which can be tied to the recipient, he has an opportunity to take a look backwards into history, and when this turns out to be a family group, it is just that much more interesting’. Chief Gunner Cornelius Cronin USN was born in Detroit, Michigan, on March lO, 1838. As a young man of 17, he sailed on the lumber schooners plying the Great Lakes, carrying lumber from the white pine forests of Northern ~ichigan to Detroit. He then served with the U. S. Coast and Geodetic Survey, and while with them, helped survey the Florida Keys, and on Seotember 17, 1858, he enlisted in the U. S. Navy to begin a long and colorfu! career. Crouin was a member of the crew of the "Brooklyn" during the Battle of New Orleans and at Fort Jackson and at Fort St. Ph!llip from April 16th thru April 28th, when New Orleans surrendered in 1862. He Participated in the first sei~e of Vicksburg, including an engagement of the fleet with the ram "Arkansas", On August 5, 186~, Chief Quartermaster Cronin was aboard the "USS Richmond" and participated in the Battle of Mobile Bay for which he was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor, General Orders 45, 31 December 186~. The official citation reads as follows: "On Board the USS Richmond in action at Mobile Bay on 5 August 1864. Cool and viligent at his sta- tion throughout the prolonged action, Cronin watched for signals and skillfully steered the ship as she trained her guns on Fort Morgan and on ships of the Confederacy despite heavy return fire. He participated in the action at Forts Jackson and St. Phillip’s, with the Chalmette bat- teries, at the surrender of New Orleans and at the attacks on the bat- teries below Vicksburg". End of citation. Chief Quartermaster Cronin’s picture appears on page 6~ of Deeds of Valor as Chief Quartermaster, USS Richmond Chapter entitled "Heroic Deeds at Vobile Bay, 5 August 186~. His eye witness account comprises most of this chaoter. Later he served aboard the USS Sabine during the expedition against Para.~uay’s dictator, Lopez in 1865. Chief Gunner Cronln was retired due to ill health in 1898 but was recalled to active duty two years later. He died on 18 August 1912, just four years after his second retire- ment to inactive duty, having served in the United ~tates Navy for 50 years, lacking one month. His Medal of Honor, Civil War Campaign #57, Spanish ~4ar Campaign#16, and New York State Spanish Campaign ~407 medals are sho~n in photo #l. The engraved reverse of Cronin’s %~ of H is shown in photo @2, engraved as follows: "Personal Valor, Cornelius Cronin Chief Quartermaster USS Richmond Mobile Bay, August 5, 186~" Colonel Gerald Cronin, USAR, was the son of Chief Gunner Cronin, at- tending the University of Detroit and obtaining a law degree. In addi- tion to practicing law, he was on the staff of Immigration Department in Detroit, Michigan. Col. Cronin was a reserve officer, serving on the Mexican Border duri- ng ¯ ~41 and photo #3 shows his Campaign Medals and Society Medals as follows: I - Mexican CamDaign. 2 - Victory Medal WWI. 3 - New York State Mexican Campaign. 4 - New York State ~g~I. 5 - Military Order of Foreign Wars of United States. 6 - ~ilitary Order of the ~4orld ~rar. 7- (Unidentified). 8 - ~.~edal of Honor Legion 2nd Class. 9 - ~litary Order of the Loyal Legion. It is Interestin~ to note Col. Cronin’s Medal of Honor Legion, 2nd Class which he wore as the son of a ~ of H recipient, as he belonged to the Medal of Honor Leg!ou as next of kin after the death of his father. Col. Cronin died in St. Petersburg, Florida in 1966. On 19 October 1943, in the yards of the DeFoe shipbuilding company, Bay City, Michigan, the keel was laid for another destroyer escort vessel The USS Cronin (OE-704). The ship was launched on 5 January 19~, and christened by Mrs. Elizabeth Bain Cronin, daughter-in-law of the late Chief Gunner Cornelius Cronin USN for whom the ship was named. (Inter- esting highlight, her grandfather Baln earned the Crimea in the British Statistics on the USS Cronin "Overall length, 306 feet: Beam, 37 feet~ displacement, 1,<u00 tons; Speed, 2~ knots plus. The USS Cronin was placed in commission on May 5, 19Q~, at which time Lieutenant Commander A. G. Cooke USNR, assumed command of the shin." "After her shakedown and training period from May 5 to July 22, 19Qua, the Cronin was assigned to convoy duty in Atlantic and Mediterranean waters, operated as a convoy escort until November. Her convoy voyages were uneventful exceot for the rescue of 24 merchant seamen from the Brit- ish ~erchant vessel George ~. ~cKnlght (a ship of convoy USG 56) when it collided with the SS Howard L. Gibson on the night of October 14, 19~ off the Azores. On November 19, 191~, the Cronin was relieved of duty in the Atlantic and oroceeded to the ~Jestern Pacific area where, on January 23, 1945, the destroyer escort reported to Commander Phillippine Sea Frontier for duty. The De 704, reassumed her convoy escort duties, operating in the Phil- iopine area from January 30 to May 26, 1945. She was then assigned to anti-submarine patrol duty around Manila, Subic Bay, and Mindoro, P.I. which continued until August 14, 19~5. From September 14 to November 7, 19@5, the Cronin participated in the occupation of Korea and China and also served as anti-mine escort in the same areas. On January 20, 1946, with her wartime duties over, the USS Cronin re- ported to the Commander Flag Group, Sixteenth Fleet, for eventual inacti- vation. By Directive dated January 1947, the escort vessel was to be placed out of commission, in reserve, attached to the U.S. Atlantic Reser- reflect. The USS Cronin (DE 704) earned the Navy Occupation Service Medal Pacific, for her activities during the periods of ~eptember 2 to October 7, 19~5~ and October 18 to November ll, 19~5. .