Editing Thomas C. Hart (section)

==Life and career==
Hart was born in Davison, Michigan. He attended the [[United States Naval Academy]] at [[Annapolis, Maryland|Annapolis]], graduating 13th in a class of 47 in 1897. Naval policy at the time required two years of sea duty following graduation from Annapolis before a naval cadet was commissioned an ensign.   Hart spent the next two years aboard the battleship {{USS|Massachusetts|BB-2}}. During the Spanish–American War, '' Massachusetts'' became part of the American fleet blockading the Spanish squadron at Santiago de Cuba. Hart received a letter of commendation for his command of a steam cutter dispatched to reconnoiter Cabanas Bay for possible landing sites.  Under a withering fusillade of fire from Spanish shore batteries, Hart completed the mission and returned his craft to the ship without any casualties although the skiff was struck several times.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UStHAQAAIAAJ&q=naval+cadet+hart+annual+report+of+the+secretary+of+the+navy+1898&pg=PA499|title=Annual Report of the Secretary of the Navy for the Year 1898, Appendix to the Report of the Chief of the Bureau of Navigation |year=1898 |pages=499–500|access-date=October 29, 2015}}</ref> Because of his ship handling skills, Hart was sent to augment the crew of a converted yacht, {{USS|Vixen|PY-4}}.<ref name="NavHistHartbio">[https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/t/thomas-c-hart.html Thomas C. Hart biography at Naval History and Heritage Command]</ref>  under Lt. Alexander Sharp Jr. and executive officer Ensign [[Arthur MacArthur III]], older brother of Douglas MacArthur. The three quickly became lifelong friends.

Following the Spanish–American War, Hart spent two years on the sloop-of-war {{USS|Hartford}}, after which he was posted to the Naval Academy, where he taught [[Artillery|ordnance]] and gunnery for two years.  While at Annapolis, he courted  Miss Caroline Brownson, daughter of Rear Admiral [[Willard H. Brownson]], then superintendent of the Naval Academy and later commander of the [[United States Asiatic Fleet|Asiatic Fleet]] in 1906–07.  Following his time at Annapolis, Hart served as a division officer on {{USS|Missouri|BB-11}} and then assumed his first command, the destroyer {{USS|Lawrence|DD-8}}.  Hart married Miss Brownson on March 30, 1910.  At that time, LCDR Hart was assigned to inspect the building of the new {{sclass|Delaware|battleship}} {{USS|North Dakota|BB-29|2}} at the [[Fore River Shipyard]] in [[Quincy, Massachusetts]], to which he was assigned prior to its commissioning on Monday, April 11, 1910.<ref>''[[Oakland Tribune]]'' (Sunday morning edition, March 27, 1910, p. 4, column 1, section – "Washington Society News and Gossip")</ref><ref>''[[The Washington Post]]'' (Thursday edition, March 31, 1910, p. 7, columns 3–4, section – "Miss Brownson a Bride").</ref> The Harts spent their honeymoon at the newly rebuilt luxury resort "[[The Omni Homestead Resort|The Homestead]]", in [[Hot Springs, Virginia|Hot Springs, Bath County, Virginia]].<ref>''The Washington Post'' Monday edition, April 11, 1910, p. 7, column 3, section – "Personal Paragraphs".</ref>

Following his assignment on {{USS|North Dakota|BB-29|6}}, Hart became qualified to command submarines. In 1917 he was chief of staff to the Commander, Submarine Force, Atlantic Fleet ([[COMSUBLANT]]), commanding COMSUBLANT's flagship {{USS|Chicago|CA-14|2}} at [[Submarine Base New London|New London]], [[Connecticut]].<ref name="NavHistHartbio"/>  He also served in [[World War I]] as Director of Submarine Operations for the Navy Department. Serving in this office as its head until 1922, Hart fought doggedly to improve the lot of the submarine arm of the navy. His tenacity was responsible for the U.S. Navy's acquisition of surrendered German [[U-boat]]s after World War I to learn the details of the technical innovations incorporated in the erstwhile enemy craft. Examination and trials of these U-boats were very influential in subsequent US Navy submarine design.<ref>Friedman submarines, pp. 159–161</ref> He also was involved in the development of the [[Mark 6 exploder|Mark 6]] [[torpedo]] [[fuze|exploder]].<ref name= cox>{{cite book| last = Cox| first = Jeffrey| title = Rising Sun, Falling Skies: The disastrous Java Sea Campaign of World War II| publisher = Osprey Publishing| edition = illustrated| date = 2015| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=SckfAwAAQBAJ| isbn = 978-1472808349}}{{Dead link|date=October 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

After World War I, Hart commanded {{USS|Mississippi|BB-41|6}}. From 1931–34, Hart was Superintendent of the [[United States Naval Academy]].

An unsuccessful recommendation of Hart's while on the [[General Board of the United States Navy|General Board]], beginning in 1936, was the building of small submarines. Hart's plan was to replace the aging [[United States S-class submarine|S-boats]], [[United States R-class submarine|R-boats]], and [[United States O-class submarine|O-boats]] to provide area defense of submarine bases. This plan resulted in only two experimental submarines, {{USS|Mackerel|SS-204|2}} and {{USS|Marlin|SS-205|2}}.<ref>Friedman submarines, pp. 221–224</ref> During this period, Hart successfully advocated the building of large [[destroyer leader]]s, later classified as [[anti-aircraft cruisers|anti-aircraft light cruisers]] (CLAAs), which became the [[Atlanta-class cruiser|''Atlanta'' class]] and others.<ref>Friedman cruisers, pp. 228–236</ref>