Ralph M. Metcalf papers

Ralph Marion Metcalf was born in Greenfield, IL in 1913, the son of Merrill and Lennie Lea Metcalf. He graduated with distinction from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1935, where he lettered in track and field and was awarded reserve letters in football and gymnastics. He served in USS New Mexico (BB 40) and USS Concord (CL 10) before being accepted in Submarine School in New London, CT in 1939. Prior to beginning classes, he married Helen Achenbach in January 1939. Once he completed Submarine School, he requested duty in S-23 in Hawaii. He qualified for command in the submarine and served in a number of billets.

When World War II began, he patrolled the Aleutian Islands in S-23, S-27, and S-28. In 1942, he was sent to Manitowoc, WI to commission USS Pogij (SS 266) as her executive officer. He made two war patrols in the sub; then he was sent to a relief crew where he outfitted several other submarines. In 1943, he was assigned as CO of USS Pogy and completed her fourth, fifth, and sixth patrols as captain. The sub sank ten enemy ships and earned a Navy Unit Commendation.

In 1944, Metcalf was ordered to USS Loggerhead (SS 374) in Manitowoc. The ship patrolled near Fremantle, Australia, but did not sink any enemy ships. When the war ended, the Loggerhead was decommissioned and he was ordered to commission USS Greenfish (SS 351) in New London, CT. Metcalf' s other assignments included a tour as executive officer of the NROTC unit at the University of Wisconsin, executive officer of USS SpemJ (AS 12), operations officer on the ComSubPac staff, and Commander Submarine Division 12. He attended the Naval War College, where he graduated with the Naval Warfare class of 1954. This was followed by two years in the Joint Intelligence Group, Joint Staff and a stint as Commander Submarine 3 in San Diego, CA He retired at his own request in 1957 after twenty-six years in the Navy and was promoted to rear admiral on the retired list.

Metcalf moved to Saratoga, CA, where he was a program manager at Lockheed Missiles and Space Corporation in Sunnyvale. He worked extensively with the British Polaris Missile Program. He retired from Lockheed in 1978 and joined the staff of Paine Webber as a stockbroker. He retired from Paine Webber in 1996.

Metcalf received two Navy Crosses, a Silver Star, and a Bronze Star for his wartime service. He was a member of the Army-Navy Club, the Outrigger Canoe Club in Hawaii, and theSaratoga Men's Club. In Saratoga, he was involved with the Hakone Foundation that administered a Japanese garden and he was president of the Montalvo Association.

RADM Metcalf died on July 18, 2008 at age 95. He is survived by his daughter, Marshall Metcalf Seymour, and his son-in-law, Jack Seymour, of Arlington, VA, two grandsons, and three great-grandsons.