Book of the Week
Allied Warships
Check out our new extensive section on all the Allied Warships during WWII in all theatres of the war.Over 11.300 ships
Captain Arnold J. Isbell
Commanding Officer, USS Card CVE-11
Captain Arnold J. Isbell was born in Iowa, 1898. He was a graduate of the US Naval Academy, Annapolis in 1920 and earned his aviators wings at the Pensacola naval flight school. He was a specialist in aviation ordnance engineering and served in various naval aviation assignments prior to WWII. In September 1940 he was appointed Commanding Officer of VP-54 squadron and helped survey and select the USN air bases in Newfoundland.In 1942-1943 he served as Commanding Officer of NAS Sitka, Alaska. In April 1943 he was appointed Commanding Officer of the escort carrier USS Card. Under Captain Isbell's command the Card Task Groups were responsible for the sinkings of U-117, U-664, U-525, U-847, U-460, U-422, U-402, U-584, U-405, and U-645.
He was relieved of command of Card in July 1944 by Captain Rufus C. Young and entered the Pacific war where he was to take command of the fast attack carrier USS Yorktown.
Captain Isbell was killed in April 1945 in the Japanese air attack on the aircraft carrier USS Franklin while on a tempory duty assignment awaiting to assume command of Yorktown.
