Papers (1941-1945) of U.S. Naval officer, USNA Class of 1941, including an autobiographical account, a letter describing experiences aboard the USS West Virginia during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, a letter explaining terms used in letters to avoid censorship, several speeches to civic organizations on his experiences during World War II and his relationsip with Admiral Hyman George Rickover.
Archie P. Kelley (b. 1918) was born in Washington, D.C. His father, Frank H. Kelley, graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy, Class of 1910. Kelley lived up and down the West Coast with his father's various duty assignments. Following his father's path, he attended the Academy and graduated in the Class of 1941. His career began with service aboard the battleship USS WEST VIRGINIA, which he was on during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor (December 7, 1941). After the attack, he served temporary duties in the War Plans Office at Pearl and as navigational officer aboard the WEST VIRGINIA. Kelley's next major assignment was as gunnery officer aboard the destroyer USS GANSEVOORT. Before reporting to duty he married his wife, Rosemary, in Las Vegas. The GANSEVOORT served in four combat actions primarily in support of amphibious landings, the first at Tarawa, in the South Pacific with Admiral Halsey's Task Force 38. Two years later, after being in the Aleutians, the ship returned to Hawaii. Kelley then became executive officer of the USS FRAZIER where he served another year and was involved in support of two more amphibious landings, one at Kwajalein. He was ordered to postgraduate school in naval architecture at MIT, where he was introduced to the study of nuclear physics. This resulted in his assignment to an experimental group investigating ways to decontaminate radioactive ships used in the atomic tests at Bikini. His experience earned him a position serving under Hyman G. Rickover beginning in 1948. Under Rickover, Kelley worked with GE contractors to develop the second nuclear propelled submarine, the USS SEAWOLF, and train its first crew.
The collection contains two letters and several speeches by Archie Kelley detailing his experience as a Captain serving in the United States Navy during World War II. Notably, Kelley survived the bombing of Pearl Harbor while stationed in Hawaii.
Of the two letters, the first is an account of Kelley's experiences during the Pearl Harbor raid, dated January 19, 1942, written to his father. The contents of this letter are also detailed in Kelley's speeches later in life with a few additional details. The other piece of correspondence, dated October 8, 1999, provides definitions explaining terms used to pass censorship in the 1942 letter.
In a typescript copy of a speech given by Kelley to the Coronado Shores Beach Club Kelley describes in-depth his experiences relayed to his father in the correspondence described above, plus childhood memories, social life for naval officers in Hawaii before and after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, and his experiences on the WEST VIRGINIA during the attack. He also mentions his father's experience with the USS WEST POINT rescuing British civilians from Singapore. Kelley discusses his problems with the loss of Marines at Tarawa due to ineffective bombardment and post-Second World War details of his work decontaminating radioactive ships at Bikini. He goes into great detail concerning the background of Admiral Hyman George Rickover's experience with discrimination against Jews in the Navy and the controversy that always dogged him in his Naval career, the development of nuclear-powered submarines by Rickover, i.e. the USS NAUTILUS and the USS SEAWOLF, and the development of the first civilian nuclear power plant. Copies of this speech are available in both digital and paper format.
Gift of Captain Archie P. Kelley
Encoded by Apex Data Services Collection Guide updated by Patrick Cash, 11-2023
Literary rights to specific documents are retained by the authors or their descendants in accordance with U.S. copyright law.
This file was initially stored on a compact disc donated by the creator. The content of disc was unrecoverable and acccess is unavailable. The same speech was delivered under an alternate title by the creator and is availalbe for access in our Digital Collections repository and in Box 1, Folder B. That speech is titled "Loose Guns or Genius? Admiral Hyman George Rickover, the U.S. Navy's Most Hated Man"
This item is also available as a digital file. For access copies, please contant specialcollections@ecu.edu.
This item is also available as a digital file. For access copies, please contant specialcollections@ecu.edu.
This item is also available as a digital file. For access copies, please contant specialcollections@ecu.edu.