Captain, USS WISCONSIN  9/9/53-6/11/54

Flaherty was born in North Adams, MA on 19 December 1904. He attended Drury High in North Adams and entered the US Naval Academy in 1924. He was commissioned on 7 June 1928 and has served aboard the battleship USS MARYLAND, the minesweeper MONTGOMERY, the submarine ARGONAUT and the cruiser SALT LAKE CITY. Captain Flaherty fought World War II as executive officer and commanding officer of several lighter-than-air squadrons and also as gunnery officer of the DETROIT. At the war’s close Captain Flaherty was in the executive office of the MARYLAND. His next assignment was at the Bureau of Ordnance and then at the Pacific Training Group. He was graduated from the Naval War College, Newport, RI, in 1949 and assigned as commanding officer of the transport NOBLE. As skipper of the NOBLE he took part in the landings at Inchon and Sonjin. Before coming to the WISCONSIN, Captain Flaherty was head of the Seamanship and Navigation Department at the Naval Academy. Holder of the Bronze Star and the Commendation Ribbons, he also wore the American Defense, Asiatic Theatre, Pacific Theatre, china Service, National Defense and the Korean Service ribbons in addition to the World War Victory and United Nations Service medals. Captain Flaherty assumed command of the Wisconsin 9 September 1953.