Lawson P . Ramage Lawson Paterson " Red " Ramage ( 19 January 1909 – 15 April 1990 ) was a vice admiral in the United States Navy and a noted submarine commander during World War II . Ramage was decorated with the Medal of Honor and several other combat decorations during the war . He also served during the Korean War and the Vietnam War . Early life and career . Taking his nickname from his hair color , Ramage was born on 19 January 1909 , in Monroe Bridge , Massachusetts . He graduated from the U . S . Naval Academy in 1931 , having injured his right eye while wrestling , and was subsequently commissioned as an ensign in the U . S . Navy . From 1931 to 1935 , he served aboard several surface ships . He was the navigator of , the engineering officer of , and the radio officer of . Unable to pass the submarine physical examination because of his eye injury , Stephen Moore quotes Ramage : " I took the opportunity to memorize the eye chart so that when I returned I had no problem reading off the eye chart " and getting his approval . Confronted with a subsequent eye examination , Ramage relates he passed the eye examination " by just exchanging the card before my right eye and reading with my left eye in both instances . " In January 1936 , Lieutenant ( jg ) Ramage reported to the ; he would then spend most of his career on submarines . In 1938 , Ramage returned to the Naval Academy for postgraduate education . In September 1939 , Ramage became executive officer of , serving until February , 1941 . Subsequent duty took him to Hawaii as the force communications and sound officer on the staff of Commander , Submarines Pacific Fleet ( ComSubPac ) . World War II . Ramage was highly decorated for heroism during World War II – the Medal of Honor , two Navy Cross es , and the Silver Star Medal . Ramage was stationed at Pearl Harbor on the staff of the Commander , Submarines , Pacific during the surprise Japanese attack on December 7 , 1941 . In early 1942 , he served on his first patrol of the war as the navigator of the . He was awarded the Silver Star Medal as a member of the " Grenadier " ' s crew for " conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity " while patrolling enemy waters . In June 1942 , Lieutenant Commander Ramage assumed his first command – the . Under his command , the " Trout " conducted four war patrols and sank three Japan ese ships . He was awarded the Navy Cross for extraordinary heroism while in command of the USS " Trout " at Midway , Truk , the Solomons , and the South China Sea . During his first patrol aboard , " Trout " ' s fifth , on 28 August 1942 made the first attack that actually scored a hit on a Japanese aircraft carrier , this being " Taiyo " . Ramage found a virtue in his eye injury : I didn ' t have to fool around with the focus knob on the periscope . Before I raised it , I turned the knob all the way to the stop [ extreme focus ] . When the scope came up , I put my bad eye to the periscope and could see perfectly . Promoted to Commander before his second patrol , CDR Ramage and " Trout " intercepted the IJN battleship " Kirishima " on 12 November 1942 . Though he fired five torpedoes , all missed . On his third patrol , " Trout " damaged " Kyokuyo Maru " and " Nisshin Maru " , and sank the " Hirotama Maru " . The Hirotama battle was both a torpedo and deck gun engagement . Of the 14 torpedoes Ramage fired , five were duds . He joined other submarine commanders in his criticism of the Mark 14 torpedo . Ramage ' s last " Trout " patrol , her eighth , in March 1943 was a washout . 15 torpedoes fired , only one low order detonation . It was Admiral Christie ' s view that , " Red had a miss last patrol — many chances and many failures . He is due for a relief and will be sent back to the U . S . for a new boat and rest at the same time . " In May 1943 , Ramage assumed command of the new " Balao " - class submarine , the . Commissioned in November 1943 at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard , Kitery , Maine , transitioned to Pearl Harbor , Hawaii . " Parche " ' s first patrol , in March 1944 , was as part of a U . S . submarine wolfpack with and . The " sub " wolfpack sank seven enemy ships for 35 , 000 tons ; Ramage was credited with two of them for 11 , 700 tons . In June 1944 , " Parche " ' s second patrol was also as part of a wolfpack . This was the submarine patrol that established Ramage ' s reputation . On July 30 , 1944 , the wolfpack made contact with an enemy convoy . In the dark hours before dawn on July 31 , for forty - eight minutes ( " among the wildest of the submarine war " ) Ramage cleared the bridge of all personnel except himself and steamed right into the enemy convoy on the surface , maneuvering among the ships and firing nineteen torpedoes . Japanese ships fired back with deck guns and tried to ram his submarine . With consummate seamanship and coolness under fire , Ramage dodged and twisted , returning torpedo fire for gunfire . . . the attack on the Japanese convoy by Red Ramage was the talk of the U . S . submarine force . In terms of close - in , furious torpedo shooting , there had never been anything like it before . CDR Ramage became the first living Medal of Honor recipient for a submariner . " Parche " ' s third patrol , and Ramage ' s last , was , comparatively , uneventful . No enemy ships were sunk . World War 2 Summary . Medal of Honor action . On 31 July 1944 , Ramage commanded the " Parche " in a dawn assault on a heavily - escorted Japanese convoy , during which the " Parche " sank two enemy ships and badly damaged three others . For this action , he received the Medal of Honor , which was formally presented to him by President Franklin D . Roosevelt on 10 January 1945 . His Medal of Honor citation reads : For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as commanding officer of the U . S . S . " Parche " in a predawn attack on a Japanese convoy , 31 July 1944 . Boldly penetrating the screen of a heavily escorted convoy , Comdr . Ramage launched a perilous surface attack by delivering a crippling stern shot into a freighter and quickly following up with a series of bow and stern torpedoes to sink the leading tanker and damage the second one . Exposed by the light of bursting flares and bravely defiant of terrific shellfire passing close overhead , he struck again , sinking a transport by two forward reloads . In the mounting fury of fire from the damaged and sinking tanker , he calmly ordered his men below , remaining on the bridge to fight it out with an enemy now disorganized and confused . Swift to act as a fast transport closed in to ram , Comdr . Ramage daringly swung the stern of the speeding " Parche " as she crossed the bow of the onrushing ship , clearing by less than 50 feet but placing his submarine in a deadly crossfire from escorts on all sides and with the transport dead ahead . Undaunted , he sent 3 smashing " down the throat " bow shots to stop the target , then scored a killing hit as a climax to 46 minutes of violent action with the " Parche " and her valiant fighting company retiring victorious and unscathed . Following the presentation , Commander Ramage created a certificate for each sailor in his command . The certificate read : The Captain wishes to emphasize the fact that the Medal of Honor was accepted from the President of the United States as the Nation ' s tribute to a fighting ship and her courageous crew . He feels that every officer and man whose loyal cooperation and able assistance contributed to the success of the " " has an equal share in this award which he holds in trust for you . With great pride and respect . Sincerely , L . P . RamageThe USS " Parche " was awarded a Presidential Unit Citation ( 9 ) . Post - World War II . After the war , he continued to serve in command of submarines , being commander of Submarine Division Two and then Commander of Submarine Squadron Six . From 1953 – 1954 , he was commanding officer of the amphibious cargo ship . Following ascent to flag rank in July 1956 , Admiral Ramage was on the staff of the Chief of Naval Operations , and then commander of Cruiser Division Two . In 1963 , serving as Deputy Commander of Submarine Forces , Atlantic Fleet , Admiral Ramage led the search operations for the nuclear submarine that sank in the Atlantic Ocean near Boston , MA . That same year he was promoted to vice admiral , and became Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for fleet operations and readiness . Vice Admiral Ramage was Commander , First Fleet , from 1964 to 1966 during the buildup to the Vietnam War . In 1967 , he become Commander , Military Sea Transportation Service . He retired from the Navy in 1969 . Personal life . On 2 November 1935 , Ramage married Barbara Alice Pine , who was the daughter of U . S . Coast Guard Vice Admiral James Pine . They had two sons and two daughters . Ramage died in his home at Bethesda , Maryland , in 1990 , having succumbed to cancer . He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery . Posthumous honors . The guided missile destroyer was named for him in 1994 . Several submarine - related facilities were also named after him including the administrative building ( Ramage Hall ) of the Submarine Training Facility in Norfolk , Virginia and the headquarters building at Naval Submarine Base New London on August 20 , 2010 .