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R 122034Z JUL 13
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SUBJ/PASSING OF VICE ADMIRAL EUGENE P. "DENNIS" WILKINSON,
USN (RET)//

RMKS/1. It is with sincere sadness that I report the passing of
Vice Admiral Eugene P. "Dennis" Wilkinson, USN(Ret) on 11 July 2013.
VADM Wilkinson graduated from San Diego State University in 1938 and
was commissioned in 1940. His 34 years of honorable service was
highlighted by his pioneering of nuclear power and culminated in his
appointment as the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations, Submarine
Warfare. Vice Admiral Wilkinson served in two surface ships and ten
submarines, including eight war patrols in USS DARTER (SS 227) and
command of three diesel submarines, most notably, he served as the
first commanding officer of both the first nuclear powered submarine,
USS NAUTILUS (SSN 571), and the first nuclear powered cruiser
USS LONG BEACH (CGN 9).

2. VADM Wilkinson was instrumental in the early development of Navy
nuclear propulsion. In the late 1940s, he served in a variety of
nuclear billets at the Oak Ridge and Argonne National Laboratories
and the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission. At 1100 on 17 January 1955,
then-Captain Wilkinson signaled "Underway on Nuclear Power" from
NAUTILUS, marking the United States Navy's entry into the nuclear
power age. His leadership of NAUTILUS and LONG BEACH were critical
to charting the course for today's Navy and fundamentally changed the
way we fight from the sea.

3. Following his retirement in 1974, Vice Admiral Wilkinson
continued to advance nuclear power by serving as the first president
and CEO of the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations.

4. Vice Admiral Wilkinson married the former Janice Edith Thull in
1942 and they enjoyed 58 wonderful years until her passing in 2000.
VADM Wilkinson is survived by his four children and four
grandchildren. He was a pioneering leader, an outstanding
shipmate, and he will be sorely missed by his community and
the Navy family.

5. Released by Vice Admiral R. W. Hunt, Director, Navy Staff.//
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