Captain Henry "Hank" Gorman US Navy died in West Palm Beach on December 6, 2016, after a
long, heroic battle with Progressive Supranuclear Palsy. He was 95 years old.
Hank was born on September 3, 1921 in Charleston, SC and moved to Greenville, SC when five
years old. He graduated from Greenville High School in 1938 and attended Clemson University
prior to congressional appointment to the U. S. Naval Academy in Annapolis. He graduated with
the war-accelerated class of 1944 in June of 1943, a member of the 3rd Company.
Upon graduation, he joined the cruiser USS
MILWAUKEE. He was onboard when the ship was
transferred to the Soviet Union in April 1944 in
Murmansk as a counterpart ship from the surrendered
Italian fleet.
Returning to the United Kingdom on a British
destroyer, he was then assigned to a crew which
went aboard the former Chesapeake Bay overnight
steamer PRESIDENT WARFIELD at a shipyard
in Wales. The WARFIELD had been lend-leased to the
British and was used for training small boat crews in
preparation for the Normandy invasion. The
ship was taken over from the British crew and, after
provisioning it to accommodate survivors
from the invasion, was commissioned as IX-169 in
Penarth, Wales on May 20, 1944. Ensign Gorman was
Officer of the Deck and Navigator, arriving off the
Normandy just after D-Day, and performed harbor
control duties at Omaha Beach. His ship subsequently earned a permanent place in history as the
SS Exodus 1947. Hank is an honoree of the French Legion of Honor for his role in the
Normandy invasion.
Hank had previously applied for flight training and received orders in July which would return
him to the states. He commenced flight training in Ottumwa, Iowa in August 1944 and received
his wings in Pensacola in July 1945. After duty in several fleet aircraft squadrons and a flight
instructor tour in Pensacola, he attended graduate school in Annapolis. While serving as
communications officer on the staff of Commander Fleet Air Wings Atlantic Fleet, he introduced
and pioneered the use of new long-range communication techniques for use by patrol aircraft.
Other duty stations included Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, various fleet aircraft
squadrons, Commanding Officer of Patrol Squadron 47, Second Fleet staff, Navigator then
Operations Officer aboard USS BENNINGTON, Chief of the Defense Communications Agency
for the Pacific Area, and the Defense Information Systems Agency.
After retirement in 1966, he joined the Honeywell Corporation computer division as Project
Manager.
He served three successive terms (1973-76) as President of the Class of 1944 and organized and
directed the 40th reunion of the class in 1983 with the largest attendance of any held by the class.
After his second retirement in 1985 he moved to North Palm Beach, Florida, where he expanded
his orchid collection, became involved with municipal government and was the founder and
President of the Palm Beach Chapter of the Naval Academy Alumni Association, serving four
terms as President.
An avid amateur radio operator for many years, he was able to devote more time to his hobby in
retirement, winning a number of awards in international radio contests. He was a life member of
the US Naval Academy Alumni Association, the Goldcoasters (an organization of retired
executives from the communication industry), the Association for Naval Aviation and the
Military Officers Association of America.
Hank is survived by his brother Frank Gorman of Philadelphia; his shipmate Peggy and their
four children, Dr. Henry Gorman, Jr, Carol Gorman, Dr. Steven Gorman, and Rob Gorman; their
eight grandchildren, Laura Gorman, Michael Gorman, Matthew Gorman, Tom Wilson, Joseph
Gorman, Elizabeth Scardino, Jonathan Gorman and Harrison Gorman; and their great
granddaughter, Melyssa Wilson.
Hank and Peggy's final resting place will be the USNA Columbarium, Annapolis, MD.
A celebration of life ceremony will be held at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, 211 Trinity Place,
West Palm Beach on Friday, December 16th at 1:00pm