HARRINGTON M. DRAKE, CDR, USN
Harrington Drake '31
Lucky Bag
From the 1931 Lucky Bag:
Harrington Max Drake
Fresno, California
"Max"
The dark curly hair, and winning way that is only Max's immediately won for him the friendship and esteem of the rest of us from that first day in Plebe Summer. His ability to tell a story in manner par excellence, has also made him a wanted man when there has been a "session" on.
Max has always been interested in athletics, and seems to be able to play them all equally well. Football, tennis, track, and golf however, are his mainstays. Any spring day one can find him playing a driving smashing game of tennis.
These however, are mostly external qualities. To his friends, Max is a true man. There may be others who have more "gameness" and spirit, but we have yet to see the equal of this handsome young man. No matter, what it may be; winning the last set of an exhausting match, driving across the continent in record time, or setting the pace in old Berlin, Max is always there.
Here's luck to you old Pal—Not Bremse!
Harrington Max Drake
Fresno, California
"Max"
The dark curly hair, and winning way that is only Max's immediately won for him the friendship and esteem of the rest of us from that first day in Plebe Summer. His ability to tell a story in manner par excellence, has also made him a wanted man when there has been a "session" on.
Max has always been interested in athletics, and seems to be able to play them all equally well. Football, tennis, track, and golf however, are his mainstays. Any spring day one can find him playing a driving smashing game of tennis.
These however, are mostly external qualities. To his friends, Max is a true man. There may be others who have more "gameness" and spirit, but we have yet to see the equal of this handsome young man. No matter, what it may be; winning the last set of an exhausting match, driving across the continent in record time, or setting the pace in old Berlin, Max is always there.
Here's luck to you old Pal—Not Bremse!
Loss
From Geneaology.com:
[Patrol Bomber Squadron VPB-119] operated under the direction & coordination of Fleet Air Wing 17 (FAW 17) while it was engaged in combat operations. Commander Harrington Max Drake was a member of the FAW 17 staff.
… Harrington Drake died on Hainan Island on 1 May 1945. When Cdr. Drake died, he was flying aboard a navy PB4Y-2 bomber piloted by a Lt. John W. Holt of VPB-119.The crew of this plane was crew #4 of the squadron - my dad's crew.
My dad was a radar counter measures technician and although he was primarily assigned to crew #4, he was often assigned to fly with other crews, depending upon the mission requirements. On May 1, 1945 - the day that Lt. Holt, Cdr. Drake, and crew #4 were lost - my dad was on one of these other assignments. Consequently, my dad survived the war.
When this plane first went down, it's fate was unknown; the squadron didn't what happened to it, they didn't have any specific location information nor any reports of hostile action. The plane just didn't return from its mission. The crew and Cdr. Drake were listed as MIA through the end of the war. It wasn't until after the war that the wreckage of the plane and the crew remains were located. …
Other Information
From researcher Kathy Franz:
Born in Childress, Texas, Harrington, who went by Max, graduated from Fresno high school. He attended Fresno State College where he was an engineering student and a member of College “Y” and the Varsity Glee Club.
In January, 1927, he passed both the examinations for the army and navy academies. He was appointed by Congressman H. E. Barbour of Fresno.
Harrington married Catherine Lois Bedford on August 10, 1931, at the Holy Trinity Episcopal church at Alhambra, California. Their children were Harrington and Lois.
In June, 1936, Harrington, his wife and 3-year-old son traveled from Los Angeles to Honolulu on the S. S. Malolo.
Harrington was one of the first naval fliers to land on the Philippines. He had been in the Pacific since September 1, 1944 and was reported missing in May, 1945.
His father Alonzo was a time keeper in a railroad shop and later a bank clerk. He was also a captain of infantry in the army reserve. His mother was Pearl, a sales woman in a dry goods store, and his brother was Gordon. His grandson Harrington Max, III, was born January 4, 1959.
His wife, Catherine, was listed as next of kin; he was also survived by a son, who was born in 1934 while Max was stationed at NAS Pensacola, Florida. He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
He earned his wings as naval aviator #3968 on January 27, 1933.
Max is listed on the killed in action panel at the front of Memorial Hall.
Photographs
"Secretary of the Navy Pistol Trophy"
From his high school yearbook
The "Register of Commissioned and Warrant Officers of the United States Navy and Marine Corps" was published annually from 1815 through at least the 1970s; it provided rank, command or station, and occasionally billet until the beginning of World War II when command/station was no longer included. Scanned copies were reviewed and data entered from the mid-1840s through 1922, when more-frequent Navy Directories were available.
The Navy Directory was a publication that provided information on the command, billet, and rank of every active and retired naval officer. Single editions have been found online from January 1915 and March 1918, and then from three to six editions per year from 1923 through 1940; the final edition is from April 1941.
The entries in both series of documents are sometimes cryptic and confusing. They are often inconsistent, even within an edition, with the name of commands; this is especially true for aviation squadrons in the 1920s and early 1930s.
Alumni listed at the same command may or may not have had significant interactions; they could have shared a stateroom or workspace, stood many hours of watch together… or, especially at the larger commands, they might not have known each other at all. The information provides the opportunity to draw connections that are otherwise invisible, though, and gives a fuller view of the professional experiences of these alumni in Memorial Hall.
July 1931
LCDR Robert English '11
LT Joseph Severyns, Jr. '20
LT Samuel Arthur '20
LT Robert Smith '20
LT Paul Slawson '20
LT John Jones '21
LT John French '22
October 1931
January 1932
April 1932
LT Jack Richardson '19
LT Irving Wiltsie '21
LTjg Matthias Marple, Jr. '23
LTjg Robert Larson '24
LTjg James McDonough '24
LTjg Charles McDonald '24
LTjg Arthur Farrell '25
LTjg Carlton Hutchins '26
LTjg Charles Signer '26
October 1932
January 1933
April 1933
July 1933
October 1933
April 1934
July 1934
October 1934
January 1935
April 1935
October 1935
January 1936
April 1936
July 1936
January 1937
April 1937
September 1937
January 1938
July 1938
LT Donald Lovelace '28 (Scouting Squadron (VS) 41)
LT William Pennewill '29 (Scouting Squadron (VS) 42)
LTjg William Townsend '32 (Fighting Squadron (VF) 4)
LTjg Frederick Schrader '35 (Fighting Squadron (VF) 4)
ENS Harry Howell '38 (USS Ranger)
ENS Walter Sharer '38 (USS Ranger)
ENS Floyd Garrett, Jr. '38 (USS Ranger)
ENS Richard Sampson '38 (USS Ranger)
January 1939
LT Donald Lovelace '28 (Scouting Squadron (VS) 41)
LT William Pennewill '29 (Scouting Squadron (VS) 42)
LTjg William Townsend '32 (Fighting Squadron (VF) 4)
LTjg Frederick Schrader '35 (Fighting Squadron (VF) 4)
ENS Harry Howell '38 (USS Ranger)
ENS Walter Sharer '38 (USS Ranger)
ENS Floyd Garrett, Jr. '38 (USS Ranger)
ENS Richard Sampson '38 (USS Ranger)
October 1939
LTjg George Nicol '34 (Scouting Squadron (VS) 3)
ENS Raymond Vogel, Jr. '36 (Fighting Squadron (VF) 3)
ENS William Mason, Jr. '37 (USS Saratoga)
ENS John Black '38 (USS Saratoga)
ENS Keene Hammond '38 (USS Saratoga)
ENS Lenard Reichel '39 (USS Saratoga)
ENS Claude Goodman, Jr. '39 (USS Saratoga)
ENS Norman White '39 (USS Saratoga)
June 1940
LT William Sisko '31 (Scouting Squadron (VS) 3)
LT John Spiers '32 (Fighting Squadron (VF) 3)
LTjg George Nicol '34 (Scouting Squadron (VS) 3)
ENS Edward O'Hare '37 (Fighting Squadron (VF) 3)
ENS Keene Hammond '38 (USS Saratoga)
ENS Norman White '39 (USS Saratoga)
November 1940
April 1941
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