Charles Adams Baker
1893 -1970
Texas Commanding Officer: 10 March 1944 -17 August 1945  and 21 April 1948

Charlie” Baker, as he was known affectionately by the crews of all the ships he commanded, was Texas’ most successful, most famous and certainly most popular commanding officer. Born and raised in Lynchburg, Virginia, he followed his older brother’s footsteps and graduated from the Naval Academy and received his commission into the United States Navy in 1916.

He served in destroyer USS Gregory during World War I, but during the course of his career spent time in battleships, cruisers and destroyers. His first independent command was as CO of USS Tracy, and his longest command before Texas was as CO of USS Edsall, both “Four Stacker” destroyers. Baker was Executive Officer of battleship USS Maryland when World War II began, but soon left to serve as Naval Attaché in London under U.S. Ambassador Winant. It was after his time in London that he returned to sea as Commanding Officer of USS Texas.

When Baker assumed command of Texas, she had already earned her first battle star for her work in North Africa. She earned four more with him on the bridge. He directed her fire as she pounded the German positions at Normandy on D-Day and he guided her through the terrible duel with German shore batteries at Cherbourg. When the German round demolished the bridge during that fight, he was hurled to the deck, but quickly collected himself, cleared the bridge and continued to fight his ship calmly and deliberately from the Conning Tower.   For his handling of the ship during these engagements, Captain Baker was awarded the Silver Star.

After transferring the ship to the Pacific Theatre, Baker and Texas pounded Japanese positions on Iwo Jima—and watched the famous flag raising on Suribachi. During the Okinawa campaign, Baker directed an unprecedented volume of fire, using up four shiploads of 14-inch ammunition. His Okinawa actions resulted in being awarded the Legion of Merit.  He left the ship soon after the dropping of the atomic bombs and Japan’s capitulation.

Returning to shore duty, Captain Baker spent his remaining time in the Navy preparing for retirement. In April 1948, when Texas was given to the State of Texas, Baker was chosen as her most popular CO and given a one-day command of her to have the honor of presenting her to the people of Texas. He retired soon after, and died in Florida in 1970. He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

Captain Baker was married to Lee Rochester Baker, descendant of the founder of Lynchburg, Virginia, and had two daughters, Joan and Patricia. Joan died in an automobile accident in 1932, and Pat grew up, married and had three boys of her own. Throughout his life, “Charlie” Baker ran in elite circles, counting as his friends President and Mrs. Roosevelt, the actors Carole Lombard and Robert Montgomery and Winston Churchill. He was equally at ease with aristocrats, politicians, officers and enlisted men, Baker was idolized by the crew of every ship he served in and while he could be a strict disciplinarian, he evoked the kind of respect and admiration that caused officers and men to follow his orders without the threat of “Captain’s Mast” to motivate them. Charles Baker, USN was, as described by one of his junior officers many years later, “the finest navigator and the finest officer I ever knew in the entire United States Navy.”

Photos courtesy of James Thomas (from the family of Captain Baker)

	1926-1938:  Lieutenant Commander Baker		1944: Captain Baker