Commander Grady

Grady
Fictional Character
Southern Victory POD: September 10, 1862
Appearance(s):	American Front through Blood and Iron
Nationality:	United States
Date of Birth:	19th century
Occupation:	Sailor
Military Branch:	United States Navy (Great War)

Lieutenant Commander Grady commanded the starboard secondary armament of the USS Dakota at the outbreak of the Great War. He took part in the U.S. Navy operation that captured the Sandwich Islands from the British and sailed on the Dakota as part of fleet patrols to protect the islands from counter-attack.

In 1915, an enemy aeroplane was spotted over Pearl Harbor and battles stations were sounded among the moored warships. As the Dakota set sail, Grady checked the status of each of his guns, including the starboard bow five-inch gun commanded by CPO Hiram Kidde. He initially didn't know whose aeroplane it was but came back later to tell the gun crew it was Japanese. He also told them that a force of cruisers and destroyers had been spotted by their own aeroplane scouts and that the American force was closing to attack. It turned out that it was a trap. The aeroplane had lured the American fleet into the path of a number of hidden submersibles, one of which fired a torpedo that hit the Dakota blowing a large hole in the hull at the waterline. Grady told his gun crews that the compartmentalizing was holding up, the engines were safe and that they were slowly returning to Pearl Harbor probably for drydock repairs. Seaman Sam Carsten, part of Kidde's crew, suggested that the Japanese had laid in wait and had used the aeroplane to draw the fleet to the submersibles. Grady agreed and added that the surface ships had also provided fuel and supplies for the trip from Manila and back.