ENS Edward Blanchard Cloues

The United States Naval Academy yearbook of 1940 said this about Edward B. Cloues: “When Eddie shuffled through the Academy gates, he came equipped with a rugged little frame, a complacent disposition, and an eagerness to learn. For relaxation from the rigors of the routine he punched a bag, or scampered about a basketball court. Eddie was most comfortable when perched in his chair, fortified by his pipe, or armed with his flute. Slow-walking, slow-speaking, Eddie’s ability to unleash a crisp witticism at any time, his eagerness to help a friend, and his charming sincerity make him a sought after man. If his work here is any criterion, life in the fleet should be Eddie’s dish.”

Mr. Cloues, born Dec. 25, 1917 at Warner in central New Hampshire, graduated from Simonds Free High School, where he was the valedictorian. His father, Alfred, was the state treasurer. Mr. Cloues attended the University of New Hampshire and then the Naval Academy, where he graduated and was commissioned as an ensign in 1940. He went aboard the U.S.S. Arizona on June 29, 1940.

He was assigned to turret No. 2 when he was killed in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Dec. 7, 1941.

After her son’s death, his mother, Hattie, put up a store window displaying his Annapolis class ring, his sword, and other mementos of his life.. She was at the Boston Navy Yard in August 1943 when a destroyer escort was christened as the U.S.S. Cloues.

The American Legion Post in Warner, New Hampshire, also bears his name.

His brother Alfred Jr. was a first lieutenant in the U.S. Army during World War II. He served in the Pacific theater in New Guinea, Australia and the Philippines with an anti-aircraft unit, where he was responsible for portable searchlights and radar. Another brother, William, graduated at the top of his class from the Coast Guard Academy and also served in WWII.

Sources: The Union Leader of Manchester, New Hampshire; the U.S. Naval Academy yearbook; the American Legion, Cow Hampshire history blog; Navy enlistment records; brothers’ obituaries; yearbook photograph. This profile was researched and written on behalf of the U.S.S. Arizona Mall Memorial at the University of Arizona.