World War II Database

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseDaniel Edward Barbey was born in Portland. He was appointed to the Naval Academy in 1908 and graduated as an Ensign in June 1912, assgiend to the cruiser California upon his graduation. In May 1914, he was transferred to USS Lawrence where he eventually became an executive officer and later commanding officer. He was promoted to the rank of lieutenant (jg) on 8 June 1915, lieutenant on 8 June 1918, lieutenant commander on 15 October 1922, commander in September 1933, and captain in February 1940. During these promotions, received a letter of commendation from the Secretary of the Navy while serving in Mexican waters aboard the Lawrence, and served aboard USS Stevens, base at Cardiff in Wales, base in Constantinople in Turkey, as aide to Admiral Bristol, aboard USS Capella, aboard battleship Oklahoma, Naval Recruiting Station in Portland in United States, aboard cruiser Cincinnati, aboard the USS Ramapo, aide to the Superintendent of the Naval Academy, aboard the USS Lea, Mare Island Naval Ammunition Depot in California, aboard battleship New York, again aboard Ramapo, as Commander of Destroyer Division 17, Bureau of Navigation's War Plans Section in Washington DC, and finally aboard New York before he was assigned to assume the duties of Chief of Staff to Rear Admiral Randall Jacobs of the Commander Service Force Atlantic Fleet, in January 1941.

ww2dbaseAs the war raged on, Barbey served on the staff of Admiral Ernest King as he was promoted to the rank of rear admiral in June 1942. He commanded the Navy's first Amphibious Warfare Section after organizing the new section. By June 1943, six months after he arrived in Australia, he had turned a small training commanding into a major amphibious operation and was ready for combat missions. He led the Seventh Amphibious Force in landings in Kiriwina, Woodlark, Lao, Finschhafen, Arawe, and Cape Gloucester during the later half of 1943. By 1944, the force took part in over twenty landings, including key landings in the Philippines. Barbey was promoted to the rank of vice admiral on 9 December 1944.

ww2dbaseAfter WW2, Barbey remained with the Seventh Amphibious Force while taking on a concurrent duty as the commander of the US Seventh Fleet from November 1945 to 8 Jan 1946. After his service as the commander of the US Fourth Fleet, he became the Far East Chairman of the Joint Military Board in February 1947. He held several more positions after that, including the Commandant of the Tenth Naval District, Commander Caribbean Sea Frontier, and posts in the 13th Naval District. He retired from Navy service on 30 June 1951, and passed away in Bremerton, Washington, in 1969.

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