Ship's Crew
Harry Corrolli
Rank(s): Lieutenant
Dates of Service: 7/8/1947 - 12/1947
Birth Date: 12/1/1909
Death Date: 8/9/1990
Born in Renton, Washington on December 1, 1909, Harry Corrolli enlisted in the navy on July 15, 1927 and trained for a year to be a machinist’s mate. From October 1928 until September 1940, he was on sea duty in the battleships Tennessee (BB-43) and Mississippi (BB-41), and the destroyers Fox (DD-234) and Biddle (DD-151). All of these Pacific Fleet vessels were involved in routine training exercises and fleet problems. Biddle was in the Atlantic on Neutrality Patrol at the outbreak of World War II in Europe. Petty Officer Corrolli was assigned shore duty in September 1940, but was serving on a small service craft at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 when it was attackd. From March 1942 until late 1943, he served in the submarine chaser PC-546 and minesweeper Fidelity (AM-96), both new ships in the Atlantic. Corrolli was one of a number of engineering ratings selected for direct commissioning in response to the navy’s need for engineering officers to oversee the operation and maintenance of the rapidly expanding diesel-powered fleet. He was assigned to a series of diesel-powered destroyer escorts for the rest of the war: Waterman (DE-740) and Bangust (DE-730) as chief engineer, Amick (DE-168) as executive officer, and Atherton (DE-169) as commanding officer. The first two operated in the Pacific, and the last pair operated in the Atlantic. Atherton is credited with helping to sink the German submarine U-853 near the end of World War II.
Corrolli commanded Constitution from July 8, 1946 until December 1947. He also commanded the 1855 corvette Constellation, which then was moored across the pier from the frigate and used as the crew’s barracks.
Corrolli next joined the Boston Navy Yard as a security officer, and then, in 1949, returned to sea as engineering officer of the attack transport Okanogan (APA-220) in the Pacific Fleet. In 1952, he came ashore with the San Francisco Group of the reserve fleet as security officer. He retired soon afterwards and died on August 9, 1990.
