Papers (undated) of USNA class of 1941 officers, including accounts of service in the USS PHOENIX (CL-46) and the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor along with published articles he wrote on nuclear power, macro operations analysis and modern war.
Francesco Costagliola was born on August 24, 1917, in Cranston, Rhode Island and later moved to Providence, RI. In 1941, he graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. When the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor occurred in December of 1941, Costagliola was serving as a gunnery officer on the USS Phoenix (CL-46). During his 30 years of service in the U.S. Navy, he commanded the USS Halsey Powell (DD-686) during the Korean war, and later the USS Firedrake (AE-14). He married his wife, Agnes, in 1952 and they had four daughters. After retiring from the Navy, Costagliola was appointed as commissioner on the Atomic Energy Commission by President Lyndon B. Johnson. Costagliola died on June 22, 2013, at the age of 95.
The USS Phoenix (CL-46) was a cruiser serving the U.S. Navy from 1938 to 1946. The ship was laid down in Camden, New Jersey, on April 15, 1935, and was launched on March 13, 1938. She was commissioned on October 3, 1938, and was named in honor of Phoenix, Arizona. Following its shakedown runs, the ship was operated near Pearl Harbor and was present during the Japanese attack on the military base in December of 1941. The Phoenix was unharmed during the attack and joined an impromptu task force searching for enemy aircraft carriers, though the task force was unsuccessful.
Written April 2024
This collection consists of papers compiled by US Navy Captain Francesco Costagliola, including materials related to his service on the USS Phoenix during World War II. Included in the collection is an issue (1945) of "The Phoenix Flame", an informal magazine written by service members of the USS Phoenix; a typewritten paper (1986) on Costagliola's service on the Phoenix from 1941 to 1943 along with an excerpt (undated) from "The Rising Sun in the Pacific" with a map of Pearl Harbor; an issue (1971) of the magazine "Vital Specials of the Day", which includes the article "Nuclear Power" written by Costagliola; a reprint (1984) of "Modern War", a magazine article written by Costagliola; typewritten papers (1988, undated) written by Costagliola entitled "An Environmental Model" and "Macro Operations Analysis"; a typewritten résumé (undated) with Costagliola's experience and education; and a typewritten letter (1988) to Mark Genrich, editor of the Arizona Gazette, on the USS Phoenix.
Gift of Capt. Francesco Costagliola, USN (Ret)
Encoded by Apex Data Services
Literary rights to specific documents are retained by the authors or their descendants in accordance with U.S. copyright law.