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Adapted from "Captain Floyd Carson Bedell, Civil Engineer Corps, United States Navy, Retired" [biography, dated 25 May 1951] in Modern Biographical Files collection, Navy Department Library.

Topic
Document Type
  • Biography
Wars & Conflicts
  • World War II 1939-1945
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  • NHHC-Library

Floyd Carson Bedell

10 February 1895 – [no death date]

PDF Version [6.2MB]

Floyd Carson Bedell was born in Carbondale, Pennsylvania, on February 10, 1895, a son of Mrs. Sarah C. (Stephens) Bedell and the late Frank L. Bedell. He attended Central High School, Scranton, Pennsylvania, and the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York, receiving the degree of Civil Engineer in June, 1917. He entered the United States Navy on April 6, 1921 by nationwide competitive examination, and was commissioned in the rank of Lieutenant, junior grade, Civil Engineer Corps. He subsequently attained the rank of Captain to date from June 17, 1942, and was transferred to the Retired List of the Navy on May 1, 1951 after thirty years of naval service.

For four years from June, 1917 he was a Junior Engineer of the US Engineer Office in New York City. Upon entering on active duty in the US Navy in the summer of 1921, he served the next four years in the Public Works Department of the Navy Yard, Pearl Harbor, TH, and in 1925 was reassigned as Project Manager for the Naval Air Station San Diego, California, where he served three years. From 1928 to 1930 he was Public Works Officer of the Submarine Base, Coco Solo, Canal Zone and then returned to the United States for duty at the 11th Naval District Headquarters, San Diego, where he served two years each first as Project Manager for the Destroyer Base, and later as Project Manager and First Lieutenant of the Naval Air Station at San Diego.

In 1934 he was ordered to the Navy Yard, Boston, Massachusetts, and for three years was outside Superintendent, Public Works Department. Ordered to the 16th Naval District, Cavite, Philippine Islands, he was designated Executive Assistant to the District Public Works Officer. During that tour, he had five months temporary duty at the American Embassy, Tokyo, Japan, in 1938, for the purpose of supervising a State Department contract for repair of Embassy buildings. Upon returning to the United Stats in 1939 he reported to the Bureau of Yards and Docks, Navy Department, Washington, DC. In his four-year tour of duty in the Bureau, he served two years as Assistant Project Manager for Aviation, and two years as Project Manager for Radio, Marine Corps and Storage and Sanitation projects. He was awarded a Letter of Commendation by the Secretary of the Navy, the citation stating:

“For outstanding performance of duty…from the outbreak of hostilities to March 20, 1943…Captain Bedell in his last billet organized a highly specialized group of technical personnel to handle the overseas construction program, building Marine corps facilities, Navy Supply Depot, Naval Fuel Depot, and other facilities necessary for the rapidly expanding Fleet. His initiative and administrative ability reflect the highest credit upon (him) and the US Naval service.”

He was detached to duty at the Navy Yard, Mare Island, California and was Public Works Officer and Officer in Charge of Construction for the Bureau of Yards and Docks contracts until June, 1945. During the last two months of the war, he was Officer in Charge of a classified project. He was awarded the bronze star in lieu of second Letter of Commendation from the Secretary of the Navy, stating in part as follows:

“For outstanding performance of duty as Officer in Charge of Construction, US Navy Yard, Mare Island, California, from March 31, 1943 to August 11, 1945. Exercising resourceful initiative and professional skill, (he) ably supervised the planning and installation of facilities at the Navy Yard, at a time when these activities were undergoing unprecedented expansion. By his tireless efforts toward expediting an urgent naval program, (he) rendered invaluable service to the Naval forces of the Pacific…”

In September, 1945 he reported to Headquarters, Commander Marianas Islands, for duty on his staff until the end of 1946. He was consecutively Engineer for Guam; Marianas Islands Engineer; Base Development Officer; Officer in Charge of Construction on Bureau of Yards and Docks contracts; and Officer in Charge, Fifth Naval Construction Brigade (Seabees).

On January 30, 1947 he returned to the Navy Department, and was ordered to the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations for duty as Civil Engineer Member of the Departmental Shore Station Development Board. During that assignment he had temporary additional duty successively in the survey of Pearl Harbor, Guam, Subic Bay, Eniwetok and Luzon, in Pacific. On January 21, 1949 he returned to the Navy Department, and reported to the Senior Member of a survey party for building under the cognizance of the Bureau of Yards and Docks in the Washington, DC area. Throughout 1949 he had similar duty in connection with departmental surveys at various Naval Districts, including 11th, San Diego, California; 5th and 6th, at Norfolk, Virginia and Charleston, South Carolina; 8th, 10th, and 15th, at New Orleans, Louisiana, San Juan, PR, and Coco Solo, Canal Zone, repsectively.

In March, 1950 he was ordered overseas to London, England, to report to the Commander, Naval Forces Europe, on survey and inspection duty. Upon returning to the Navy Department, he resumed duty in the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, where he remained until relieved of active duty as of April 30, 1951 and transferred to the Retired List of the Navy.

In addition to the Commendation Ribbon with Star, Captain Bedell has the American Defense Service Medal; American Campaign Medal; Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal; and the World War II Victory Medal.

Captain Bedell is an associate member of the American Society of Civil Engineers. He is also a member of the Sojourners Lodge, AF&AM, Cristobal, Canal Zone; Scottish Rite 32°, Balboa, CZ; and Ben Ali Temple, AAONMS, Sacramento, California.

END

Published: Thu Sep 05 11:53:44 EDT 2019