Evening star., 1942-10-18
Navy Reorganizes
Bureau Of Ships,
Shifting Chiefs
Copt. Coehrore Replaces
Admiral Van keuren
AS Heed Of Unit

ton of the Navy Department 6u-
reau of Ships, which has charge of
all designing, construction and
maintenance Of American warships,
was announced yesterday by Sec
retary of the Navy Knox.
Capt. Edward L. Cochrane, so.
now on duty in the bureaus design
division, will replace Rear Admiral
Alexander H. Van Keuren, 81, as
chief of the bureau on November /.
Capt. Earle w. Mills. IS. also il
the design division, will become as
sistant chief of the bureau. replac-
ing Rear Admiral Claud A. Jones, 81.
Admiral Van Keuren will become
director of the Naval Research
Laboratory at Anacostia and I'd
miral Jones will be assistant to the
chief of the Office Of Procurement
and Material.
Admiral Bowen Shifted.
Rear Admiral Harold G., Bowen,
SO, present director Of the research
laboratory, was named to duty in
the office of the Undersecretary of
the Navy.
Under ordinary naval procedure,
Capt. Cochrane, who lives at 3l10
Thirty-third place NV, will be
promoted to rear admiral as the
head of bureau. He has been as
signed to the design division since
194l and had two previous tours
of duty here in the old Bureau of
Construction and Repair, from 1924
to 1927 and from 1885 to l940
The son of a Marine Corps briga-
dier general, Capt. Cochrane was
born at Mare Island, Calf. He
graduated from the Naval Academy
in 1914 and saw du+y on the U. S. S.
Rhode Island and in the Phila-
delphia Navy Yard during the World
War.
Appeared at Hearings.
Admiral Van Keuren, a native of
Michigan, graduated from the Naval
Academy in 1903 ardshas specialized
on ship construction problems since
1906, During the last few years he
has been one Of the Navy's best
known officers at House and Senate
hearings where he has appeared to
discuss the warsilip building pro-
gram.
He assumed duty as chief of the
old Bureau Of Construction and Re-
pair for four-year term in 1899,
and when that was combined with
the Bureau of Engineering in 1910
fO,-r1, p11roo,I of
became assistant chief of the new
bureau. He was made chief last
February.
Admiral Van Keuen was awarded
a special letter of commentator by
the Navy Department for design
work on protection of merchant YES
sells during the World War. He was
on duty here in the design divi-
sion of the old Bureau of Construc-
ton and Repair from 1916 to 1920
and again from 1927 until 1886.
Saw Immediate Service.
Capt. Mills, a native of Little
Rock, Ark, was graduated from
the Naval Academy in 1917 and saw
immediate World War duty, with the
Atlantic Fleet aboard the U. S. S.
Minnesota After serving on various
other ships and taking post -gradu-
ate instruction in electrical engi-
neering, he reported for duty in the
Bureau of Engineering here in 1888.
From 1887 to 1889 he was engineer
officer on the staff of the COM
mander of destroyers with the battle
force. Another tour of duty in the
Bureau of Engineering here was in
terrupted by assignment to London
as assistant naval attache in Sep
tember. 1940 Two months later he
was returned to duty in the Bureau
of Ships.
Admiral Jones. native of West
Virginia and 1906 graduate of the
Naval Academy, holds the Medal of
Honor for extraordinary heroism"
as senior engineer officer aboard the
U. S. S. Memphis when that vessel
was suffering total destruction
from a hurricane" off Santo Do
mingo in 1916.
Served in European Capitals.
His long experience in the Bureau
Of Engineering here began in 1920.
After three years, he was detached
to serve as assistant naval attache
at London, Paris, Rome, Berlin and
The Hague before returning in 1925
for another four-year assignment
After service with the feet Ad-
miral Jones was ordered back to
the Bureau of Engineering in 1881.
becoming assistant chief in 1885.
He was head of the shipbuilding di-
vision of the Bureau of Ships from
June, 1910, until last January 81,
when he assumed duty as assistant
chief of the nes. bureau with spe-
cial responsibility in connection
the shipbuilding program. He lives
here at 2lo1 Connecticut avenue
NV.
Admiral Bowen, who was born at
Providence, r. l., is a 1905 graduate
of the Naval Academy. He was
made aide and ..eet engineer on the
staff Of the commander in chief
of the Pacific Fleet in May. 1917
seeing later World War service at
sea as engineer officer on the U. S. S.
Arizona. He won special letter OF
commentator for ''meritorious
service" with the Pacific Fleet.
He served as assistant chief OF the
Bureau of Engineering from 1881
to 1885, when he was made chief Tor
a four-year term. He has been di-
rector of the Naval Research Lab
oratory since 1889 with varied ad-
ditional duties, including that OF
operating the Federal Shipbuilding
a. Dry Dock Co. plant at Kearny,
N. d., when 1t was taken over by the
Government last year.
!