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Naval History and Heritage Command

Naval History and Heritage Command

The Navy Department Library

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  • Documentary Histories
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  • World War II 1939-1945
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Fourth Naval District

The boundaries of the Fourth Naval District, to be headquartered at League Island Navy Yard in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, were established on 7 May 1903 in accordance with General Order No. 128, signed by Acting Secretary of the Navy Charles H. Darling. No personnel were assigned to the district staff until late 1915. In 1945 the district, still headquartered in Philadelphia, consisted of the following geographic areas: Pennsylvania, the southern part of New Jersey (including the counties of Burlington, Ocean, and all counties south thereof), and Delaware (including Winter Quarters Shoal Light Vessel). On 7 October 1976 this command absorbed the functions of the First and Third Naval Districts. The Fourth Naval District was disestablished on 30 September 1980.

  1915-1917 CAPT Robert l. Russell 3 December 1915
  1917-1918 CAPT George F. Cooper 25 April 1917
  1918-1920 RADM Charles F. Hughes 21 October 1918
  1920-1923 RADM Louis McCoy Nulton 22 September 1920
  1923-1926 RADM Archibald H. Scales 14 September 1923
  1926-1927 RADM Thomas P. Magruder 5 June 1926
  1927-1930 RADM Julian L. Latimer 5 November 1927
  1930-1933 RADM Lucius A. Bostwick 1 July 1930
  1933-1934 RADM Arthur J. Hepburn 1 August 1933
  1934-1937 RADM William C. Watts 1 June 1934
  1937-1938 RADM Wat T. Cluverius 21 June 1937
  1938-1940 RADM Julius C. Townsend 15 November 1938
  1940-1942 RADM Adolphus E. Watson 22 January 1940
  1942-1945 RADM Milo F. Draemel 30 August 1942
  1946-1949 RADM James L. Kauffman 20 June 1946
  1949-1951 RADM Roscoe E. Schuirmann 29 April 1949
  1951-1954 RADM John H. Brown, Jr. 29 June 1951
  1954-1956 RADM Ernest H. Von Heimburg 1 February 1954
  1959-1961 RADM Charles H. Lyman III 27 February 1959
  1961-1965 RADM Robert W. Cavenagh 15 November 1961
  1965-1968 RADM Robert H. Speck August 1965
  1968-1972 RADM Kenneth L. Veth November 1968
  1972-1975 RADM Joseph L. Coleman December 1972
  1975-1978 RADM Wycliffe D. Toole, Jr. June 1975
  1978 RADM Frederick F. Palmer  
  1979-1980 RADM Carl A. Brettschneider  

Notes: CAPT = Captain, RADM = Rear Admiral.

The administrative records of the Fourth Naval District are located in Record Group (RG) 181.2.3 at the National Archives and Records Administration’s Mid Atlantic Region Archives Facility (Center City Philadelphia) at 900 Market Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19107-4292 (entrance on Chestnut Street, between 9th and 10th Streets), telephone 215-606-0100.

An unpublished 6-volume administrative history of the Fourth Naval District during World War II, known as “World War II Naval Administrative History # 111,” is located in the Navy Department Library. It is unavailable for loan and must be consulted in the library. Photocopying of this manuscript is generally prohibited; the use of digital cameras by researchers is encouraged. Permission to photocopy a limited number of pages may be granted by the reference staff, contingent upon the physical state of the item. Any photocopying of this manuscript shall be done under the close supervision of the reference staff. The use of personal scanners by non-library staff personnel must be approved by the reference staff on a document-by-document basis (Reference: Naval Historical Center Instruction [NAVHISTCENTINST] 5070.1C.). When requesting the administrative history, please specify its number. For example: "I'd like to examine World War Two Admin. History #111."

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Published: Wed Jun 01 10:28:14 EDT 2022