Lloyd Mustin

Lloyd Montague Mustin, 87, a Navy vice admiral who retired in 1971 as director of what now is the Defense Nuclear Agency, died Jan. 21 1999 at his home in Coronado, Calif., of complications resulting from a stroke. Adm. Mustin's military career spanned 39 years, and it included participation in the major Pacific naval battles of World War II. His father, Capt. Henry C. Mustin, was a pioneering naval aviator for whom the destroyer USS Mustin was named. A great-great-grandfather was commander of the Navy squadron on Lake Ontario during the War of 1812, and a great-grandfather was commander of one of Commodore Matthew C. Perry's ships in the opening of Japan in 1853 and later a captain in the Confederate Navy during the Civil War. An uncle was commandant of the Marine Corps during World War I. Adm. Mustin graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis in 1932 and served with the Asiatic Fleet after graduation. In 1940, he received a master's degree in science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His work at MIT helped in the development of an antiaircraft gun sight used in defense against Japanese aircraft during World War II. After the war, he served aboard destroyers, in the Bureau of Ordnance and in the weapons systems evaluation group in the office of the secretary of defense. He directed live nuclear testing in the Pacific and was director of anti-submarine warfare on the staff of the chief of naval operations. From 1964 to 1967, he was director of operations for the Joint Chiefs of Staff. This period included the buildup of forces in Vietnam, the air campaign in North Vietnam and U.S. intervention in the Dominican Republic. His final sea assignment was as commander of amphibious forces for the Atlantic Fleet. On retiring from active duty, Adm. Mustin settled in Alexandria. His avocations included rifle and pistol shooting.. He had served on the U.S. Olympic Committee for shooting sports and from 1977 to 1979 was president of the National Rifle Association.In 1996, Adm. Mustin moved from Alexandria to Coronado. His wife of 57 years, Emily Morton Mustin, died in 1989. Survivors include two sons, retired Navy Vice Adm. Henry C. Mustin of Arlington and Thomas Morton Mustin of Coronado; a daughter, Douglas Mustin St. Denis of Coronado; a brother, Henry A. Mustin of Vero Beach, Fla.; seven grandchildren; and 15 great-grandchildren.