Homer Norman Wallin was a Vice Admiral in the United States Navy, best known for his salvage of ships sunk in the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Wallin was born in Washburn, North Dakota. Following brief attendance at the University of North Dakota and a year in the state National Guard, he was appointed to the U.S. Naval Academy in 1913. He graduated in March 1917 and was commissioned in the rank of Ensign. During most of the First World War, he served in the battleship New Jersey160. In September 1918, he was transferred to the Navys Construction Corps and was sent to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for postgraduate education in Naval Architecture.
Source: Wikipedia