Naval History and Heritage Command

Finding aid (Word)

Biographical Note

Jacob Jacobson was born on 10 December 1894 in Frankfort, Michigan. He attended Frankfort High School and Michigan State College, now Michigan State University, at East Lansing before entering the U.S. Naval Academy. A member of the Class of 1918, which was graduated one year early, Jacobson received his commission as Ensign on 28 June 1917.

Following graduation from the academy, Jacobson served on USS Ohio, which operated with the Atlantic Fleet during World War I. Detached from Ohio in November 1919, he was transferred to USS Tennessee. Jacobson served on Tennessee until September 1922, when he was assigned to the Naval Postgraduate School at Annapolis, Maryland, for training in ordnance engineering. He continued his graduate education at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he received a Master of Science degree in 1924.

In September 1924, he reported to the Washington Navy Yard, and returned to sea duty on USS Arizona the following March. Jacobson served on Arizona for three years before being returning to Washington as Officer-in-Charge of the Fire Control School at the Naval Gun Factory. Reassigned in May 1930, he spent the next three years as Officer-in-Charge, Battle Force Camera Party. Named Inspector of Optical Material at the Bausch and Lomb Optical Company in Rochester, New York, in May 1933, Jacobson held that post until 1935.

In June of that year, he reported to USS Indianapolis as gunnery officer. After one year on Indianapolis, Jacobson was assigned as gunnery officer on the staff of Commander Cruisers, Scouting Force. He returned to the U.S. in July 1938, serving as Head of the Gunnery Section, Division of Fleet Training in the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations. Jacobson held this post until March 1941 when he left to become executive officer on USS Colorado. He assumed command of the auxiliary transport Wharton in February 1942, and was promoted to Captain in June before departing Wharton in November.

After brief duty with the Bureau of Personnel, he assumed command of USS Milwaukee, on patrol duty in the South Atlantic. Relieved of command of Milwaukee in July 1943, he returned to the Navy Department, serving in the Bureau of Ordnance until January 1945. The following month he reported as commanding officer of Naval Operating Base, Leyte, and on 3 April was promoted to the temporary grade of Commodore.

He returned to the Bureau of Ordnance for three months temporary duty and in July 1946 became commanding officer of the Naval Ammunition Depot in Crane, Indiana. Jacobson reverted to his permanent rank of Captain on 15 August 1946. He was transferred to the Retired List with the rank of Commodore on 30 June 1949, and continued his service at Crane for an additional year following his retirement from active duty. Commodore Jacobson died on 5 November 1951.

Scope and Content Note

This collection contains the papers of Commodore Jacob Jacobson. There is a small amount of correspondence, but most of the material was collected by Jacobson during his Navy career. The collection is divided into two series.

Series I, Correspondence, holds personal and official correspondence from Jacobson's tours of duty with Bausch and Lomb and as commanding officer of Naval Operating Base, Leyte. The correspondence is arranged chronologically.

The second series, Miscellaneous, contains news clippings and programs for the first anniversary of General Douglas MacArthur's landing at Leyte and the dedication of the USAF cemetery in the Philippines. Also in this series are a 1922 Ordnance Pamphlet on the manufacture of torpedoes, an essay on photograph interpretation, and a 1941 roster of officers on USS Colorado. This series is arranged alphabetically.

Preferred Citation

This collection should be cited as Papers of Jacob H. Jacobson, Archives Branch, Naval History and Heritage Command, Washington, D.C.

Subject Headings (LCSH)

National Cemeteries.
Torpedoes--United States.
Photographic Interpretation.
USS Colorado (Ship)
Bausch & Lomb, Inc.
United States. Navy--History--Sources