Ships
- USS Minneapolis (CA-36) Captain from 7 June 1937 · Relieved on 17 December 1938
Lucien Frank Kimball was born in Chelsea, Massachusetts, in 1885. He graduated from the United States Naval Academy in the class of 1907 and spent his career in the United States Navy, retiring as a captain. He died in 1950 and was buried at Golden Gate National Cemetery in San Bruno, California.
In the First World War he served as a commander with the force that laid the North Sea mine barrage, the long minefield set between Scotland and Norway to hinder German submarines. He was executive officer of the cruiser San Francisco, flagship of the American mining squadron, and he also served as the squadron’s construction and mining officer. The ships worked along fixed tracks in open water and planted mines in measured rows through the summer and autumn of 1918.
The Navy awarded him the Navy Cross for that duty. The citation recognized his service as executive officer of San Francisco while the ship took part in laying the barrage.
Kimball took command of the heavy cruiser Minneapolis on 7 June 1937. She was a New Orleans-class ship, armed with nine 8-inch guns and built to scout for the fleet and to fight other cruisers. He was relieved on 17 December 1938. His tour was peacetime duty with the United States Fleet. Minneapolis went on to heavy fighting in the Pacific after this command.
During the Second World War he commanded the naval shipyard at Bremerton, Washington, where worn and battle-damaged ships were repaired and sent back to the Pacific. He retired with the rank of captain.