William R. Munroe

William Robert Munroe (April 8, 1886 – March 1, 1966) was a decorated officer in the United States Navy with the rank of Vice Admiral. He trained as submarine commander and at the beginning of World War II, he served as Commander, Battleship Division 3 during Neutrality Patrol in the Atlantic ocean.

He later served as Commander, Gulf Sea Frontier and Seventh Naval District, tasked with the protection of both coasts of Florida, the Gulf of Mexico, the Yucatan Channel, and most of Cuba against threat of german U-boats. In later 1944, Munroe was promoted to command of United States Fourth Fleet patrolling South Atlantic until the end of War. He graduated from the high school and entered the Baylor University in Waco in summer 1902. Munroe remained there until the end of 1903, when he received an appointment to the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland. While at the Academy, he was nicknamed "Bob" and was active in the German Class committee. Munroe was also fluent in Portuguese and qualified as interpreter.

He graduated with Bachelor of Science degree on June 15, 1908, and served as Passed Midshipman aboard battleship USS Maine during the Cuban Pacification. Munroe was promoted to the rank of Ensign on June 6, 1910, after completing two years at sea required then by law. He then commanded the gunboat USS Biddle and later was transferred to the armored cruiser USS North Carolina, operating in the Caribbean and South Atlantic.

He was then ordered to the Union Iron Works, San Francisco, where he assisted with the fitting out of submarine USS R-17, which was commissioned in mid-August 1918. Munroe then assumed command of the submarine and patrolled off the Panama Canal Zone against possible U-boat attack and returned to San Francisco, California, in February 1919.

Interwar period

Following the war, Munroe was attached to the battleship USS Mississippi, operating with the Pacific Fleet. He was appointed Naval Inspector of Machinery at Naval Submarine Base New London, Connecticut, in May 1921 and served there until December 1922, when he was appointed a member of the Naval Mission to Brazil. Munroe returned to the United States in January 1925 and assumed command of destroyer USS Paul Hamilton. He was promoted to Commander on June 4, 1925.

After two years in Washington, Munroe was ordered back to sea duty and was appointed Commander, Submarine Division 11 in June 1930. He was later transferred to command of Submarine Division 8, but returned to Washington, D.C., in July 1932, when he was attached to the Office of Naval Intelligence under Captain Hayne Ellis as his Assistant Director of Naval Intelligence.

World War II Munroe (right) receives Navy Distinguished Service Medal and his second Legion of Merit from Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz. Following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and United States entry into World War II, Munroe was promoted to Rear Admiral on December 8, 1941, and his command continued in the operations in the Atlantic and returned to Pacific in mid-1942. He then conducted patrols between Hawaii and the West Coast of the United States and was transferred to Miami, Florida, in March 1942 for duty as Commander, Gulf Sea Frontier and Seventh Naval District.

While in this capacity, Munroe was responsible for the protection of both coasts of Florida, the Gulf of Mexico, the Yucatan Channel, and most of Cuba and directed antisubmarine campaign against German U-boats penetrating to the Caribbean. He distinguished himself in this capacity and was decorated with Legion of Merit for his service.

Following his promotion to the temporary rank of Vice Admiral on November 11, 1944, Munroe assumed command of United States Fourth Fleet with additional duty as Commander, South Atlantic Force. While in this capacity, he directed the anti-submarine campaign in the South Atlantic in the last months of World War II. Immediately following the capitulation of Germany, he launched and supervised a program to end the use of many shore facilities of the Navy in South America. Munroe was decorated with Navy Distinguished Service Medal for his service with Fourth Fleet.

By the end of August 1945, Munroe was ordered to San Juan, Puerto Rico, where he held temporary command of Caribbean Sea Frontier for one month, before he was ordered to command of Tenth Naval District with headquarters at Naval Station Great Lakes, Illinois. He held that command until October 1947, when he retired for health reasons after 39 years of active service. For his service in the Caribbean and Miami, Munroe also received foreign decorations from Brazil, Paraguay and Greece.

Retirement

Upon his retirement from the Navy, Munroe worked for the brokerage company Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith and later joined the Union Oil Company of California. He was also a member of Army and Navy Club in Washington, D.C.; New York Yacht Club; and Naval Order of the United States. Munroe was also awarded an honorary LL.D. by the Baylor University in 1943.

Vice Admiral William R. Munroe died on March 1, 1966, aged 79, at his home in La Jolla, California. He was buried with full military honors at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery in San Diego. His wife, Katherine Barnewell Johnson, was buried beside him. They had one son, William Robert Munroe Jr., who also served in the Navy and retired with the rank of Commander.

Decorations

Here is the ribbon bar of Vice Admiral Willard R. Munroe: