Newport Navalog

LT. COMDR. HALVERSON
QUIT
AFTER
36
YEARS; LT. COMDR. DRAKE
GETS
JOB

Lt. Comdr. C. Halverson and Lt. Comdr. J. P. Drake.

Lt. Comdr. C. Halverson, USN, Assistant to the Executive Officer, closed out a 36-year naval career on Monday when he retired from active service.

The new aide to Captain W. A. S. Macklin is Lt. Comdr. James P. Drake, USNR, who came here after having more than four years of sea duty since entering the service in June 1940.

Lt. Comdr. Drake at 25 is one of the youngest officers in this area to hold such a high rank. A native of Dallas, Texas, he was attending Texas A & M College when he decided to enter the Navy.

He came in as an ensign and now intends to make the service his career.

In his course of naval travels, which took him to most theatres of war, Lt. Comdr. Drake put in much of his time on two ships, the destroyer Thorn and destroyer minesweeper Trever. He was executive officer aboard the former for 33 months and was gunnery officer on the latter for 13. The new aide took part in four major engagements in the Pacific besides helping in the liberation of the Philippines.

Among his awards is the Navy and Marine Corps Medal for rescuing personnel off a stricken ship in the Atlantic.

Halverson Here Many Times

Lt. Comdr. Halverson served on practically every type of ship but landing craft in his long and colorful career and he put in many years of service at Newport.

A native of Wisconsin, he made his home in nearby Middletown and he intends to stay here for the immediate future.

A vacation in the White Mountains of New Hampshire is the first piece of business on the veteran's new agenda.

Lt. Comdr. Halverson figured he was through with the Navy once before, but he was called back to duty in November of 1942 after retiring in August of the same year.

Then a young, tall man, Lt. Comdr. Halverson enlisted in the Navy in 1909 and had recruit training here. He put in two hitches and became a CPO in 1913.

He remained here through 1914 and did not return again until 1932 when he was transferred to the War College. He graduated from there in 1933. He was made a warrant officer in 1917 and commissioned an ensign in 1918. Lt. Comdr. Halverson came back to Newport in February of 1940 to serve as assistant head of the service schools. He later was placed in charge of them. It was in January of this year that he took over the job he just vacated.

In his various assignments at sea, Lt. Comdr. Halverson served on battleships, cruisers, destroyers, submarines, minesweepers and transports.