But then the captains that followed him were rather isolated.” That was in the early part of the war when the captain was in pretty close contact with the officers and the crew. While captain of our ship he spent a great deal of time studying the strategy and tactics of the war which I’m sure were a great benefit to our purposes after he achieved flag rank. I felt his failure was not being properly appreciative of his subordinates. I believe we were fortunate is nothing only having but not having had too long as a captain, Admiral Badger. “We had a succession of very capable commanding officers and executive officers. We thought he was going with us but he left in Norfolk.” Sorry to see him leave when we were going to the Pacific. He was a tough disciplinarian but he was really good. He was a destroyer squadron leader when he came aboard the NORTH CAROLINA. He made a lot of innovations like soup for the mid watch. Badger – “He was the enlisted man’s captain, he really was. Commander Joe Stryker, Executive Officer Any change you want to make, you tell me and I’ll make it but we don’t need too many.” If you will kind of let us alone and let us run this ship the way we have been, I will guarantee in six months that I will graduate you number one in your class for flag rank. When I got a new captain on that ship, I would go up and talk to him in his cabin, and with a twinkle in my eye, I would say, ‘Now captain, we’ve got a pretty good ship going. I never allowed the captains to know too much. However, the captain never knew what was going on. I was always very happy to be with any of them. Every one of them went ahead and had distinguished careers during World War II as flag officers (admirals). I only got to know them for about six months, because at that time, they were always detached. “My commanding officers were, without exception, fine, excellent men. But they had to wait their turn and they had to have a certain amount of sea duty and this was it.” They would never have gotten the command in the first place. “All of these guys were selected (to make admiral) long before they ever got command (of the NORTH CAROLINA).
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