Charles A. Curtze

Charles A. Curtze
Born	April 8, 1911(1911-04-08) Erie, Pennsylvania, United States
Died	December 26, 2007(2007-12-26) (aged 96) Millcreek Township, Pennsylvania, United States
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	United States Navy
Years of service	1933—1965
Rank	Rear Admiral
Commands held	San Francisco Naval Shipyard
Battles/wars	World War II Attack on Pearl Harbor

Charles A. Curtze (April 8, 1911 - December 26, 2007) was a rear admiral in the United States Navy. He was born in Erie, Pennsylvania and died at age 96 in Millcreek Township, Pennsylvania. He served as Deputy Chief of the Navy's Bureau of Ships during the Vietnam War. He is buried at the Erie Cemetery.

Education

Curtze participated in a Rotary Club student exchange to Scandinavia, which led to his appointment to the United States Naval Academy. Curtze was a star gymnast while attending the Naval Academy, winning second place in 1931 in the Eastern Intercollegiate Gymnastics League and leading the midshipmen to the league's championship in 1933. When he qualified for the US gymnastics team attending the 1936 Summer Olympics, his position with the US Navy caused the State Department to prohibit his travel to Berlin, Germany during Adolf Hitler's rule. Curtze graduated from the Naval Academy in 1933. He received his Master's degree in Naval Construction from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Career

Curtze was serving as a fleet safety officer aboard the cruiser USS St. Louis at the time of the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. He helped guide the ship safely out of harbor, making it one of the few major ships to escape the Japanese bombings.^[1] He served with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) as the engineering member of the first US team in London. He also served as commander of the San Francisco Naval Shipyard.^[1] Curtze and his commanding officer, Rear Admiral William A. Brockett, Chief of the Bureau of Ships, resigned their posts in 1965 to protest Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara's centralization of the U.S. Department of Defense.

See also

	Biography portal
	United States Navy portal
	World War II portal

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Miller, George (2007-12-28). "Erie admiral remembered for career, character". Erie Times-News. http://www.goerie.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2007712280347. Retrieved 2007-12-28. 

• Obituary, Erie Times-News, December 27, 2007
• Admiral Explains Why He Resigned; Tells Superiors He Opposes Pentagon Centralization, New York Times, October 28, 1965
• 2 Admirals Quit Posts In Protest Over M'Namara; Chief of the Bureau of Ships and Deputy Are Critical of Increasing Centralization, New York Times, October 27, 1965
• Here and There in Various Fields of Sport, New York Times, April 10, 1932
• Jochim Made Comeback; Veteran Regained National All-Around Crown In Gymnastics, New York Times, December 31, 1933

Persondata
Name	Curtze, Charles A.
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	April 8, 1911
Place of birth	Erie, Pennsylvania, United States
Date of death	December 26, 2007
Place of death	Millcreek Township, Pennsylvania, United States