Papers (1921-1966) including correspondence, reports, citations, orders, photographs, clippings and miscellaneous items documenting the naval career of Rear Admiral Kenneth Charles Hurd.
Rear Admiral Kenneth Charles Hurd (1902-1977) was a 1925 graduate of the United States Naval Academy. After graduation and sea duty, Hurd attended the Submarine School in New London, CT (1928). After joining the USS S-41 with the Asiatic Fleet in Manila, he returned to the U.S. to pursue post-graduate coursework in marine engineering at the University of California at Berkeley. While there Hurd was severely injured when a fly wheel on an experimental diesel engine shattered (1933), striking him in the face with debris. After a prolonged hospital stay and recuperation, Hurd was attached to the staff of the Commander of Submarines in Washington, D.C. Subsequent submarine-related activities included service in the Panama Canal Zone (1935); command of the USS SEAL (SS-183) in the Philippines (Dec. 7, 1941); receipt of the Navy Cross (Feb. 1942) and three commendations; and divisional and squadron commands. Hurd ended World War II as the commander of Submarine Squadron 32. After the war, he was assigned to inspection duty and trained in amphibious warfare. As captain of APA-47, USS LAMAR, Hurd commanded Transport Division 13 during the Korean Conflict. In 1953 he was given shore duty as head of the Policy and Planning Branch of Naval Intelligence. Hurd retired from active duty in 1955.
Kenneth Charles Hurd was born on November 18, 1902, and was the son of Charles Herman Hurd and Mabel Alcina Smith Hurd. He was married to Lucile Ethel Dunlap on June 11, 1928. Later he married Cornelia MacEwan. Hurd had a son Robert Charles Hurd (December 23, 1937 ~ October 23, 2018) who also had a naval career. Rear Admiral Kenneth Charles Hurd died on October 21, 1977, and is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
Sources:
Kenneth Charles Hurd Papers (#498), East Carolina Manuscript Collection, J. Y. Joyner Library, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina, USA.
Find a Grave entry for Adm. Kenneth Charles Hurd
Obituary for Robert Charles Hurd
Early personal correspondence concerns Hurd's Naval Academy days and describes courses, cruises, and life as a midshipman (1921-1925). Letters to his parents in Michigan are extensive, covering such diverse subjects as surfing in Hawaii (1925), an automobile trip across the U.S. (1928), promotion policies of the Navy (1934), pay cuts (1933), and the effects of the Depression (1934-1939). Life in Panama (1935) and service with the Asiatic Fleet (1928-1930) are also detailed. Much of the correspondence concerns Hurd's accident and hospital stay, along with a libel suit arising from his injury (1933-1934). Sea duty and economic issues are discussed sporadically throughout the personal correspondence.
Official documents (1925-1959) are far more extensive than his personal correspondence. Included are a complete service record, orders, memoranda, correspondence, signal sheets, and repair records. In addition, there are materials concerning Hurd's citations, awards and commendations, moving expenses, medical record (1925-1954), and three cards (1946, 1951, 1954) listing vessels and duty stations for his twenty-nine years of service. The collection also includes photographs, clippings, and miscellaneous items documenting Hurd's career.
Oversized material consists of official documents, a magazine, and a photograph.
February 22, 2024, 3 cubic feet; This addition includes correspondence (1921-1947, bulk are 1920s and 1930s) written by Kenneth Charles Hurd and his wife Lucile to his parents Charles H. Hurd and Mabel A. Smith Hurd. Topics include his years as a student at the U.S. Naval Academy (graduated in 1925), and his duty stations in the Philippines and China with the Submarine Division of the Asiatic Fleet, and in the Panama Canal Zone. Also included is a 1977 Memorial Obituary for Rear Admiral Kenneth Charles Hurd. Gift of Robert Scott Hurd (Admiral Hurd's grandson)
Gift of Cornelia MacEwan Hurd
Gift of Robert Scott Hurd
Processed by J. William Morris III, April 1985
Encoded by Apex Data Services
Updated by N. Hardison, November 2024
Literary rights to specific documents are retained by the authors or their descendants in accordance with U.S. copyright law.