Andrew McKee Rear Admiral Andrew I . McKee ( February 17 , 1896 in Lawrenceburg , Kentucky - January 24 , 1976 ) was a pioneer in modern submarine design and development . The destroyer USS Schenck ( DD - 159 ) was named for his maternal great - grandfather , Admiral James F . Schenck . McKee graduated from the United States Naval Academy at the top of his class in navigation and was commissioned an Ensign in March 1917 . He served with USS Huntington until he severely injured both legs in a fall from the mast in August 1917 . He was declared unfit for sea duty and assigned first to the Naval Academy as a navigation and physics instructor and then as the supervisory naval constructor at Bethlehem Steel Corporation Fore River Shipyard in Quincy , Massachusetts pending admission to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology ( MIT ) . In 1921 he received a Master ' s Degree in Naval Architecture from MIT and was assigned to the Navy Construction Corps . McKee was assigned to Portsmouth Naval Shipyard following graduation and then transferred to the New London , Connecticut submarine base in 1924 . McKee became ship type assistant of submarine design for the Navy Bureau of Construction and Repair in Washington from 1926 to 1930 , where he directed the design of USS Dolphin ( SS - 169 ) from which evolved the successful fleet submarines of World War II . McKee served as new construction superintendent at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard from 1930 to 1934 and as hull superintendent at the Mare Island Naval Shipyard from 1934 to 1938 . In the latter post , he oversaw introduction of the all - welded pressure hull techniques pioneered building USS Sturgeon ( SS - 187 ) . Captain McKee worked in submarine planning , design and construction as the Design Superintendent of the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard from 1938 to 1945 and was awarded a Legion of Merit for his service there . His accomplishments at Portsmouth included receipt of a Letter of Commendation from the Secretary of the Navy for participation in the rescue and salvage of USS Squalus ( SS - 192 ) in 1939 , receipt of the Linnard Foundation award in 1940 , and implementation the pressure hull improvements allowing Balao class submarine s to safely dive to 600 feet , rather than the nominal 300 - foot depth limitation for Gato class submarine s . In 1945 , he joined the staff of Commander Service Force , Pacific Fleet , as senior assistant fleet maintenance officer aboard USS Mount McKinley ( AGC - 7 ) . " Mount McKinley " was anchored at Kerama Retto , where Captain McKee was given primary responsibility for inspecting ships damaged during the Battle of Okinawa , and deciding which ones should be repaired . He was awarded a Bronze Star , and also a Gold Star in lieu of a second Legion of Merit for this assignment . Captain McKee was promoted to Commodore and took command of the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard following VJ - Day . He retired from active duty of July 1 , 1947 and was advanced to Rear Admiral on the basis of his combat decorations . Following retirement , Admiral McKee worked as a research and design engineer for the Electric Boat Division of the General Dynamics corporation in Connecticut until 1961 and as a senior technical advisor until 1974 . He was awarded the David W . Taylor Medal of the Society of Naval Architects and Engineers in 1956 . He died unexpectedly on January 24 , 1976 during surgery in New York City . Namesake . The submarine tender USS McKee ( AS - 41 ) is named for him .