Samuel Adams was born at Northampton, Massachusetts, on 10 April 1912. Graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1935, he was designated a Naval Aviator in January 1939. He joined Bombing Squadron Five (VB-5) on USS Yorktown (CV-5) in May 1939 and served with that unit through the first six months of the Pacific war. On 4 June 1942, during a Battle of Midway scouting flight, Lieutenant Adams located the Japanese aircraft carrier Hiryu, a vital contribution to the destruction of that ship. On the following day, while attacking the Japanese destroyer Tanikaze, he lost his life when his SBD aircraft was shot down. Lieutenant Samuel Adams was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross for his actions during the Battle of Midway.
USS Adams (DM-27) was named in honor of Lieutenant Samuel Adams.
This page features the only view we have of Samuel Adams.
If you want higher resolution reproductions than the "Online Library's" digital images, see: "How to Obtain Photographic Reproductions." |
Click on the small photograph to prompt a larger view of the same image.
Photo #: 80-PA-1A-22 Ensign Samuel Adams, USN Photograph taken at Naval Air Station, Pensacola, Florida, 31 January 1938, while he was in flight training. Photograph from the Bureau of Personnel Collection in the U.S. National Archives. Online Image: 44KB; 580 x 765 pixels Reproductions of this image may also be available through the National Archives photographic reproduction system. |
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NOTES:
If you want higher resolution reproductions than the "Online Library's" digital images, see: "How to Obtain Photographic Reproductions." |
Page made 11 May 1999
Coding updated 6 May 2009