[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 33 (Tuesday, March 22, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: March 22, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
             COMMISSIONING OF THE U.S.S. ``CURTIS WILBUR''

 Mr. KEMPTHORNE. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize the 
latest ship in the U.S. Naval fleet, the U.S.S. Curtis Wilbur. DDG 54, 
an Arleigh Burke guided missile destroyer, was commissioned Saturday in 
Long Beach, CA.
  The ship is named after Curtis Dwight Wilbur, who served as Secretary 
of the Navy under Calvin Coolidge. His administration was characterized 
by his energetic efforts to strengthen and modernize the Navy. His 
foresight, instincts, and statesmanship helped restore credibility and 
respect to our naval forces following the Teapot Dome scandal and the 
subsequent resignation of Secretary of the Navy Edwin Denby.
  Curtis Wilbur headed up our Navy during the difficult times between 
World War I and World War II. Restrictive treaties, pacifists who would 
eliminate the Navy, and a reluctant Congress all contributed to the 
deterioraton of the Navy. Secretary Wilbur successfully argued to 
Congress that we were in danger of creating a hollow force. He also 
championed naval aviation and added it to the curriculum of the Naval 
Academy.
  As Secretary, Curtis Wilbur fought for the front line troops. He 
argued that our men needed good ships as good homes for the men--clean 
and shipshape for good service. He also stressed that money was needed 
for constant training. His persistence paid off. Morale improved, as 
desertions went down and reenlistments went up. With the exception of 
four ships, the entire cruiser strength of the Navy in 1941 was the 
result of Secretary Wilbur and his dedication. Mr. President, where 
would this country have been if Curtis Wilbur had not insisted on 
cruiser construction?
  I might add that under Secretary Wilbur's administration, the light 
cruiser, CL-47, the U.S.S. Boise, was built and commissioned. The Boise 
and her crew earned 11 battle stars and the nickname ``The One Ship 
Fleet'' for her heroics in World War II.
  We can learn from Curtis Wilbur. Let me quote from a fine article 
written by Col. James W. Hammond, Jr., USMC (Ret.), entitled ``The 
Almost forgotten Secretary.'' He wrote, ``He felt it was criminal to 
require American boys to accept hazards stemming from inadequate 
equipment or lack of training because of underfunding.'' Mr. President, 
we face those same issues today. Secretary Wilbur's legacy lives on 
today, and I think we can all learn from his example. We must strive to 
ensure our men and women have the finest equipment and training 
possible before we send them into harm's way.
  Mr. President, I ask that an article from Saturday, March 18 Idaho 
Statesman about Curtis Wilbur and his son, who lives in Boise, be 
included in the Record.
  The article follows:

               [From the Idaho Statesman, Mar. 19, 1994]

                        Success on Land and Sea

                           (By Tim Woodward)

       When the Navy commissions its newest ship today, no one 
     will be prouder than Lyman Wilbur.
       The U.S.S. Curtis Wilbur is named after his father, 
     Secretary of the Navy under Calvin Coolidge. The ship is 
     fourth in a new class of hightech guided missile destroyers.
       At 93, Boisean Lyman Wilbur took the trip to Long Beach, 
     Calif. for today's commissioning in stride. Chief engineer 
     for the Morrison-Knudsen Co. from 1947 to 1970, he still is 
     very much a man in charge. His voice is strong, his bearing 
     erect, his presence commanding. His memories of titanic 
     construction projects and billion-dollar contracts are as 
     sharp as an accountant's pencil.
       Before leaving for Long Beach, Wilbur took time to 
     reminisce at his home near Hillcrest Country Club. Dapper in 
     dress slacks and black oxfords, surrounded by mementos of 
     world travels and a panoramic view of the Boise Front, he 
     talked about his illustrious father, his famous boss and his 
     own distinguished career.
       His famous father was a ``stern but gentle'' man, a man of 
     striking contrasts. As Secretary of the Navy, Curtis Wilbur 
     was largely responsible for preserving ``Old Ironsides,'' now 
     a national monument in Boston Harbor. He was a driving force 
     in rebuilding the Navy after World War I and helped pioneer 
     the concept of naval aviation. He worked with Adm. Richard 
     Byrd, the Antarctic explorer. President Harding promised him 
     a seat on the U.S. Supreme Court.
       The other side of the man who knew presidents was less 
     daunting. He told his children bedtime stories, taught Sunday 
     school classes, wrote children's books.
       ``In spite of being terribly busy and not always being able 
     to get home for dinner, he always had time for the family,'' 
     Wilbur recalled. ``He used to tell us stories, some of which 
     he wrote as books. One was published as `The Bear Family at 
     Home and How the Circus Came to Visit Them.'
       ``Dad always made us toe the mark, but he did it in a 
     gentle way. It never hurt if he spanked us, but we felt so 
     bad for disappointing him that we'd cry.''
       Lyman Wibur grew up in California, accustomed to the 
     company of influential people. Before his father was 
     Secretary of the Navy, he was chief justice of the California 
     Supreme Court.
       Curtis wanted his son to follow his example by attending 
     the Naval Academy, but Wilbur chose to follow his uncle--then 
     president of Stanford University--in academic pursuits 
     instead. He earned a degree from Stanford in engineering and 
     had eight years' experience when the Depression began.
       By 1931, he was looking for work. A judge at a tea party 
     urged him to apply with one of the companies building Hoover 
     Dam, then the largest construction project in the world. 
     Harry Morrison, who happened to be there the day he applied, 
     hired him on the spot.
       ``He was a wonderful person.'' Wilbur said of Morrison. 
     ``He would get the most out of people and probably paid less 
     than anyone for comparable work just because people wanted to 
     work for him.
       ``He was telling me after just a few minutes things what I 
     considered company secrets. He had a way of cutting people in 
     on the operation of the company. He'd send you out and say go 
     do it. If you need help, call.''
       Morrison sent Wilbur out a lot. When Wilbur and his late 
     wife were building their Boise home in 1955, his first 
     priority was ``a place for my suitcase. I was traveling three 
     fourths of the time.''
       He worked on the Taugus River Bridge in Portugal, making 11 
     trips to Lisbon in a year. The bridge has the deepest piers 
     in the world.
       He spent three years in Morocco, building airbases. He 
     worked on the world's largest hydroelectric project, on the 
     border of Brazil and Paraguay, and another ``almost as big'' 
     in Venezuela.
       He helped negotiate what became a $2 billion contract with 
     the Navy for airfields in Vietnam. His work there won him the 
     1966 Man of the Year award from ``Engineering News Record,'' 
     the engineering profession's trade journal.
       Wilbur says his father would be ``greatly honored'' by 
     today's commissioning, and ``of course the whole family feels 
     the same way.''
       So much so that an estimated 70 family members are in Long 
     Beach to see the ship join the fleet.
       Lyman, the senior member of the family, probably won't say 
     much about his own military service--as an Army private 
     during the waning months of World War I.
       ``The only Navy connection I have is Dad wanted me to go to 
     the Naval Academy. I studied all one summer for the exam, but 
     then my uncle was appointed head of Stanford.
       The Navy's loss was Idaho's gain. Wilbur will long be 
     remembered as MK's top engineer during construction of Lucky 
     Peak, Brownlee, Oxbow and Hells Canyon dams.
       ``Frankly,'' he said, ``I don't think I'd have cared for 
     Naval service.''

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