Rhodes Boykin Jr.

Captain, USN (Retired)

Rhodes Boykin, Jr., Captain, US Navy (retired) died October 18, 2021 at his home in Chevy Chase, Maryland. He was 94 years old.

A Birmingham native, he attended the Marion Military Institute (MMI) before receiving his appointment to the US Naval Academy from Senator John H. Bankhead II. He graduated with the Academy class of 1949. He later attended Navy submarine school and received an MBA from George Washington University in Washington, D.C.

Capt. Boykin served 23 years on active duty, mostly in the submarine service. His first command was the submarine USS Cubera, based in Norfolk, Virginia. His last sea command was Submarine Division 22, consisting of 8 submarines and a submarine rescue vessel, based in Groton, Connecticut. His shore duty assignments included the Office of Naval Research, where he was the Navy’s representative for the deep submersible ALVIN. In that capacity he participated in 1966 in recovering the hydrogen bomb that was lost in the Mediterranean near Palomares, Spain and located by the ALVIN at a depth of more than 2,500 feet. His last tour of duty was in the office of the Chief of Naval Operations in the Pentagon.

During his military service, Capt. Boykin earned awards that included the Legion of Merit, Navy Commendation Medal, Navy Meritorious Unit commendation and Korean Service Medal.

After retiring from the Navy, Capt. Boykin joined the international management consulting firm of Booz Allen Hamilton. He spent 17 years in the Washington, DC office and retired as a partner and senior vice president.

Capt. Boykin’s wife of 63 years, Joan Jarrett Boykin, of Chattanooga, Tennessee predeceased him. He is survived by daughter, Katherine Ulman (Mrs. Craig H.) of Chevy Chase, Maryland, son Rhodes “Rho” Boykin III of Bethesda, Maryland and two grandchildren.

Capt. Boykin was buried on Thursday, October 28, 2021 in the historic Oak Hill Cemetery in Birmingham, where his wife and many family members are buried.