Emory Land

Vice Admiral Emory Scott Land (8 January, 1879 - November 1971), from Cannon City, Colorado, graduated from the United States Naval Academy on 21 May 1902. Following two years of sea duty, he became a Naval Architect specializing in submarine construction. During World War I, he served on the Board of Devices and Plans connected with Submarines in Warfare, the Board of Standardization of Submarines, and the staff of Admiral William S. Sims, who commanded all U.S. naval forces in European waters. Land played a key role in the design of the S-class submarines from 1917 to 1919, the United States Navy's first attempt to build a submarine capable of operating with the battle fleet. Land was vice chairman of the Navy's postwar U-Boat Plans Committee in 1920. From 1 October 1932 until 1 April 1937, Land was Chief of the Bureau of Construction and Repair. In this position, he played a major role in submarine development leading to the highly successful fleet boats of World War II. Land retired in 1937, but on 18 February 1938 he became Chairman of the U.S. Maritime Commission, overseeing the design and construction of the more than 4,000 Liberty ships and Victory ships that flew the U.S. flag during World War II.