SUBMARINE SKIPPER: Commander James Parker, Jr. USN

The Rise And Mysterious Fall Of Submariner James Parker, Jr.

When they spoke of him at all, his contemporaries in the family were guarded and evasive: "We do not discuss your Uncle James, my dear." Yet occasional references to him did emerge from time to time, to the effect that he had been a "handsome devil" and "gallant", an outstanding officer who, had he lived even a decade longer, would surely have been one of our top naval leaders in WWII. In the main, however, it was mostly, "Too bad about Jim"...and darkly, "It must have been that Barstow blood."

The Navy Department's biographical outline, which is captioned "Commander James Parker, Jr., US Navy Retired, Inactive, Deceased" lists the service chronology of my Uncle Jim who died in 1935, his last years enshrouded in mystery. Who was this man, and what had he done to incur the familial veil of silence? We know he was born 9 September 1886 at Fort Huachuca, Arizona Territory, the second son of 4th Cavalry Captain (later major general) James, and Charlotte Condit Parker, and that like his older brother Cort, he was sent during the academic year to live with New Jersey relatives while attending Newark Academy, whence he graduated in 1903.

It is likely that his and his brother's decisions to seek service careers derived in part from their inherent of adventure and from the example of their father, a flamboyant Cavalry officer- a 1876 graduate of the US Military Academy whose laurels would ultimately include the Medal of Honor, the Distinguished Service Medal, three Silver Stars, and the formation and initial command of the First Provisional Division. Cort elected to follow his father's footsteps to West Point (Class of 1906), while Jim, epitomizing the friendly rivalry between the brothers, chose Annapolis. As cadet and midshipman, they were wont to wager on the outcome of the traditional Army-Navy football game, with the "loser" invariably taking a good-natured ribbing from the "winner."

The record goes on to note that in July 1907, presumably with degree in hand, Jim was assigned to the battleship Kansas, and a year later, to the destroyer Tnixîon. The following May found him serving aboard the USS Tennessee, where on 29 June he was "commissioned Ensign from 7 June 1909."

In February 1912 he was ordered "to the Tonopah with additional duty under instruction in submarines." The few American subs of this era were essentially Holland "A" type submarine torpedo boats of 1900 vintage, averaging 63 feet in length with a surface displacement of 104 tons, armed with one torpedo, and manned by a crew of one officer and six men. That September, now-lieutenant (jg) Parker was "detached and to command the C-3" one of the Octopus class. Substantially larger than the Hollands, she was 105' 4" in length, displaced 240 tons, had two tubes and four torpedoes, and was crewed by one officer and 14 men.

Horror stories attributed to Uncle Jim, and bruited about the family at the time, told of leaking hulls and mechanical failures, of being trapped for hours, even days, on the ocean floor, with sailors going berserk in their cramped, unnatural confines and becoming blind from guzzling "torpedo juice." This was as well a time of considerable growth in the silent service, and in December 1916, Jim was ordered to "the Navy Yard, Portsmouth, N.H. in connection with fitting out on L-8, and to command that vessel when in commission," as a Regular lieutenant. By comparison to its predecessors, L-8 was a behemoth, for she measured 165', displaced 524 tons, was armed with four tubes, eight torpedoes, and a three-inch deck gun, and her complement was two officers and 26 men. Six months after our entry into WW I came promotion to lieutenant commander, temporary.

About his service in the Great War, the official record is oddly mute, save for brief references to a rough winter crossing of the Atlantic, during which, unknown to the brothers, L-8 was part of the force that escorted the First Division, in whose ranks was Major Cortland Parker. Subsequent contacts with German U-Boats were noted, but "the American boats were credited with no kills." The negative tally probably accrued from a policy whereby, in deference to our British and French allies, most US naval units were assigned to convoy duties rather than aggressive deployment against the forces of the Central Powers.

We also know that in August, 1918 Jim married Julia Langhorne, a young lady whose good looks were surpassed only by her charm and wit. The San Francisco Examiner billed the marriage as "...the society event of the late summer," and referred to the bride as "...a tall willowy brunette of the Gibson type." Theirs had been-and continued to be- a storybook romance, much envied then by his Navy friends and contemporaries. More about them later.

In January 1919 he was "Detached from L-8 and to Naval Inspector Machinery, Fore River Shipbuilding Company, Quincy, Mass, for duty in connection with fitting out the AA-I at Electric Boat Co., and in command when commissioned." Concurrently, he was elevated to "Regular" lieutenant commander. Our most impressive submarine to date, the AA-1 measured 269'5'' in length, displaced 1487 tons, was armed with eight tubes and 16 torpedoes, and mounted a three-inch gun. Her crew numbered four officers and 34 men. After a year as her skipper, Jim did a tour as a faculty member at the Naval Academy, then promoted to full commander, "Regular," it was on to Cavite, Philippine Islands-the "Asiatic Station," as it was termed-to "Command USS Rizal and additional duty command Mine Detachment Sub Divisions."