William McCombe Callaghan (August 8, 1897 – July 8, 1991) was a United States Navy officer who served as the first captain of the battleship USS Missouri[2][3][4][5] and the inaugural commander of the Military Sea Transportation Service.

Callaghan is perhaps best known for ordering, despite disagreement from some of his crew, that an honorable burial at sea be held for an enemy pilot who died during a suicide attack on Missouri in 1945.

[2] He received a Master of Science degree in electrical engineering from Columbia University in 1925, and would become a Knight of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta.

[11] At the rank of commander, Callaghan captained the destroyer USS Reuben James from June 1936 to March 1938,[12] and subsequently joined the staff of the Chief of Naval Operations in 1939.

[2] During the first part of World War II, he served as a logistics officer on the staff of the commander in chief, US Pacific Fleet,[14] Admiral Chester Nimitz.

[19] Bill Obitz, a seaman at the time, recalled that the attacking plane approached at an extreme angle and estimated that it was 20 feet (6 m) above the water.

[23] Despite protests from crewmen, who wanted the remains hosed over the deck, Callaghan insisted that the young Japanese airman had done his job to the best of his ability, with honor, and deserved a military burial.

[5] Stephen Cromwell, a corpsman at the time, later recalled, "I was able to recover his body and I called up to the bridge to ask if I should throw it overboard ... Captain Callaghan said, 'No, when we secure, take it down to the sick bay, and we'll have a burial for him tomorrow.

[22] What remained of the body was brought to sick bay for examination, and various Missouri crew took souvenirs from the clothing, including the helmet, scarf, and jacket.

"[22] According to Lee Collins, visitor operations director for the Battleship Missouri Memorial, Callaghan said that the ceremony was simply a tribute to "a fellow warrior who had displayed courage and devotion, and who had paid the ultimate sacrifice with his life, fighting for his country.

[9][14] Following retirement from military service, Callaghan served as vice president of American Export Lines, and then as chairman of the Maritime Transportation Research Board under the National Academy of Sciences.

Callaghan's decision on the Japanese pilot's funeral in 1945 would receive praise years later, although a memorial service aboard the Missouri in April 2001 attracted controversy.

"[3] Junko Kamata, a niece of one of the Japanese pilots killed in the April 1945 battle, said, "I want to thank Captain Callaghan for his humanitarian consideration for kamikaze soldiers.

"[5] Daniel Inouye, US Senator from Hawaii, reflected that "from the dawn of civilization, warriors respected their adversaries; it was an unspoken code of honor.

"[5] At a 1998 reunion of Missouri veterans, many of those present who had served during World War II felt that, on reflection, their captain had acted correctly.

[3] Robert Kihune, a retired US Navy vice admiral, said, "In wartime, courage is measured as much by one's actions as their strength of leadership during the heat of battle ...