USS Crommelin (FFG 37), 28th ship of the Oliver Hazard Perry-class of guided-missile frigates., is named for three brothers: Vice Admiral Henry Crommelin (1904-1971), Commander Charles Crommelin (1909-1945), and Lieutenant Commander Richard Crommelin (1917-1945). The other brothers are Rear Admiral John G. Crommelin III (1902-1996) and Captain Quentin C. Crommelin (1919-1997). Born of a pioneer Alabama family in Montgomery and Wetumpka, the Crommelin brothers were the only five siblings to graduate from the U.S. Naval Academy. Four of them became pilots, and Time magazine dubbed them “The Indestructibles.” The brothers saw action in more than 10 campaigns in the Pacific Theater. Henry, the oldest, became a Surface Warfare Officer while Richard and Charles died in combat as naval aviators in 1945. Individually and as a fighting family, they gained fame in World War II, attaining outstanding combat records and multiple decorations. Several books have been written about them and a monument commemorating their bravery rests in Battleship Park in Mobile, Alabama. (U.S. Navy, Wikipedia)

John Crommelin (1902-1996) was the oldest of the Crommelin Brothers, who served with distinction during World War II. He was Executive and Air Officer aboard the USS Enterprise during the Battle of Midway, the Battle of the Eastern Solomons, and the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands. After World War II ended, Crommelin was embroiled in the “Revolt of the Admirals,” in which high-ranking military personnel made public their views on budget cuts. (From Encyclopedia of Alabama, Courtesy of the U.S. Navy)

Charles Crommelin (1909-1945) was a Navy fighter pilot in the Pacific Theater of World War II, one of the famed Crommelin Brothers from Alabama. During a battle over the Marshall Islands, his fighter was damaged, and his successful landing of the craft was the subject of the war propaganda film Fighting Lady. (From Encyclopedia of Alabama, Courtesy of the Southern Museum of Flight)

Richard “Dick” Crommelin (1917-1945) was a naval aviator in the Pacific Theater during World War II, one of the famed Crommelin Brothers from Alabama. He earned the Legion of Merit and the Distinguished Flying Cross for his actions in the Battle of the Coral Sea and the Battle of Midway. (From Encyclopedia of Alabama, Courtesy of the U.S. Navy)

Quentin Crommelin (1918-1997) was a gunnery officer on the USS Saratoga in the Pacific Theater during World War II, one of the famed Crommelin Brothers of Alabama. He later was a flight instructor and founded the U.S. Naval Academy’s first aviation department. (From Encyclopedia of Alabama, Courtesy of the Southern Museum of Flight)