Henry Adrian Schade (December 3, 1900 – August 12, 1992) was an officer in the United States Navy. He worked as a naval architect, director of the Institute of Engineering Research, and professor of mechanical engineering at the University of California, Berkeley.
During World War II, Schade headed the carrier desk for the United States Navy's Bureau of Ships. He helped develop the Essex-class carriers, which were commissioned near the end of the war. Schade also oversaw their accelerated construction.
Near the end of the war, Schade served as Chief of the United States Naval Technical Mission in Europe.
In 1923, Schade graduated from the Naval Academy with distinction
Early naval career
After graduating from MIT, Schade was briefly stationed at the Edgewood Arsenal in Maryland and then at the Brooklyn Navy Yard in New York City. From October 1928, and for the three succeeding years, Schade served in the industrial department at Mare Island Navy Yard, California. In December 1931, Schade joined the Design Section within the Bureau of Construction and Repair. He was later promoted to lieutenant. He furthered the development of the use of welding in naval ship construction until January 1935.
Schade was then assigned to the Experimental Model Basin at the Washington Navy Yard. Detached from the Model Basin in July 1936, he was ordered overseas to attend the Technische Hochschule Berlin-Charlottenburg. In June 1937, Schade received the degree of Doctor of Engineering in naval architecture for his research on the strength of ship structures and his dissertation entitled Statik des Schiff-Bodens unter Wasserdruck. An English translation by Schade was published as Theory of Motions of Craft in Waves.
Lieutenant Schade was then assigned to the Office of the Superintending Constructor, later re-designated as the Office of the Supervisor of Shipbuilding, at the Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company in Virginia. On June 23, 1938, less than one year into his assignment at Newport News, he was promoted to lieutenant commander. That summer, the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers (SNAME) published Schade's paper on his study of Bending Theory of Ship Bottom Structure.
World War II
After the attack on Pearl Harbor, the chief of the Bureau of Ships, Rear Admiral Samuel M. "Mike" Robinson, and deputy chief, Rear Admiral Alexander H. Van Keuren, recognized that the United States would require more and better-equipped aircraft carriers to fight a maritime war effectively. In the weeks following the attack, orders were sent to ships and stations worldwide to recall personnel for reassignment, including Commander Schade. In late December 1941, Schade was detached from his role as SNLO at Newport News and, by January 1, 1942, reassigned to the Bureau of Ships.
Following his reassignment, Schade was responsible for the design of the carriers. His innovations included using the flight deck as a structural element, replacing the original wooden platforms mounted above the ship's hull. Schade received a temporary promotion to captain, effective May 1, 1943.
Schade was awarded the Legion of Merit for his work as head of the Carrier Desk during World War II.
In mid-1944, Schade was sent to Europe as part of the Alsos Mission to evaluate captured German technology and investigate evidence of nuclear weapons research. The other three naval officers selected for the mission, all with engineering and foreign language expertise, were Captains Jacob Pieter Den Hartog, Albert G. Mumma, and Wendell P. Roop. Schade was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 1973. Commodore Henry Adrian Schade passed away on August 12, 1992, in Kensington, California.