Navy names ship after former Bainbridge Island resident, Medal of Honor recipient

Those in Kitsap may know the Richard McCool Jr. who had been actively involved in Kitsap's local politics a few decades ago. Some may remember he was awarded the Medal of Honor when leading a warship to battle in Okinawa during World War II.

Now, his name will continue to be remembered by many who serve the country — now or in the future — as the Navy has named a future San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship after the former Bainbridge Island resident, who moved to the island in 1974 and passed away in 2008.

The ship was built by Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Mississippi, and christened on June 11, 2022.

The future USS Richard M. McCool Jr. (LPD 29) was delivered to the Navy on April 11 and will be commissioned on Sept. 7 at Naval Air Station Pensacola in Pensacola, Florida. The Navy announced LPD 29's commissioning date in a statement on May 20 and released a photo of the ship.

McCool earned the nation's highest honor at the end of World War II in 1945.

LPD 29 will be the first ship named after McCool Jr. It's the Navy’s 13th San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship, which is used to transport and land Marines, their equipment, and supplies, the Navy said.

Amphibious transport dock ships support amphibious assault, special operations, or expeditionary warfare missions and serve as secondary aviation platforms for amphibious operations, according to the Navy.

Medal of Honor awarded for battle in Japan during WWII

McCool was born on Jan. 4, 1922, in Tishomingo, Oklahoma. He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in June 1944 and was assigned to Naval Air Station, Jacksonville, Florida. After training at the U.S. Naval Amphibious Training Station in Maryland, he took command of the USS Landing Craft Support 122 (LCS 122) in December and was promoted to lieutenant in January 1945, according to the Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC).

On June 10, the USS LCS 122 commanding officer led the warship to rescue 99 sailors of the USS William D. Porter after a Japanese kamikaze bomb exploded underneath the destroyer. On June 11, two Japanese suicide squadrons attacked the ship.

"The crew shot one out of the air and hit a second, but it crashed about 8 feet below McCool on the conning tower. Of the 71 on board, 12 were killed and 23 injured, including the skipper, who suffered shrapnel wounds, burns and was knocked unconscious," according to Kitsap Sun archives. "When McCool woke up, the ship was in flames, and he rallied his crew to fight the fire. After hearing that several men were trapped in the burning deckhouse, he went to the rescue and carried one badly wounded man to safety.

"He wound up spending two months in the hospital."

McCool was awarded the Medal of Honor for "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as Commanding Officer of the U.S.S. LCS 122", according to the award citation.

After that, he served on various ships, including USS LCS 44, USS McKean (DD-784), USS Frank Knox (DD-742) and USS Leyte (CV-32). In 1954, McCool attended Boston University and earned a master's degree. In 1955, he was promoted to lieutenant commander and assigned to the Bureau of Naval Personnel in Washington, D.C., according to NHHC.

In 1956, McCool reported overseas as a staff member of Commander, South Eastern Asia Treaty Organization, in Bangkok, Thailand. Two years later, he was assigned staff duty with commandant of the Ninth Naval District at Great Lakes, Illinois, where he was promoted to commander in 1960.

McCool served on the staff of Commander, First Fleet in 1961 and transferred for duty with Commander, U.S. Naval Forces, Japan three years later, according to NHHC.

In 1965, McCool was promoted to captain. Next year, he became deputy commander of the Defense Information School at Fort Benjamin, Harrison, Indiana, according to NHHC. After serving in various public affairs posts, he retired from the military in 1974 and moved to Bainbridge Island with his wife, Carole Elaine.

More: McCool Remembered as Hero, Democratic Leader

McCool had served as chairman of the Kitsap County Democrats for two terms and supported arts on Bainbridge Island and in Seattle. He received a Maggie Award as one of the state's top Democrats and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Kitsap Democrats, according to Kitsap Sun archives.

The retired Navy officer was described by his friends and colleagues in Kitsap as a humble, modest, open-minded and easygoing man. McCool died at Harrison Medical Center in Bremerton in 2008 and is buried at Naval Academy Cemetery, Annapolis, Maryland.

This article originally appeared on Kitsap Sun: Navy names ship after former Bainbridge Island resident Richard McCool