US Navy Rear Admiral. After high school Craighill attended George Washington University remaining at the school for two years. He entered the Naval Academy as a junior and graduated with the class of 1932. After graduation he was assigned to the Battleship U.S.S. Pennsylvania in the Gunnery and Engineing Department followed by duty on the Cruiser U.S.S. New Orleans and next the Destroyer U.S.S. Badger. He returned to Annapolis in 1938 and attended the Naval Postgraduate School which he completed the following year. In 1942 he became the Executive Officer of the Destroyer U.S.S. Blue which participated in the Guadalcanal Tulagi landings and the capture and defense of Guadalcanal before she was torpedoed and sunk by the Japanese on August 22, 1942. He next served as Assistant Operations Officer on the Staff of Commander Seventh Fleet and in mid 1943 was appointed Commanding Officer of the Destroyer U.S.S. Drayton. He was ordered to operations in Easter New Guinea, Bismark Archipelago and Leyte. For his actions in this command he was awarded the Bronze Star with Combat "V". He returned to the Naval Academy in January 1945 as Secretary of the Academic Board and Aide to the Superintendent. in 1948 he served as Executive Officer of the U.S.S. Little Rock. From September of 1953 to September of 1954 he was the Commanding Officer of the U.S.S. Salamonie. In 1954 he returned to the Navy Department to serve as Head of the Joint Plans Section, Strategic Plans Division, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations. He was promoted to Rear Admiral in 1960 and became Commandant of the Fifteenth Naval District, with headquarters at Fort Amador, Canal Zone with additional duty as Commander Panama Sector, Caribbean Sea Frontier. He next was the Commander Amphibious Group Two from 1962 to 1963, then served as Director Politico-Military Policy Division, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations. In July of 1964 he reported as Assistant Chief of Naval Operations. In 1965 he became Commander Caribbean Sea Frontier, with additional duties as Commandant of the Tenth Naval District and Commander U.S. Antilles Defense Command. In addition to his Bronze Star he was awarded two Legion of Merit Medals and a Silver Star. He retired on July 1, 1961 as a Rear Admiral.