battle Fleet](/source/Battle_Fleet), in September 1929.[http://www.usna.edu/Library/sca/findingaids/whiting/index.html Nimitz Library Special Collections and Archives Guide to the Kenneth Whiting Papers, 1914-1943 MS 294] In August 1930, Whiting took command of [Naval Air Station Norfolk](/source/Naval_Air_Station_Norfolk) at [Norfolk](/source/Norfolk%2C_Virginia), Virginia. In June 1932, he departed Norfolk for [Newport, Rhode Island](/source/Newport%2C_Rhode_Island), where he attended the [Naval War College](/source/Naval_War_College) and received instruction at the [Naval Torpedo Station](/source/Naval_Torpedo_Station).[http://www.usna.edu/Library/sca/findingaids/whiting/index.html Nimitz Library Special Collections and Archives Guide to the Kenneth Whiting Papers, 1914-1943 MS 294] He returned to USS ''Langley'' as her commanding officer on June 15, 1933, leaving her in December 1933 to fit out the new aircraft carrier {{USS|Ranger|CV-4}} at the Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company. He left ''Ranger'' in 1934 to assist in developing plans for the new aircraft carriers {{USS|Yorktown|CV-5}} and {{USS|Enterprise|CV-6}}. In June 1934 he returned to USS ''Saratoga'' to serve as her commanding officer.[http://www.usna.edu/Library/sca/findingaids/whiting/index.html Nimitz Library Special Collections and Archives Guide to the Kenneth Whiting Papers, 1914-1943 MS 294] Whiting left ''Saratoga'' in July 1935 and next became Commander, Aircraft Squadrons, Battle Fleet, serving simultaneously as commander of Fleet Air Base [Pearl Harbor](/source/Pearl_Harbor), [Territory of Hawaii](/source/Territory_of_Hawaii). In September 1937, he became commanding officer of [Patrol Wing 2](/source/Patrol_Wing), remaining in that position until June 3, 1938.[http://www.usna.edu/Library/sca/findingaids/whiting/index.html Nimitz Library Special Collections and Archives Guide to the Kenneth Whiting Papers, 1914-1943 MS 294] On July 14, 1939, Whiting reported for duty as General Inspector of Naval Aircraft, Eastern Division, in the [Third Naval District](/source/Third_Naval_District) at [New York City](/source/New_York_City). He was still in this position when he was placed on the retirement list on June 30, 1940. However, instead of retiring, he was retained on active duty.[http://www.usna.edu/Library/sca/findingaids/whiting/index.html Nimitz Library Special Collections and Archives Guide to the Kenneth Whiting Papers, 1914-1943 MS 294] ===World War II=== After the United States entered World War II on December 7, 1941, Whiting continued his general inspector duties until February 19, 1943, when he took command of [Naval Air Station New York](/source/Naval_Air_Station_New_York) in [Brooklyn, New York](/source/Brooklyn%2C_New_York), serving also as District Aviation Officer, Third Naval District. He held these posts until his death. [http://www.usna.edu/Library/sca/findingaids/whiting/index.html Nimitz Library Special Collections and Archives Guide to the Kenneth Whiting Papers, 1914-1943 MS 294] ==Death== Whiting was suffering from [pneumonia](/source/pneumonia) and hospitalized at the [National Naval Medical Center](/source/National_Naval_Medical_Center){{Cite web |url=http://larchmonthistory.org/memorials/individual/Times/19430429WhitingAnnouncement.html |title=''Larchmont Times'' obituary of Kenneth Whiting, 1943 |access-date=March 16, 2012 |archive-date=January 6, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090106125315/http://larchmonthistory.org/memorials/individual/Times/19430429WhitingAnnouncement.html |url-status=dead }} in [Bethesda, Maryland](/source/Bethesda%2C_Maryland), when he died of a [heart attack](/source/heart_attack) on April 24, 1943. Among the honorary [pallbearer](/source/pallbearer)s at his funeral in Larchmont, New York, on April 27, 1943, were [Undersecretary of the Navy](/source/Undersecretary_of_the_Navy) [James V. Forrestal](/source/James_V._Forrestal), Chief of the [Bureau of Aeronautics](/source/Bureau_of_Aeronautics) [Rear Admiral](/source/Rear_Admiral_(United_States)) [John S. McCain, Sr.](/source/John_S._McCain%2C_Sr.), Rear Admiral [George D. Murray](/source/George_D._Murray), and [Harry Frank Guggenheim](/source/Harry_Frank_Guggenheim).{{Cite web |url=http://larchmonthistory.org/memorials/individual/Times/19430429WhitingAnnouncement.html |title=''Larchmont Times'' obituary for Kenneth Whiting, April 1943 |access-date=March 16, 2012 |archive-date=January 6, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090106125315/http://larchmonthistory.org/memorials/individual/Times/19430429WhitingAnnouncement.html |url-status=dead }} In accordance with Whiting{{'}}s wishes, his ashes were [buried at sea](/source/Burial_at_sea) off the [Execution Rocks](/source/Execution_Rocks_Light){{Cite web |url=http://larchmonthistory.org/memorials/individual/Times/19430429WhitingAnnouncement.html |title=''Larchmont Times'' obituary for Kenneth Whiting, April 1943 |access-date=March 16, 2012 |archive-date=January 6, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090106125315/http://larchmonthistory.org/memorials/individual/Times/19430429WhitingAnnouncement.html |url-status=dead }} in the deepest part of [Long Island Sound](/source/Long_Island_Sound).[https://web.archive.org/web/20040229153954/http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/k2/kenneth_whiting.htm ''Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships'' at http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/k2/kenneth_whiting.htm] ==Commemoration== [Naval Air Station Whiting Field](/source/Naval_Air_Station_Whiting_Field) near [Milton](/source/Milton%2C_Florida) in [Santa Rosa County, Florida](/source/Santa_Rosa_County%2C_Florida), is named for Whiting. His widow, Edna Andresen Whiting,[http://larchmonthistory.org/memorials/individual/Times/19430429WhitingAnnouncement.html ''Larchmont Times'' obituary of Kenneth Whiting, April 1943] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090106125315/http://larchmonthistory.org/memorials/individual/Times/19430429WhitingAnnouncement.html |date=January 6, 2009 }}. was among 1,500 people who attended its commissioning on July 16, 1943.https://www.flickr.com/photos/26519181@N06/4377931374/ Flickr: NAS WHiting Field, Milton, FL. A plaque there reads: ""Whiting Field, named in honor of Capt. Kenneth Whiting, U.S. Navy, Pioneer in Submarines and Aviation, Naval Aviator No. 16, Father of the Aircraft Carrier in our Navy, Died on Active Duty on April 24, 1943."[https://archive.today/20120710103736/http://kempermemorialpark.org/Profiles/Whiting.htm Kemper Memorial Park Profiles: Captain Kenneth Whiting, US Navy, 98 Park Avenue, Larchmont] One U.S. Navy ship, the [seaplane tender](/source/seaplane_tender) {{USS|Kenneth Whiting|AV-14}}, has been named for Whiting. Edna Andresen Whiting served as sponsor during the ship{{'}}s [launching](/source/Ship_naming_and_launching) ceremonies on December 15, 1943. The ship served in the latter stages of World War II in 1944–1945, in the [Korean War](/source/Korean_War) in 1952–1953, and then in the [Cold War](/source/Cold_War) until 1958.[https://web.archive.org/web/20040229153954/http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/k2/kenneth_whiting.htm ''Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships'' at http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/k2/kenneth_whiting.htm] Whiting was inducted into the [Naval Aviation Hall of Honor](/source/Naval_Aviation_Hall_of_Honor) at the [National Naval Aviation Museum](/source/National_Naval_Aviation_Museum) in Pensacola, Florida, in 1984. ==Awards & Decorations== {| |- |{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=Navy Cross ribbon.svg|width=80}} [Navy Cross](/source/Navy_Cross_(United_States)) |- |{{ribbon devices|number=1|type=service-star|ribbon=World War I Victory Medal ribbon.svg|width=80}} [World War I Victory Medal](/source/World_War_I_Victory_Medal_(United_States)) with one bronze [service star](/source/service_star) |- |{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=American Defense Service Medal ribbon.svg|width=80}} [American Defense Service Medal](/source/American_Defense_Service_Medal) |- |{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=American Campaign Medal ribbon.svg|width=80}} [American Campaign Medal](/source/American_Campaign_Medal) |- |{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=World War II Victory Medal ribbon.svg|width=80}} [World War II Victory Medal](/source/World_War_II_Victory_Medal) |- |{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=Legion Honneur Chevalier ribbon.svg|width=80}} [Legion of Honor, Knight](/source/Legion_of_Honour) |} == Photo gallery == {| class="wikitable" | | | rowspan="2" |Left to Right: Brig General Barton Yount, commanding Army Air Corps in Hawaii; Amelia Earhart; Colonel R. C. Harmond, commanding Luke Field; and Captain Kenneth Whiting, U. S. Navy, commanding fleet air base at Pearl Harbor, March 18, 1937. Possibly the last photo taken before Amelia Earhart crashed in her attempted takeoff from Luke Field, Honolulu, for Howland Island on March 20, 1937 [2 original photographs] |- | | |} File:Kenneth Whiting.jpg|{{center|Kenneth Whiting undergoing flight training at the [Wright Company](/source/Wright_Company) in [Dayton, Ohio](/source/Dayton%2C_Ohio), in 1914.}} File:Five early American naval aviators at Pensacola, Florida.jpg|{{center|Kenneth Whiting is at far right in this photograph of five early American naval aviators at the [Naval Aeronautic Station](/source/Naval_Air_Station_Pensacola) in [Pensacola, Florida](/source/Pensacola%2C_Florida).}} File:Ernest J. King Kenneth Whiting French Frigate Shoals 1937.jpg|{{center|[Real Admiral](/source/Rear_Admiral_(United_States)) [Ernest J. King](/source/Ernest_J._King), USN, and [Captain](/source/Captain_(United_States)) Kenneth Whiting, USN, at [French Frigate Shoals](/source/French_Frigate_Shoals) in the [Hawaiian Islands](/source/Hawaiian_Islands) in 1937.}} ==See also== {{Portal|Biography|Aviation}} ==Notes== {{reflist}} ==References== *{{DANFS|http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/a1/a-6.htm}} (USS ''A-6'') *{{DANFS|http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/k2/kenneth_whiting.htm}} (USS ''Kenneth Whiting'' AV-14) *[http://www.usna.edu/Library/sca/findingaids/whiting/index.html Nimitz Library Special Collections and Archives Guide to the Kenneth Whiting Papers, 1914-1943 MS 294] *[http://wavetops.usna.com.s3.amazonaws.com/July2011/Aviation.pdf Universal Ship Cancellation Society Log, July 2011] * Gardiner, Robert, ed. ''Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906-1921''. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1985, {{ISBN|0-87021-907-3}}. * [Hone, Thomas C.](/source/Thomas_C._Hone), and [Trent Hone](/source/Trent_Hone). [https://books.google.com/books?id=u2ajsxg8BTEC ''Battleline: The United States Navy 1919–1939''. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 2006.] {{ISBN|1-59114-378-0}}. * Layman, R.D., ''Before the Aircraft Carrier: The Development of Aviation Vessels 1849-1922'', Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1989, {{ISBN|0-87021-210-9}}. * Sweeney, Jerry K., ed. ''A Handbook of American Military History From the Revolutionary War to the Present'', University of Nebraska Press, 1996, {{ISBN|978-0-8032-9337-3}} and {{ISBN|0-8032-9337-2}}. * Tate, Jackson R., RADM, USN. "We Rode the Covered Wagon." ''United States Naval Institute Proceedings'', October 1978. *[http://repository.tamu.edu/bitstream/handle/1969.1/2658/etd-tamu-2005B-HIST-Wadle.pdf&sa=U&ei=8QBhT4rtKuPo0QG87vSWBw&ved=0CBIQFjAB&usg=AFQjCNGdZ5SPuYggMJgr7GUI0rrkGvZlHQ;jsessionid=195FD0757ADF6B0553D11C22076BCC0D?sequence=1 Wadle, Ryan David. ''United States Navy Fleet Problems and the Development of Carrier Aviation''. Office of Graduate Studies of Texas A&M University, August 2005] ==External links== {{commons category}} *{{YouTube|2SSd_zPTYFQ|Video of early carrier landings aboard USS ''Langley'' (CV-1) ca. 1922}} *[http://larchmonthistory.org/memorials/individual/KennethWhitingDocuments.html Photo of Kenneth Whiting with other officers and Amelia Earhart in Hawaii, 18 March 1937] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090106230256/http://larchmonthistory.org/memorials/individual/KennethWhitingDocuments.html |date=January 6, 2009 }} *[http://www.dommagazine.com/article/history-rescue dommagazine.com Photograph of Kenneth Whiting and other early aviators at the dedication of the Wright Brothers Memorial at Dayton, Ohio, 19 August 1940] *[http://earlyaviators.com/ewhitken.htm earlyaviators.com Photographs of Kenneth Whiting and other early aviators at the dedication of the Wright Brothers Memorial at Dayton, Ohio, 19 August 1940] *[http://larchmonthistory.org/memorials/individual/Times/19430429WhitingAnnouncement.html ''Larchmont Times'' 1943 obituary of Kenneth Whiting with photograph] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090106125315/http://larchmonthistory.org/memorials/individual/Times/19430429WhitingAnnouncement.html |date=January 6, 2009 }} *[https://archive.today/20120710103736/http://kempermemorialpark.org/Profiles/Whiting.htm Photo of Kenneth Whiting] *[https://www.usna.edu/Library/sca/man-findingaids/MS_294.EAD.xml Kenneth Whiting Papers, 1901-1943 MS 294] held by Special Collections & Archives, Nimitz Library at the United States Naval Academy {{authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Whiting, Kenneth}} Category:1881 births Category:1943 deaths Category:United States Navy personnel of World War I Category:United States Navy personnel of World War II Category:People from Stockbridge, Massachusetts Category:People from Larchmont, New York Category:Recipients of the Navy Cross (United States) Category:Knights of the Legion of Honour Category:United States Naval Academy alumni Category:Naval War College alumni Category:United States Navy captains Category:United States submarine commanders Category:Submarine pioneers Category:United States Naval Aviators Category:American aviation pioneers Category:Members of the Early Birds of Aviation Category:Aviation history of the United States Category:Burials at sea Category:Deaths from pneumonia in Maryland Category:Military personnel from Massachusetts Category:American recipients of the Legion of Honour --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Kenneth Whiting](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenneth_Whiting) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenneth_Whiting?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.