Holloway Halstead Frost

Background

He was born in Brooklyn, New York, the eldest of the three children of Halstead H. Frost, a lawyer, and Mary Louise (Downing) Frost. He was a descendant, in the eighth generation, of William Frost, an early Long Island settler of English stock.

Education

After attending the Erasmus Hall High School, Brooklyn, he was appointed a midshipman at Annapolis on August 1, 1906, and was graduated four years later, eighth in a class of 132.

After pursuing a course of studies at the Naval War College, he was with the Dolphin, flagship of the American patrol detachment, on the staff of the commander of the squadron, 1917-19.

Career

For this service, and particularly for his work in developing the tactics of surface vessels and aircraft against submarines, he was awarded the Navy Cross. He was promoted lieutenant in 1917, and lieutenant commander from June 3, 1921.

Already Frost was becoming a leading authority in tactics and strategy; he had shown a scholarly interest in naval history and had begun his writing career.

In 1915, when he was an ensign, his essay entitled "Tactics" received second honorable mention in the United States Naval Institute's annual prize contest, and in 1916, and again in 1918, he won the Institute's prize.

Many of his papers appear in the Proceedings of the Institute. From 1919 to 1921 he was attached to the office of chief of naval operations, which deals with the problems of naval warfare.

After service as commander of the destroyer Breck, 1921-22, he became assistant chief of staff of the commander-in-chief, United States naval force in European waters, and thence was transferred to a similar position with the Asiatic Fleet, 1922-24. While with this fleet and in command of the destroyer John D. Ford, he took a detachment of destroyers to the Kurile Islands and established a refueling base there for the round-the-world army flyers.

After three years with the planning section of the Navy Department, 1924-27, he commanded the destroyer Toucey, of the Scouting Fleet, 1927-29. He served as technical adviser to the American delegation of the naval limitations conference, held at Geneva, Switzerland, in 1927. Frost was commissioned commander in 1929.

He was navigator of the California, 1932-33, and fleet operations officer, United States Fleet, 1933-34. His last duty, 1934-35, was performed at the Staff and Command School of the army, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, as lecturer and instructor. Frost was the author of several books and numerous articles relating to naval warfare and history.

Of his books, the most notable are: Battle of Jutland (1936), a scholarly and detailed study; On a Destroyer's Bridge (1930), translated into several languages and used as a textbook in Japan and Argentina; We Build a Navy (1929), treating of early American naval history; and Some Famous Sea Fights (1927), of which he was joint author.

He died at Kansas City, Missouri, of meningitis, after an operation, leaving two children, Holloway Halstead and Ethel Prentice. His burial was in the Arlington National Cemetery.

Achievements

• A widely published author, his work ranged the gamut of naval subjects, from history to operational analysis to ship-handling. His naval career was as distinguished as his literary; he not only was a designated naval aviator, but was also qualified for command in submarines. He was awarded the Navy Cross for his World War I service as aide to Commander, American Patrol Detachment, Atlantic Fleet, a billet in which he played a significant role in developing the tactics of surface and air forces in combined operations against submarines.

Works

More photos

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  • Office of Naval Intelligence, December 1921. Diagrammatic Study of the Battle of Jutland

    ( About the Book Study Guides are books can be used by st...)

  • DIAGRAMATIC STUDY OF THE BATTLE OF JUTLAND

    (A Diagramatic Study of the Battle of Jutland,The battle f...)

  • Some Stories of Old Ironsides

    (Holloway Halstead Frost born in Brooklyn, New York, was a...)

  • Diagrammatic study of the battle of Jutland

    (This book, "Diagrammatic study of the battle of Jutland",...)

  • Diagrammatic study of the battle of Jutland

    (This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. T...)

  • On a Destroyers Bridge

    (Reprint of the original, first published in 1930.)

  • We build a navy, by Holloway H. Frost ...
  • Jutland;
  • A description of the Battle of Jutland
  • Depth-charge problems (O.N.I. publication)
  • The Battle of Jutland,

Membership

A member of the faculty of the Army War College, 1930-32, he lectured to the officers on the higher strategy.

Personality

Frost's contemporaries were impressed by his leadership, scholarly mind, great industry, and devotion to his profession.

Connections

On May 8, 1912, he was married to Helen M. Prentice in New York City.

Father:

Halstead H. Frost

mother Mary Louise (Downing) Frost

Wife:

Helen M. Prentice