Naval History and Heritage Command

Finding aid (Word)

Biographical Note

Daniel Edward Barbey was born in Portland, Oregon on 23 December 1889. Appointed to the Naval Academy in 1908, he graduated and was commissioned an Ensign in June 1912. Assigned to the armored cruiser California following graduation, Barbey served there until May 1914 when he was transferred to USS Lawrence. He remained on Lawrence until October 1916, serving first as engineering officer and subsequently as executive officer and commanding officer. While on Lawrence, Barbey was promoted to Lieutenant (jg) on 8 June 1915.

Detached from Lawrence, Barbey joined the gunboat Annapolis as engineering officer, receiving a Letter of Commendation from the Secretary of the Navy during the ship's service in Mexican waters. From December 1917 until May 1918, he assisted with the fitting out of destroyer USS Stevens. Following her commissioning on 24 May, he assumed the duties of executive officer. Promoted to Lieutenant on 8 June 1918, Barbey remained on board Stevens until December.

In January 1919, Barbey was assigned to the Naval Base at Cardiff, Wales and, beginning in July of that year, served as Naval Port Officer at Cardiff. Transferred to duty at U.S. Naval Headquarters in London, he served in that assignment until November 1919 when he reported for duty as Naval Port Officer, Constantinople, Turkey. In October 1920, he was assigned additional duty as an aide on the staff of Rear Admiral Mark L. Bristol, Commander U.S. Naval Detachment in Turkish Waters and High Commissioner to Turkey. Relieved of his duties as Naval Port Officer in July 1921, he continued as aide and flag secretary to Admiral Bristol. During this time, Barbey served as the U.S. delegate on the Allied Commission for the Control of Trade with Turkey and also acted as an observer with the Russian Army in the Crimea.

Following his return to the U.S. in February 1922, he joined USS Capella. In June of that year, Barbey reported to USS Oklahomaas assistant engineering officer, and was promoted to Lieutenant Commander on 15 October. After departing Oklahoma in June 1923, he spent two years as Officer in Charge of the Portland Navy Recruiting Station until reporting to USS Cincinnati in June 1925. He had duty as Cincinnati's engineering officer until being reassigned in August 1926.

From February 1927 through June 1928, Barbey was executive officer on USS Ramapo. After spending three years as Aide to the Superintendent of the Naval Academy, Barbey returned to sea duty in June 1931, assuming command of USS Lea. After two years in command of Lea, Barbey reported to Mare Island Naval Ammunition Depot in California in July 1933, and was promoted to Commander that September. His title changed to Inspector of Ordnance in Charge, Barbey served at Mare Island until February 1935, when he was reassigned to the battleship New York as first lieutenant and damage control officer. In April 1936, he rejoinedRamapo as commanding officer.

Barbey commanded Ramapo for only two months before becoming Commander of Destroyer Division 17. Holding that command until June 1937, Barbey next was assigned to the Bureau of Navigation's War Plans Section in Washington, DC. During this assignment, he wrote mobilization plans that would be used during the coming war. Promoted to Captain in February 1940, he left the Bureau in May to command USS New York. Reassigned in January 1941, Barbey departed New York to assume the duties of Chief of Staff to Rear Admiral Randall Jacobs, Commander Service Force Atlantic Fleet.

From May to December 1942, Barbey served on the staff of Admiral Ernest King, Commander in Chief U.S. Fleet. Advanced to the rank of Rear Admiral in June, he organized and became head of the Navy's first Amphibious Warfare Section and engaged in developing and evaluating designs for landing craft.

He reported for duty as Commander, Amphibious Force, Southwest Pacific Force and Commander, Amphibious Force, Seventh Fleet on 8 January 1943. Arriving in Port Stevens, Australia with less than a dozen officers, he turned a small training command into a major amphibious operation. By June, the Seventh Amphibious Force was ready for its first combat mission. Redesignated Commander, Seventh Amphibious Force, Pacific Fleet, he led the Seventh Amphibious Force in landings at Kiriwina, Woodlark, Lao, Finschhafen, Arawe and Cape Gloucester during the latter half of 1943. By 1944, the Seventh Amphibious Force had stepped up its activities, taking part in some 20 landings, including New Guinea, Schouton Islands, Molucca Islands, and the Philippines. Advanced to Vice Admiral on 9 December 1944, Barbey commanded 30 assaults over the following year, mostly in the Philippines and Borneo. The final amphibious operation of the war was made at Balikpapan, Borneo on 1 July 1945 under Barbey's leadership.

Following the end of World War II, Barbey continued to serve as an amphibious commander. He remained with the Seventh Amphibious Force, having additional duty as Commander Seventh Fleet from November 1945 to 8 January 1946. In March 1946 he became Commander Amphibious Forces Atlantic Fleet, holding this post until September when he was named Commander Fourth Fleet. Barbey traveled to the Far East as Chairman of the Joint Military Board in February 1947, reporting on strategic requirements in that area. He returned to the U.S. the following month, becoming Commandant of the Tenth Naval District and Commander Caribbean Sea Frontier.

After more than three years in that post, Barbey was transferred to the 13^th Naval District. His last active duty assignment, he assumed the duties of Commandant in September 1950. Admiral Barbey was transferred to the retired list on 30 June 1951. He died in Bremerton, Washington on 11 March 1969.

Scope and Content Note

This collection contains personal and official papers of Vice Admiral Daniel E. Barbey. Much of material relates to the Seventh Amphibious Force, and contains both wartime documents and recollections of veterans who served under Barbey. Parts of the collection, such as the correspondence in Series I, were collected by Barbey for use in the preparation of his book MacArthur's Amphibious Navy, published in 1969 by the Naval Institute Press.

The collection is arranged in 11 series. Series I, Correspondence, contains both incoming and outgoing mail. Most of the correspondents are veterans who served with Barbey in the Seventh Amphibious Force. Written after the war, they were used by Barbey in the preparation of his book MacArthur's Amphibious Navy. The Correspondence series is arranged alphabetically.

Series II, Action Reports, contains wartime reports written by Task Forces, Task Groups, and individual ships. There is a large body of reports from the Seventh Amphibious Force on specific landing operations, including Balikpapan, Brunei, Leyte, Lingayen Gulf, and Morotai. The Action Reports are arranged alphabetically by the name of the command.

In Series III, Operations Plans, are plans and orders developed during World War II. It includes plans written at the level of Allied Naval Forces SOWESPAC as well as orders and plans for the Seventh Amphibious Force and specific Task Groups. This series is arranged alphabetically the name of the command.

Series IV, Subject Files, contains files kept by Barbey on various topics. Subjects include individual ships and personnel, specific countries and Pacific locations, and general topics such as amphibious warfare. The files are arranged alphabetically.

Series V, War Diaries, contains war diaries for the Seventh Amphibious Force and ships that participated in various Pacific operations. They are arranged alphabetically by the name of the command.

In Series VI, Publications, are miscellaneous published items collected by Barbey. Included are A World with Bulk Cargo Aircraft, 1956; All Hands, 1944; Answer to Japan, 1944; Battle of Midway, 1948; Battle of the Coral Sea, 1947; USS Catoctin; The Gator, 1962; Guide to Brisbane, Australia and Suburbs; International Security: The Military Aspect, 1958; Philosophers, Principles, and Naval Organization, 1955-1956; The Seabees in World War II, 1962; Ship to Shore Movement, 1943; USS Talbot County (LST-1153) Brochure, 1962; and War in the Pacific, 1946. The publications are arranged alphabetically by title.

Series VII, Mosher Files, contains material from the files of Captain John S. Mosher, Intelligence Officer for the Seventh Amphibious Force from February 1943 to June 1944. Included are Mosher's correspondence, papers from the Army and Navy Staff College, and copies of lectures. The Mosher Files are arranged alphabetically.

Series VIII, Photographs, contains aerial photographs of Pacific islands. They are arranged alphabetically by name.

Series IX, Commendations and Decorations, contains index cards listing information on personnel and ships of the Seventh Amphibious Force. Cards for ships are groups separately following those for personnel. Both sets of cards are arranged alphabetically.

Series X, Ships' Location Cards, contains cards for individual ships attached to the Seventh Amphibious Force listing their locations on specific dates. The cards are arranged by ship type.

The final series, Series XI, contains maps of Pacific ocean areas and islands.

Preferred Citation

This collection should be cited as Papers of Vice Admiral Daniel E. Barbey, USN, Archives Branch, Naval History and Heritage Command, Washington, D.C.

Subject Headings (LCSH)

United States. Navy--History--Sources.
World War, 1939-1945--Amphibious operations.
World War, 1939-1945--Naval operations.
World War, 1939-1945--Medals--United States.
United States. Navy--Medals, badges, decorations, etc.
Islands--Philippines.