Born July 10, 1901 – Died January 16, 1977

Daniel Vincent Gallery was born in Chicago Illinois to Daniel Gallery and Mary Josephine Onahan. His grandfather Daniel J Gallery - reputed to have been a shipbuilder - was born in Ennistymon Co Clare, in approx 1839, and emigrated to the USA with his wife Mary A Daly.

Dan entered the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland in 1917. He graduated a year early and competed on the US wrestling team in the 1920 Antwerp Olympics. He saw extensive action in World War II with his biggest achievement being the capture of the German U-boat 505 in 1944, the only U- boat to be captured and pulled into harbour, now on display in the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago.

Captain Dan Gallery aboard U-505

Dan’s three younger brothers also had naval careers. Two rose to the rank of Admiral - William O. Gallery and Philip D. Gallery. John Ireland Gallery was a naval chaplain. Dan was also a naval aviator. He flew seaplanes, torpedo planes and amphibians. He won first place at the National Air races in a torpedo plane in the late 1930s. In 1941, while the U.S. was still neutral, he was assigned as the Naval Attaché at the U.S. Embassy in the UK.

Admiral Gallery and The Steel Band
Admiral Gallery's final command was the10th Naval District, Puerto Rico from December 1956 to July 1960. During this command, with the help of the Rotary and Lions clubs, he established the first Little Leagues in Puerto Rico. It was there that he first heard the steel bands. He established the first all-American and the only military steel band in 1957. The Tenth Naval District Steel Band – or Admiral Dan's Pandemoniacs, became the ‘US Navy Steel Band’ and toured the world as ambassadors of the U.S. Navy until 1999.
Admiral Gallery was retired from the Navy in 1960. He died at the Bethesda Medical Centre on January 16, 1977, at the age of 75. He was buried with full military honours in Section 3 of Arlington Military Cemetery, beside two of his brothers.

USS Gallery

Honours
The guided missile frigate ‘USS Gallery’ was named for Daniel V. Gallery and two of his brothers, Rear Admiral William O. Gallery and Rear Admiral Philip D. Gallery.
Gallery Park in Glenview Illinois is named after him. The park is located at the former site of the Naval Air Station.

Admiral Gallery - Humourist
Dan Gallery wrote many humorous fiction books and also some books on Naval topics.
Among his non-fiction books are: ‘Clear the Decks’ (Morrow, 1951), ‘U-505’ (original title: ‘Twenty Million Tons Under the Sea’) (1956), ‘We Captured a U-boat’ (Popular Book Club, 1958), ‘The Pueblo Incident’ (Doubleday, 1970), ‘Eight Bells’ (original title: ‘Eight Bells And All's Well’) (Norton, 1965).
Among his fiction books are ‘Now, Hear This!’ (Paperback Library, 1966) ‘Stand By-y-y to Start Engines’ (Norton, 1966), ‘Cap'n Fatso’ (sequel to ‘Now, Hear This’) (Norton, 1969), ‘Away Boarders’ (sequel to ‘Cap'n Fatso’) (Norton, 1971), ‘The Brink’ (Warner Books, 1973).

Sources

1. Letters from his brother Fr. John Ireland Gallery
2. Biography Arlington Cemetery
3. Museum of Science and Industry Chicago
4. Histories of Naval Steel band

See also Admiral Gallery's Wikipedia entry

Family Histories