| Abstract |
U.S. naval officer and engineer; member of the U.S. Naval Academy Class of 1941; served aboard the USS ENTERPRISE and witnessed the aftermath of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor; attended flight school (1942-1943) and served as a naval aviator 1944-1945; served in the Korean War as a naval aviator in both Corsairs and jets; later served as head of the Department of Engineering at the Naval Academy (1962-1963). |
| General note | Interviewer: Jonathan Dembo. Interview date: February 7, 2003. |
| Access restriction | No access restrictions. |
| Cite as |
James Victor Rowney Oral History Interview, Special Collections Department, J. Y. Joyner Library, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina, USA. |
| Terms of use | Repository does not own copyright to the oral history collection. Permission to cite, reproduce, or broadcast must be obtained from both the repository and the participants in the oral history, or their heirs. |
| Biographical note | James Victor Rowney was born (November 11, 1917) in Baltimore, MD. Rowney belonged to the Maryland National Guard (1935-1937) and U.S. Naval Reserve (1937). He received an appointment (1937) to the U.S. Naval Academy (USNA) and graduated in 1941. During World War II, Rowney was assigned to the aircraft carriers USS ENTERPRISE (CV-6) and USS YORKTOWN (CV-10) in the Pacific Theatre and participated in the occupation of Japan. After the war, Rowney attended post-graduate school at the Naval Academy (1949) and the California Institute of Technology (1949-1950) for courses in aeronautical engineering with a specialization in jet propulsion. During the Korean War, Rowney commanded VF 112 in Airgroup 11 on the aircraft carrier USS PHILIPPINE SEA (CV-47), served on attack aircraft carrier USS TICONDEROGA (CVA-14), received command of Carrier Air Group 7 (January 1956), and participated in several NATO operations. Rowney was then assigned to the Bureau of Aeronautics (1959-1961), taught at the Academy (1962-1965), and commanded two Naval Air Stations in California (1965-1968). Rowney retired (July 31, 1968) with the rank of captain and has received several commendations and service ribbons. |
