| Abstract |
Captain Ball, a native of Arkansas, comments on his background and his experiences at the U.S. Naval Academy. He describes his assignment to the commissioning of the USS NORTH CAROLINA, appointment to submarine school, and submarine duty in the Atlantic and Pacific during World War II. For the postwar period he recounts his experiences with submarine service headquartered in Panama, New London, CT, the Mediterranean, and Key West as well as assignments to the Pentagon. A detailed description is provided of his service as commanding officer of the naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, including life at Guantanamo, relations with Cuba, Cuban refugees at the naval base, the coming of the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the evacuation of dependents from the base. |
| General note | Interviewer: Donald R. Lennon. Interview date: February 5, 1994. |
| Access restriction | No access restrictions. |
| Cite as |
George C. "Jerry" Ball, Jr., Oral History Interview (#OH0139), East Carolina Manuscript Collection, 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. |
| Acquisitions source |
Joyner- Gift of George C. Jerry Ball, Jr. |
| Biographical note | George C. Ball, Jr. (Jerry) was born in Memphis, TN (May 20, 1919), graduated from the United States Naval Academy (1941), and was assigned to the battleship USS NORTH CAROLINA (BB-55). Ball entered submarine training school in New London, CT (March 1942), and spent the next eighteen months on board the submarine USS S-14 (SS-119), rising from engineer to gunnery officer, communications officer, navigation officer, and finally to executive officer. Ball became the youngest submarine commanding officer in the Navy when he took command (January 1944) of the submarine USS 0-6 (SS-67). Ball then served as executive officer (April 1945-April 1947) on the submarines USS SAND LANCE (SS-381), USS GUAVINA (SS-362), and USS CONGER (SS-477); commanding officer (1950-1952) of the submarines USS ENTEMEDOR (SS-340) and USS TENCH (SS-417); coordinator for training reserves (1954-1956) aboard the submarine tender USS HOWARD W. GILMORE (AS-16); and commander (June 1963-August 1964) of the attack transport USS MONROVIA (APA-31). Ball's administrative duties included serving as naval aide to the commander in chief of the Caribbean (January 1948-June 1949); working in the office of the chief of Naval Operations (1952-1954); commander of Submarine Division 42, Key West, FL (1956-1957); member of the joint staff of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (1958-1960); commanding officer of the Naval Station in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba (1961-1963); assistant director and later director of the Naval War College (1965-1967); commander of Submarine Squadron 12, Key West, FL (January 1967-July 1968); and deputy chief of staff for the US Southern Command in the Canal Zone, Panama (1968-1971). Ball retired as a captain (June 30, 1971). |
