Henry A. Schade

Who was Henry A. Schade?

Henry Adrian "Packy" Schade was a United States Navy officer, naval architect, and professor.

During World War II, Schade was Head of the Carrier Desk for the United States Navy's Bureau of Ships. In this capacity he was highly influential in the development of all classes of aircraft carriers commissioned during the war, particularly the Essex-class. Schade added materially in overcoming the shortage of aircraft carriers of all types by overseeing their accelerated construction thereby contributing to the defeat of the German Submarine campaign, the shift from the defensive to the offensive in the Pacific, and the subsequent successful prosecution of the war.

Near the end of the war, Schade served as Chief of the United States Naval Technical Mission in Europe. The Mission was charged with the responsibility of exploiting German science and technology for the benefit of the United States Navy's technical Bureaus.