Capt Willard B McLaren, master of the cruiser USSS (United States Space Ship) Percival O'Dare, poses heroically for Life magazine on the eve of the O'Dare's maiden voyage, 1965. The first space warship ever launched by the United States, it was a resounding failure, like most other early space-based battle platforms.
Though tested three times, the O'Dare didn't even make it off the launching pad, as engine after engine flamed out in several spectacular malfunctions. This gave way to the old joke "how does an American rocket scientist teach his son how to count? 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1,oh hell".
The first successful American space cruiser was, of course, the James B McConaughy, launched in 1986. McLaren never got to space; transferred back to Naval Aviation after the O'Dare failed, he was killed over Viet Nam in 1979.