November 3-4, 2017 Firearms & Militaria
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 11/3/2017
Comprising: A white Navy jacket with gilt brass buttons, trousers, and white gloves, some yellowing and staining overall. Stamped "Dacey" in several places. Complete with a series of campaign medals from WWII, above the left pocket. Decorations include a Command at Sea badge, the Legion of Merit, American Defense Medal with "FLEET" bar, American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with four stars, European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign with one star, and a WWII Victory Medal. Without any maker's markings. Pair of Rear Admiral's stars are included, but not attached, as is a blue and white Rear Admiral's flag. A son of Biloxi, Mississippi, Dacey graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1938. He received his Ensign commission the next year and reaching Lieutenant Junior 1941. In December of 1941, he was stationed aboard the Battleship California, the flag ship of the Pacific Fleet, which was present in Pearl Harbor during the Japanese attack. The ship suffered several torpedo and bomb hits that shredded the hull below the waterline and detonated an on-board magazine, sinking the vessel to its superstructure and inflicting over 160 casualties. Both the ship and the Lieutenant survived. He became a Lieutenant Commander in 1942 and Commander in 1945, earning the assorted campaign ribbons seen on the shirt. In 1964, he would be appointed commanding officer of the U.S.S. Chicago, a WWII gun cruiser rebuilt, and was one of the Navy's first guided missile cruisers. Among the documents included are the 1938 USNA yearbook "The Lucky Bag", diploma from the USNA, two FDR- signed commissions (Ensign and LTJG), two additional commissions (Lieutenant Commander and Commander, sans Presidential signature), two official USN dispatches congratulating then-Captain Dacey on his pending appointment to the Chicago, a pair of bound picture books related to the commissioning and operation of the Chicago, and Dacey's Legion of Merit citation. This uniform is in very good condition, with the cloth showing some light wear and staining. The documents are generally in fine condition, with a few showing some darkening minor foxing.