William L. Kabler papers
Scope and Contents
The collection consists of four boxes, and is divided into four series: Correspondence, Naval Records, Subject Files and Miscellany.
Series I, Correspondence, covers the years 1942 to 1990 and includes official correspondence, both letters- sent and received, when Kabler was naval attache in Turkey from 1949to1951. Most of the letters are in English; however, there are several letters both sent and received, in Turkish, French and Arabic. The correspondence deals with Kabler' s travels, providing assistance to American naval officers, the visits of the U.S. Sixth Fleet to Turkey and foreign navies, thank you letters, letters of congratulations and appreciation, and invitations.
Other official correspondence contains both letters sent and received regarding U.S. Navy matters as well as letters of thanks, appreciation and acknowledgement, and invitations during his assignment as naval aide to Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Air and CO, USS KEARSARGE (CVA-33). Miscellaneous correspondence, telegrams (when he was commanding officer of USS RENDOVA and USS KEARSARGE) and letters of commendation, promotion and retirement from Westinghouse Corporation are found here as well.
Series II, Naval Records, consist of naval orders, leave requests, resumes, awards, appointments, and Kabler's service record.
In Subject Files, Series III, are letters, memoranda, telegrams, newspaper clippings, booklets, articles, maps and log extracts for various ships commanded by Kabler or in which he served. The most extensive materials are from the USS HERON (A VP-2), a seaplane tender, which he comm.anded in the early forties in Asiatic waters.
The last and fourth series, Miscellany, contains photographs of USS BENNINGTON (CV-20), KEARSARGE (CV-33), USS RENDOVA (CVE-114), and USS SITKOH BAY (CVE-86) as well as photographs of Turkey and the change of command on the USS KEARSARGE. Newspaper clippings from the USS HERON, the USS BENNINGTON and from Turkey form part of this series as well. Invitations, programs, rosters, directories, diplomas, certificates and commendations are included here. His Naval War College thesis entitled #Relations Between Russia and the United States and Their Influence on U.S. Foreign Policy", Senior Class of 1949, and the class photograph and the graduation program are the last items in this series.
This collection documents the career of a mid-twentieth century high ranking officer who saw service in the Pacific in World War II, had various significant peacetime assignments, and commanded aircraft carriers and aircraft carrier escorts. It is a fine collection of personal
and official papers.
Dates
- Creation: 1939 - 1980
Creator
Conditions Governing Access
Access is open to all researchers, unless otherwise specified.
Conditions Governing Use
Material in this collection is in the public domain, unless otherwise noted.
Biographical Note
William Leverette Kabler was born on September 24, 1908, in Roanoke, Virginia, to Elijah and Etna L. Kabler. In 1925, he entered the United States Naval Academy where he graduated with the class of 1929.
After serving on the battleship MARYLAND, he began flight training at the Naval Air Station, Pensacola, Florida, and earned his wings as a naval aviator in 1931. For the next seven years he was attached to squadrons in the LEXINGTON, OKLAHOMA, and LANGLEY,
respectively. In 1938, he returned to Pensacola where he was officer in charge of the Navigation Division and compiled an Aircraft Navigation Textbook published later as HO 216.
In 1940, he was assigned as commanding officer of the USS HERON which, on December 31, 1941, was the first United States ship to down a Japanese aircraft after being attacked in the Netherlands East Indes by fifteen enemy planes. The HERON successfully defended herself from this attack, shot down one airplane, and damaged several others. Kabler was awarded the Navy Cross and the Army Distinguished Unit Badge with Ribbon and was advanced seventyfive numbers in grade by President Franklin D. Roosevelt for his heroism during this action.
During 1942-1943, he was with the Bureau of Ordnance Fleet Maintenance Division where he was involved in supplying aircraft munitions. He was in the USS TICONDEROGA during the Battle of Leyte Gulf in 1944 and saw action in the South China Sea and at Iwo Jima and Okinawa in the USS ENTERPRISE.
Various post-war aviation billets with the Pacific and Atlantic Fleets and in the Office of the CNO followed. While in Washington, D.C., he studied law for two years at the Columbus University School of Law of Catholic University.
In 1949, Kabler graduated from the Senior Course of the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island, and then reported as naval attache and attache for air in Ankara, Turkey, for two years.
During the early fifties, he held a number of ship commands, including the USS RENDOV A, the USS SITKOH BAY and the USS KEARSARGE. He was aide to the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Air in 1953-1954. In September 1955, he began his last active duty assignment as Chief of Staff to Commander Carrier Division One. He retired on November 1, 1957, and was promoted to rear admiral on the basis of combat awards.
An administrative position with the Westinghouse Corporation in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, beckoned next and he remained there for the next fifteen years. In 1972, Admiral Kabler retired to Annapolis, Maryland, where he was a member of the Annapolis Yacht Club and the U.S. Naval Academy Alumni Association. He died of Alzheimer's disease in 1990, leaving his wife, Patricia, and a daughter, Vivian Garlinghouse.
Admiral Kabler's medals include the American Defense Service Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, American Campaign Medal, World War II Victory Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Philippine Defense Ribbon, Philippine Liberation Ribbon, Philippine Independence Ribbon, the China Service Medal, as well as the Navy Cross, Army Commendation Ribbon with Medal Pendant, Navy Commendation Ribbon, Army Distinguished Unit Badge and Ribbon and Navy Unit Commendation.
Chronology of Naval Service
- 1908
- September 24, Born in Roanoke, Virginia
- 1929
- Graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy
- 1929-1930
- USS MARYLAND (BB-46)
- 1930-1931
- NAS, Pensacola, Florida, Flight training
- 1931-1933
- USS Lexington (CV-2), Torpedo Squadron One, Bombing Squadron One
- 1933-1938
- NAS, Coco Solo, Canal Zone, Patrol Squadron Two; USS OKLAHOMA (BB- 37) Observation Squadron One; USS LANGLEY (AC-3) Patrol Squadron 12
- 1938-1940
- NAS, Pensacola, Florida, Navigation Division Ground School
- 1940-1942
- USS HERON (A VP-2), CO
- 1942-1944
- Bureau of Ordnance, Washington D.C.
- 1944
- USS TICONDEROGA (CV-14), Navigator
- 1944-1945
- USS ENTERPRISE (CV-6), Executive Officer
- 1945
- Staff Commander Air Support Control Units, Amphibious Force, Pacific Fleet
- 1946
- Staff, Commander, Amphibious Force, Atlantic Fleet
- 1946-1948
- Staff, Chief of Naval Operations; Liaison· Officer for Aviation
- 1949
- Staff, Chief of Naval Operations; Liaison· Officer for Aviation
- 1949-1951
- U.S. Naval Attache, and U.S. Naval Attache for Air, Ankara, Turkey
- 1952-1953
- USS RENDOVA (CVE-114), CO
- 1953
- USS SITKOH BAY (T-CVE-86), CO
- 1953-1954
- Aide to Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Air
- 1954-1955
- USS KEARSARGE (CVA-33), CO
- 1955-1957
- Staff, Commander Carrier Division One, Chief of Staff
- 1957-1972
- Westinghouse Corporation, Pittsburgh, PA.
- 1990
- May 27, Died, St. Mary's County, MD.
Extent
4 boxes
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
Official correspondence, 1949–1955; Personal correspondence, 1961–1990; Letters of congratulations, commendation, promotion and retirement, 1942–1972; Naval Orders, 1929–1954; Service Record; Subject Files on USS Heron, Kearsarge and Rendova, 1941–1953; Miscellany, including invitations, programs, newspaper clippings, photographs, certificates, Citations and Naval War College items. 1929–1990.
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Naval War College Archives Repository