46 MARINER / 2016 - ISSUE 3
Eight Bells
Former Instructor, Capt. Allan
K. Cameron, Jr., USN (Ret)
died February 1. After a remarkable career
of military service, Cameron was a longtime
instructor and mentor of young, future mariners
at MMA. Achieving Coast Guard certification
as Chief Engineer, Unlimited Horsepower any
Ocean-Going Vessel and as a registered State of
Maine Professional Engineer, he was commonly
regarded by his students as “The Face” or “Doctor
Diesel.” He dedicated a great deal of his personal
time, even after retirement from teaching, to one
of his passions as the coach of Maine Maritime’s
Pistol Team.
As a young man and excellent student, Camer-
on sought, but was denied, an appointment to the
Naval Academy in his junior year of high school,- The following year he enlisted in the U.S.
Navy as a Radarman. While in schooling for his
rating, he received an appointment to the Naval
Academy Preparatory School. He then entered
and graduated 117 of 691 from the Naval Acade-
my, Class of 1950.
As a newly commissioned ensign, Cameron
saw combat tours during the Korean Conflict
aboard the USS Perkins (DDR-877), a destroyer
and USS Boxer, (CV-21) an aircraft carrier. He
then served as an Engineering Division Officer
and Damage Control Assistant aboard the refrig-
erated stores ship USS Aludra.
In June 1955, then Lt. Cameron was accept-
ed to the Naval Postgraduate Program at the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology and in
June of 1958 earned a Master of Science degree
in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineer-
ing and the degree of Naval Engineer. He then
volunteered for submarine service and saw duty
aboard USS Menhaden (SS-377) where he served
as Engineer and Communications Officer. A
senior Lieutenant following this tour, Cameron
was selected for training in the Navy’s fledgling
Nuclear Propulsion Program by then Capt.
Hyman Rickover. At his interview with Rickover,
who was legendary for his psychological pressure
on candidates, Cameron informed “The Kind Old
Gentleman” that if such tactics were a necessity
in the program, he was no longer interested and
walked out of the interview. A few years later, as
Officer-In-Charge of Construction for the USS
Pollack (SSN-603), Cameron was offered another
opportunity to join Rickover’s program, which he
again declined.
Cameron’s further Naval career included a
tour at Philadelphia Naval Yard, New York Ship-
building and later serving as Executive Officer of
the Navy Underwater Sound Lab in New London,
Connecticut and at Naval Sea Systems Command
in Washington, DC, eventually retiring in 1974
with the rank of Captain. He had participated
on the Navy’s Rifle Team at Fleet, All-Navy and
National competitions and was instrumental in
the Navy’s continued funding for competitive
marksmanship programs.