| Scope and content |
William James Ruhe, a retired Navy captain of McLean, Va., discusses his experiences with Squadron 40T in pre-World War II duty in the Mediterranean and relates anecdotes about fellow officers and people he met while in Europe. Topics discussed include reactions of the local populace to U.S. naval personnel in port cities after extended stays, meeting an English spy in Portugal (1940), attempts to obtain information about U.S. naval security and activities, and sailors'; shipboard antics. Among post-war problems described are disputes between naval officers and civilian administrators over manpower requirements, capabilities of current naval officers, and their lack of wartime experience. |
| General note | Interviewer: Donald R. Lennon. Interview date: May 20, 1975. |
| Access restriction | No access restrictions. |
| Cite as |
William James Ruhe Oral History Interview (#OH0022), East Carolina Manuscript Collection, J. Y. Joyner Library, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina, USA. |
| Terms of use | Literary rights to specific documents are retained by the authors or their descendants in accordance with U.S. copyright law. |
| Acquisitions source |
Joyner- Gift of William James Ruhe. |
| Biographical note | William James Ruhe, a retired Navy captain of McLean, Va., was graduated from the U. S. Naval Academy (June 1939). He was assigned to the cruiser U.S.S. TRENTON (June 1939-August 1940), during which time he visited several countries, including extended stays in Portugal and France while assigned to Squadron 40T in the Mediterranean. Ruhe then transferred to the submarine service (1941) and throughout World War II operated out of Australia to fight the Japanese in the South Pacific. He left the submarine service in 1950 and between that year and 1967, when he retired from active duty, divided his time between commanding cruisers and administrative work in Washington, D. C. |
