Born in
Hartford, Connecticut, Wiltsie graduated in the
United States Naval Academy class of 1921. He then served at sea in a succession of ships, including
Arizona (BB-39),
Wyoming (BB-32),
Raleigh (CL-7), and
Cleveland (CL-21). Next he underwent flight instruction at
NAS Pensacola, Florida, from 1925 to 1927 and was designated as a
Naval Aviator. He subsequently served in seaplane aviation units embarked aboard
Milwaukee (CL-5),
Memphis (CL-13), and
Texas (BB-35) before he returned to NAS Pensacola as an instructor. After another tour of sea duty—in
Louisville (CA-28)—Wiltsie commanded the Naval Reserve Aviation Base at
Minneapolis, Minnesota, from 29 June 1935 to 4 June 1937. He later commanded the bombing squadrons attached to
Saratoga (CV-3) from June 1937 to June 1939, before he served at the
Naval Air Station San Diego, California. He subsequently joined
Yorktown (CV-5) as navigator on 27 June 1941 and received a promotion to commander on 1 July. Wiltsie remained in
Yorktown until her loss at the pivotal
Battle of Midway from 4 to 6 June 1942. During the early stages of the action, Wiltsie displayed "outstanding professional ability" as he provided complete and accurate navigational information to air plot, thus enabling the carrier's air group to pinpoint their targets. During the
Japanese torpedo attacks on 4 June, when "Kates" from the carrier
Hiryū located
Yorktown and carried out a successful attack against her, Wiltsie, on instructions from the captain, conned the ship from his battle station in the
conning tower and was later deemed directly responsible for the ship's evading a pair of torpedoes. When injuries sustained during the attack incapacitated the carrier's executive officer,
Commander Wiltsie assumed these duties and directed the organization of a salvage party which fought valiantly to save the ship. When
Yorktown eventually succumbed to her damage and the coup de grace administered by
Japanese submarine I-168, Wiltsie directed the salvage party and the wounded to rescuing vessels alongside the doomed carrier. Wiltsie was promoted to
captain in September 1942 and commanded the seaplane tender
Albemarle (AV-5) from 6 October 1942 to 12 June 1943. After this tour, he supervised the
fitting-out of
escort carrier Glacier (CVE-33) at the Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Company and went on to supervise the same kind of activities of
Liscome Bay (CVE-56). Captain Wiltsie would command this escort carrier from August 1943 until the ship's loss off
Makin, in the
Gilbert Islands, the following November. In the predawn darkness of 24 November, Japanese submarine I-175 torpedoed
Liscome Bay—the
flagship of Rear Admiral
Henry M. Mullinnix—which caused a mass detonation of aircraft bombs and ammunition and started fires fed by aviation gasoline. The flames spread rapidly, and the carrier rocked with explosions. Wiltsie immediately left the bridge and proceeded along the
starboard gallery deck level to ascertain the damage to his ship, as communications had been severed early on. Despite the tremendous structural damage and raging fires, the captain headed aft to determine the full extent of the damage. Damage control efforts failed, however, and the carrier sank in less than 30 minutes thereafter, carrying down with it Captain Wiltsie, Admiral Mullinix, and 644 officers and men, including Third Class Cook
Dorie Miller, who was awarded a
Navy Cross for extraordinary heroism on a battleship during the Japanese attack on
Pearl Harbor. The citation for Captain Wiltsie's posthumous
Navy Cross noted his "calm, courageous action and valiant devotion to duty" which inspired the surviving members of the crew. ==Namesake==