Roy M . Davenport Rear Admiral Roy Milton Davenport ( June 18 , 1909 – December 24 , 1987 ) was an officer in the United States Navy . He is the first individual and only sailor to be awarded five Navy Cross es , the United States military ' s second highest decoration for valor . Admiral Davenport was awarded these military decoration s while serving as a submarine commander in the Pacific during World War II . Davenport made 10 submarine war patrols , six as commanding officer . It was during these six patrols , in command of " Gato " - class submarines USS " Haddock " and USS " Trepang " , that he received five Navy Crosses , two Silver Star Medals , two Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal s , two Presidential Unit Citations , Combat Action Ribbon , and the Navy Unit Commendation Ribbon . Besides nine additional military award s , he was awarded the Submarine Combat Patrol Insignia with 2 silver star devices ( for ten war patrols ) . These are documented in his autobiography , " Clean Sweep " , 1986 . A student of Christian Science , Davenport was dubbed the " praying skipper " and was known for his daring attacks against Japanese ships , often executed on the surface to gain additional speed . In all , he was credited during the Pacific War with sinking 17 Japanese ships and damaging 10 , but this was reduced to 8 by JANAC postwar evaluations . While none of the men under his command were lost , he and his crews experienced many close calls and escapes . He credited his religious faith for his successes . History . Davenport was born in Kansas City , Kansas , and grew up in the Midwest . In June 1933 he graduated from the U . S . Naval Academy as an ensign . In 1935 , he married Jane Andre Gorham , who would be his wife for 52 years ; together they had two daughters , Delia ( Davenport ) Gruenig and Bonnie ( Davenport ) Byhre . His first naval assignment was on the battleship " Texas " . The next year he attended Submarine School in New London , Connecticut . Upon graduation he was temporarily assigned to the training ship " R - 2 " until the " Cachalot " arrived on the East Coast to be re - engined . After some time in Panama , he arrived in Pearl Harbor in June , 1939 . In 1941 , Davenport was serving in " Silversides " , as Executive Officer under Lt . Cdr . Creed Burlingame . After four patrols aboard , Burlingame recommended him for a command of his own . Beyond the expected and usual depth charging after attacks on ships , there were close escapes . Once , a Japanese airplane dropped 3 bombs directly on the Silversides . The sub survived ; although during escape , it went into a hard dive with bow planes jammed , exceeding its design depth . At the last moment , Exec Davenport removed a cotter key , enabling the sub to level off to avoid being crushed . On another occasion , a torpedo , half stuck in the firing chamber required re - firing . If unsuccessfully re - fired , it could have sunk the sub . Another time , Davenport had to wrestle a pistol from a drunken gunner ' s mate who felt that he had been robbed in a dice game . The sailor was removed from the sub in a straitjacket . Davenport was given " Haddock " , replacing Art Taylor , who was relieved at the orders of Admiral Robert English for circulating " subversive literature " ( a poem critical of English and his staff ) . " Haddock " achieved three successful patrols ; Davenport ' s first patrol in command was off the Palau Islands , sinking two confirmed ships , " Toyo Maru " and " Arima Maru " , for 9 , 200 tons . His wartime credit was one for 11 , 900 . He was unable to close nearer than to the Japanese aircraft carrier s " Hiyō " and " Junyō " . After 39 days at sea , " Haddock " went in for extensive refit to repair a defective , potentially lethal , conning tower . At a depth of 415 feet , it had almost imploded . To close the hatch to save the boat from sinking , Davenport hit the hatch with a sledgehammer . The conning tower held , and Haddock escaped . On Davenport ' s second patrol , he returned to the Palaus , where he sank the 5 , 533 - ton " Saipan Maru " , and on July 26 , 1943 they fired a total of fifteen Mark XIV torpedoes at ranges between in four attacks , believing he scored one hit . Credited with one ship sunk for 10 , 900 tons and damage to another for 35 , 000 tons , he was awarded his first Navy Cross ; this score was later corrected to one ship sunk at 5 , 500 tons . Afterward , " at his own request " , Davenport was detached for a rest and new construction , and " Beetle " Roach was given " Haddock " . Davenport would return to duty with the new " Balao " - class " Trepang " . On September 30 , 1944 off Honshu , Davenport fired six torpedoes on two large tankers , a large freighter , and an escort , claiming a hit in one tanker ; JANAC confirmed only sinking of a 750 ton freighter , " Taknuan Maru " . Davenport weathered a typhoon and , on 10 / October 11 , picked up a convoy of two tankers and one escort . Firing four stern tubes , he claimed three hits . No sinkings were confirmed in Japanese records . The next night , he fired four torpedoes at a Japanese landing craft , believing all missed . Postwar , he was credited with the 1 , 000 ton " Transport No . 5 " . On 12 / October 13 , lying off Iro Zaki , Davenport made radar contact with two ships , believing them at first to be aircraft carriers , then battleships , escorted by destroyers . He fired all six bow tubes at one " battleship " . He claimed hits in one destroyer , suggesting it sank immediately , and at least one hit in the first " battleship " . He then swung and fired all four stern tubes , his last remaining torpedoes , at the other " battleship " ; all missed . Back in Majuro , he was credited with three ships of 22 , 300 tons and damage to a " Yamashiro " - class battleship for 29 , 300 tons , earning him a fourth Navy Cross . On his next patrol to Luzon Strait , Davenport led a " wolfpack " called " Roy ' s Rangers " consisting of " Trepang " , James Fulp ' s " Segundo " , and Charles Brown ' s " Razorback " He fired twenty - two torpedoes in all , claiming four ships for 35 , 000 tons ; this was reduced postwar to three for 13 , 000 . After this , his tenth war patrol , Davenport requested shore duty , and became a maritime engineering instructor at Annapolis . Except for those who earned the Medal of Honor , such as Dick O ' Kane , he was the Submarine Force ' s most decorated member . Television appearance . In 1954 , the popular television program , " This Is Your Life " with host Ralph Edwards , recounted his wartime events with close family appearing with him . Davenport ’ s cousin , Maxwell Taylor , Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under President John F . Kennedy , did not appear , as only immediate family , and those who interacted in Davenport ’ s wartime adventures , were invited .