Edward L. Cochrane

Vice Admiral Edward Lull "Ned" Cochrane (March 18, 1892 - November 14, 1959) was a United States Navy officer and noted naval architect who served as Chief of the Bureau of Ships during World War II. In this capacity, he was directly responsible for the Navy's massive shipbuilding and maintenance program from November 1942 until November 1946.

Naval career

The son of retired Marine Brigadier General Henry Clay Cochrane (1842-1913), Edward Lull Cochrane was born at Mare Island, California in 1892. He entered the United States Naval Academy in 1910 and was commissioned as a Navy ensign upon graduation in 1914. During World War I, he served at Philadelphia Naval Shipyard and transferred to the Navy's Construction Corps. He graduated in 1920 from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), with a Master of Science degree in Naval Architecture.

Between the World Wars, Cochrane served in various positions related to shipbuilding. including in the Navy's Bureau of Construction and Repair, predecessor to the Bureau of Ships.

He assumed the post of Chief, BuShips in November 1942, succeeding Rear Admiral Alexander H. Van Keuren. From January 1941 until assuming command of the bureau, Cochrane served as the Assistant Head of the Design Division.

Academic career

Cochrane retired from the Navy in 1947, while serving as a member of the President's Advisory Committee on the Merchant Marine. He then joined the faculty of MIT, serving from 1947-1950 as head of the Department of Ocean Engineering (originally known as the Department of Naval Architecture), and from 1952-1954 as head of the School of Engineering.

Last years and legacy

Vice Admiral Cochrane died in New Haven, Connecticut, on November 14, 1959, at the age of 67.

Many of Vice Admiral Cochrane's papers are held at the Naval Historical Center at the Washington Navy Yard in Washington, D.C. The papers include documents pertaining to the reorganization of the Bureau of Ships during World War II as well as transcripts of official speeches given by Admiral Cochrane during his term as head of that Bureau. Additionally, there are many personal papers and photographs relating to the Admiral's close association with civilian Naval Architecture and engineering organizations.

Awards and honors

Cochrane received many awards and honors for his contributions to naval architecture, including the David W. Taylor Medal, and more generally to the field of engineering. He was a member of the National Academy of Sciences, and in 1953 received honorary membership in the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME).

MIT's Admiral Edward L. Cochrane Award is presented each year to an outstanding student athlete. The award goes to a male senior for demonstrating humility, leadership and inspiration in intercollegiate sports.

The USS "Cochrane" (DDG 21), a "Charles F. Adams"-class guided missile armed destroyer, was named in his honor.

References

Naval sources

* [http://www.history.navy.mil/ar/charlie/cochrane.htm Papers of Edward L. Cochrane] , Operational Archives Branch, Naval Historical Center, Washington, D.C.
* [http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/USN-Chron/USN-Chron-I.html Cressman, Robert J. "Appendix I: Principal Civilian Officials And Naval Officers In Command 7 December 1941 -- 2 September 1945." "The Official Chronology of the U.S. Navy in World War II."] Washington, D.C.: Naval Historical Center. Online. Transcribed and formatted for HTML by Patrick Clancey, HyperWar Foundation. Viewed 12 September 2006. (Includes list of all Chiefs of the Bureau of Ships during World War II.)

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

* [http://libraries.mit.edu/archives/mithistory/histories-offices/oe.html History of the Department of Ocean Engineering, Institute Archives, MIT Libraries.] Prepared 1995; updated January 2005. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Viewed 12 September 2006.
* [http://libraries.mit.edu/archives/mithistory/histories-offices/sch-eng.html History of the School of Engineering, Institute Archives, MIT Libraries.] Prepared January 1996; updated April 2006. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Viewed 12 September 2006.
* [http://www-tech.mit.edu/archives/VOL_079/TECH_V079_S0260_P001.pdf "Admiral Cochrane Dies: Headed Industrial Liaison."] "The Tech" (November 20, 1959). Online. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Viewed 12 September 2006. (Obituary in the MIT undergraduate newspaper)
* [http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2001/sports-0606.html "Athletics confer sports award."] Press Release. 6 June 2001. News Office, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Viewed 12 September 2006.

Articles

* [http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,826022,00.html Cochrane obituary. "Milestones," "Time" (November 30, 1959).] Online. Time.com. Viewed 12 September 2006.
* [http://jcgi.pathfinder.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,850143,00.html "To Duty." "Time" (October 26, 1942).] Online. Time.com. Viewed 12 September 2006. [Cochrane's assignment as Chief, BuShips]

External links

* [http://www.usscochrane.com/ddg21/edward_lull.htm Edward Lull Cochrane] - Biography from USS "Cochrane" (DDG 21) tribute site
* [http://www.asme.org/Governance/Honors/SocietyAwards/Honorary_Member.cfm Honorary Members of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers]
* [http://www.spanamwar.com/1stmarinescochrane.htm A Brief Biography of Major Henry Clay Cochrane, U.S.M.C., Assistant Executive Officer, First Marine Battalion.] The Spanish-American War Centennial Website. Viewed 12 September 2006. (Biography of Vice Admiral Cochrane's father.]
* [http://www.nasonline.org/site/PageServer?pagename=MEMOIRS_C Listing of Biographical Memoirs] . National Academy of Sciences. Viewed 12 September 2006.