Sheldon H . Kinney Sheldon Hoard Kinney ( 1918 – 11 December 2004 ) was a U . S . Navy rear admiral who was prominent for action in World War II , the Korean War , and later maritime education as Commandant of Midshipmen at the U . S . Naval Academy and President of SUNY Maritime College . Biography . Kinney was born in Pasadena , California , where he took to sailing from his youth . Sources note that " as a 16 - year - old , he was a crew member on a sailing schooner to Hawaii . " Kinney never graduated High School , and in 1935 enlisted in the Navy . As a seaman , Kinney served aboard the USS Omaha and then as a signalman aboard the USS New York . Kinney was selected to attend the U . S . Naval Academy in 1937 . There , he received a bachelor ' s degree in marine engineering in February 1941 and immediately went on duty due to preparations for American involvement in World War II . When he graduated , he was given the Class of 1897 Sword that ' s now displayed with his medals at Bancroft Hall . Kinney received master ' s degrees in international economics and international politics as well as a juris doctor from George Washington University . He also graduated in 1960 from the Naval War College . After becoming an officer , he served aboard the USS Sturtevant on North Atlantic convoy duty . His ship survived being rammed . Kinney received the " Navy and Marine Corps Medal for Heroism for diving from his ship to rescue two downed aviators . Later , the Sturtevant was sunk , and he survived by floating on a bag of coffee beans . " In 1943 , Kinney took command of the USS Edsall and became the youngest commanding officer of a destroyer - type ship . After this , he commanded the Bronstein and was credited for sinking three German U - boats and disabling a fourth . For this he was given the Navy Cross and the Bronstein a Presidential Unit Citation . Adm . Robert Carney , chief of naval operations from 1953 to 1955 , described the Bronstein ' s fight that night as " the most concentrated and successful antisubmarine action by a U . S . Navy ship during World War II . " After the war , Kinney served as the anti - submarine warfare officer on the staff of the Commander Destroyers Atlantic . He then commanded the USS Ludlow and the USS Taylor during the Korean War . He also commanded the USS Mitscher , which has the distinction of being the Navy ' s first guided missile frigate . He was also on the staff of the commander of U . S . Naval Forces in Europe . During the Vietnam War , he commanded the USS Mississinewa , Amphibious Squadron 12 , and then the naval gunfire support ships of Cruiser Destroyer Flotilla 11 in Operation Sea Dragon in Vietnam . His final command was as Commander Cruiser Destroyer Forces Pacific . From 1963 to 1967 he was commandant of the U . S . Naval Academy from 1963 to 1967 . In 1972 he retired and became president of SUNY Maritime College . He remained in the position until 1982 when he permanently retired . In retirement , he help to found and preside over the World Maritime University of the International Maritime Organization of the United Nations at Malmo , Sweden . He also served as special adviser to the secretary general of the IMO in London . His other military decorations include the Legion of Merit ( Combat V ) with two Gold Stars , the Bronze Star ( Combat V ) and the Navy Commendation Medal . Kinney died of cancer in Annapolis , Maryland on December 11 , 2004 .