Philip Frederick Hauck was born 23 August 1913 to Oscar Hauck (a clerk in the office of the Commissioner of Jurors, Borough of Brooklyn), and Florence (Fogarty) Hauck In the Sheepshead Bay section of Brooklyn and spent his boyhood there. He graduated from the James Madison High School at age 16. The following summer he spent as a Merchant Marine Cadet aboard a United Fruit Company vessel which was transporting bananas from Honduras. The remainder of the year he was preparing for entrance to the U. S. Naval Academy.
He entered the Academy as Midshipman 4 on l6 June 1931. His conduct and character while at the Naval Academy is recorded as Excellent. He received awards In Swimming, Track and Cross Country as such; Cross Country 2,1, N; Track 4,3,2,1, NA; Swimming 4,3,N; Class Football 3; Company Soccer 1, 1 Stripe.
For the completed course at the Naval Academy, Phil Hauck stood 227 In a class of 445 members and was awarded the degree of Bachelor of Science. He was graduated 6 June 1935 and commissioned an Ensign, U. S. Navy. Phil's picture and biography appear on Page l45 of the "Lucky Bag", the Academy Year Book for 1935, and we recorded herewith:
"After spending these long years in the same room with Phil, we still can’t guess what his next move will be. Most of the time he doesn't know himself. If it's not his family popping In to see him. It's a flock of drags. Not that he's a snake in general... he seems to be specializing now. Most of the time, however, one can find Phil jogging around the track over at Thompson Stadium. He seems to do the trick quite well now after a long and hard struggle; in fact, Phil garnered himself an "N" Second Class Year in cross country. Not starring, but sat and satisfied he'll be right up there with a good eager look of “Gimme" when the commissions are being handed down."
His first assignment following graduation was to the USS Indianapolis in which he served 3 years. Later he served for 1 year on the destroyer, USS Hull. Following this tour he then went to the 'old' battleship USS Utah which was being used as a Gunnery ship at Pearl Harbor. He was still aboard on 7 Dec. 1941 when the Japanese attacked. Bombed and torpedoed the Utah 'turned turtle' where she was anchored on the west side of Fords Island. Phil still in his scivvies was one of many who literally 'walked' over the side of the ship as she turned over, then dove into the grimy waters to swim to the Island.
Shortly later he was assigned to the pre-commissioning detail for USS Duncan DD 485 at Kearney, N.J. —— hence to Brooklyn NavYd where she was put Into commission on 16 April 1942. In Duncan, Phil Hauck now a Lt. served as Gunnery Officer. Surviving the sinking of Duncan In the Battle of Cape Esperance 12 October 1942 he returned to the States with 'her' survivors on USS Bolse and was assigned to the pre-comish detail, USS Bennett DD 4?73 —— a new Fletcher Class 'can' at Charlestown Navy Yard, Mass. As Gunnery Officer he put the Bennett Into commission on 7 Feb. 1943 and was soon made LtCdr and the next new Executive Officer on transfer of a LtCdr. Adams. On 31 July 1943 he relieved Cmdr. Edmund B. Taylor who became Cmdr. DesRon 45 (Bennetts own).
As Commanding Officer, he skippered Bennett through the Treasury-Bougainville-Green & Emirau Island Invasions and campaigns with some exciting convoy and singular action patrol duties; anti-shipping raids around New Britain-New Ireland, covered mine laying operations at Buka passage, and experienced the Shortland Isle. affair (page 2 &3). Bennett was selected as part of a pre-invasion bombardment group of Saipan-Tinian and Guam in the Mariannas Campaign and later became a member of RAdm. W. A. Lee's battle line screening VAdm. Mitscher’s carriers on 19 June 1944 during the famed "Mariannas Turkey Shoot" —— First Battle of the Eastern Philippine Sea. Returned to cover assault on Saipan. Took In 4 day bombardment of Orote Peninsula, Guam 8 July. Covered landings and on 22 July where both C.O. and the ship were awarded the Bronze Star for illumination and bombardment of counter-attacking enemy troops along the beach south of Agat Town and in the hills above to the east. Marine Shore Fire Control Party praised Bennett for accurate salvos which halted the enemy counter attack and destroyed enemy trucks, tanks and troops. Close gunfire support for our Marines continued sporadically till 8 August.
Receiving special radio equipment to enable her to act as a Fighter-Director Ship she participated in the initial bombardment of gun emplacements and beach defenses of Anguar Is. in the Palau Is. Group on 12 Sept. Covered mine sweeping operations at Kossal Passage and towed the mine-struck USS Wadleigh to safe anchorage. Destroyed 21 mines in the process. Arrived Admiralty's 28 Sept. preparing for homeward trip. Experienced typhoon between Pearl Harbor and Seattle, Wash. arriving 22 Oct. Arrived Hunters Point Yard, San Francisco. 25 Oct for overhaul. As C.O. of the Bennett, the ship and he received 5 Battle Stars on the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Ribbon. On 5 Nov. 1944 he was relieved of command by Commander J. N. McDonald.
From Dec. 1944 to Jan. 1947, he was an instructor in Ordnance and Gunnery at the Naval Academy, after which he attended the Armed Forces Staff College as a member of the class that began when AFSC first opened. Attaining the full rank of Commander, his next assignment was as Operations Officer on the staff of ComDesFlot 2,from Sept. 47 to July 49. He then entered Ohio State University, acquiring a Master's Degree in Personnel Administration in June 1950. From July 1950 to mid 1952 he was on duty in the Bureau of Personnel and then became the Executive Officer of the cruiser, USS Worcester. In the spring of 1953 he took command of Destroyer Division 102 in the Atlantic. He was promoted to Captain 1 July 1954. From Sept. 1954 to July 1955 he was a student at the Naval War College in Newport, R. I. and then returned to Washington for another tour of duty in BuPers.
In 1958 he commanded the USS Rockbridge and participated in the landing of Marines in Lebanon. He next commanded Destroyer Squadron 10 and participated with units of the squadron in the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway in the summer of 1959.
In November 1959 he was assigned as Chief of Staff to CommCruLant, and in 1961 he was sent to the office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff as head of the Atlantic and Caribbean division. His death occurred four months later on 6 November 1961. His decorations included a Letter of Commendation, two Silver Stars and a Bronze Star.
His family consists of his widow, the former Virginia Hustvedt, daughter of VAdm. 0. M. Hustvedt, USN, (ret); his sons, Roger (Harvard '6l) who is assistant head of the computer programming division of the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory in Cambridge, Mass.: Frederick "Rick" (Tufts '62) Lieutenant, USN, now undergoing jet training in Meridian, Miss., after having completed basic training at Pensacola at the head of his class; and his daughter, Betty (Brandeis '68) who is a talented musician and made a solo appearance with the Boston Pops Orchestra under Arthur Fiedler in May of this year. (Her instrument is the viola.)
He is also survived by his only brother, Rear Admiral Hamilton 0. Hauck.USN, (ret) (USNA Class '38), who is now president and chairman of the Board of the Infra Red Industries Inc. of Santa Barbara, Calif.
Captain Hauck —— "Uncle Phil" is buried In Arlington National Cemetery not far from the McLellan gate, believed to be In Section 7.
To all of us. who knew "Uncle Phil" in Duncan and particularly as CO in Bennett we view in sadness his death and yet delight In his memory. We remember that even as 'skipper’ he knew every man aboard by his name and would often stop by to have a friendly word with him. With all the pleasant things that could be said about Phil Hauok — it is ironic and yet amusing that the men of the Bennett (43-44) cannot think of him without remembering the episode of the Shortland Islands as recorded herein on page 2 & 3. We chuckle too, when we recall the radio message from Admiral 'Bull' Halsey at Third Fleet Hdqtrs. ComSoPac, Noumea, New Caledonia, directly to 'Uncle Phil’ minutes after escaping from the big six sixes on Poporang Island (which was heard on the fantail and engine spaces almost as fast as he himself read it). Quote: "U. S. Destroyers are not to be used as Japanese gunnery targets!" Unquote. (Incidentally, for those who may not have known it before, those big six inch guns were British guns and had formerly been part of the Port and Harbor Coastal Defense batteries at Singapore.)
In these words of his autobiography we are pleased to read of his career from when he left the Bennett in San Francisco to reach the offices of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. We reflect with sadness that we had not known of his final resting place, when we gathered in Washington, D. C. last August that we may have paid homage to him at Arlington as we did to his fellow officer and shipmate in Duncan (Shubrick), R. Adm Louis Bryan.
So long as any Duncan men, and men who served under Phil Hauck in Bennett survive, they will always remember him with a touch of nostalgia and warm feelings, for they could not hope to have a more finer and likeable person in a man and as commanding officer of their ship, as he.
[Ed. Note: USS DUNCAN DD485 was sunk 12 Octobor 1942, after making two torpedo hits on a Japanese cruiser from a position between our cruiser column and the enemy force. USS DUNCAN was simultaneously hit by four or more shells.}
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