COMMANDER WILLIAM J. COLEMAN

Commander William J. Coleman, commanding officer of the Mullany, was born in Los Angeles, California in 1918. After attending grade schools in Glendale, California, he entered the University of Souther California in 1936 and graduated in 1941 as a chemical engineer. While in high school and college the Captain was active in football and track. The skipper entered the navy as a seaman apprentice in 1942 and was immediately assigned as a reserve midshipman at the Naval Academy. He was commissioned as an ensign in 1943. His WWII service was was entirely on the USS Hall (DD-583) where he was the Chief Engineer. While on board the Hall he participated in eight Pacific campaigns and briefly took part in African European operations. The Captain was in the same task force as the Mullany on April 6 1945 at Okinawa when the Mullany was severly damaged and abandoned. It is one of the coincidences of the Navy that he should now command the Mullany. Since WWII, the Captain has served principally in destroyers. As commanding officer, executive officer, and squadron engineer. On only one assignment has he left the "Tin Can" navy, then to be Chief Engineer of the attack carrier Bon Homme Richard. The Captain has attended the Armed Forces Staff College in Norfolk and Public Information Officers School at Great Lakes.