HENRY S. WYGANT, JR., CDR, USN

Henry Wygant, Jr. '30

Date of birth: May 13, 1906

Date of death: January 3, 1944

Age: 37

Lucky Bag

From the 1930 Lucky Bag:

HENRY SOLLET WYGANT, JR.

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

"Wiggles" "Wildcat"

WATCH him walk sometime and see where the "Wiggles" came from. Watch him fight sometime and see where he earned that "Wildcat." Wiggles' chief occupation is dodging 2.5's. He is an addict of that sport. Other times he gives the boys in the crew something to talk over after hours. Wildcat is a fellow as intensely likable as it is possible for a man to be. He is built of stern stuff, a warm heart, and a generosity that expresses itself in every direction, even to offering his roommate's last pack of "skags" to the smokeless individual. He can borrow a shirt from a classmate and make it appear that the classmate is being favored. His blarney is qualified by his statement that "Half the lies the Irish tell aren't true." His laughter is a joy to hear, and he gets a thrill out of music, dancing, femmes, crew and almost every other thing he does or sees. He is continually certain of hitting trees, yet never does; he enjoys brushing his teeth, and is never more than half-dressed when the bell rings. Easy-going yet not indolent, often worried but seldom gloomy, a smile for anyone who is willing to smile back, happy-go-lucky yet sure of himself, Wiggles is the ideal wife. Loyalty and friendliness itself, he never whines but takes what comes his way with a carelessness that belies the intensity underneath.

Wrestling Squad 4, 3, 2, 1; Crew Squad 3, 2, 1; 2 P.O.

HENRY SOLLET WYGANT, JR.

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

"Wiggles" "Wildcat"

WATCH him walk sometime and see where the "Wiggles" came from. Watch him fight sometime and see where he earned that "Wildcat." Wiggles' chief occupation is dodging 2.5's. He is an addict of that sport. Other times he gives the boys in the crew something to talk over after hours. Wildcat is a fellow as intensely likable as it is possible for a man to be. He is built of stern stuff, a warm heart, and a generosity that expresses itself in every direction, even to offering his roommate's last pack of "skags" to the smokeless individual. He can borrow a shirt from a classmate and make it appear that the classmate is being favored. His blarney is qualified by his statement that "Half the lies the Irish tell aren't true." His laughter is a joy to hear, and he gets a thrill out of music, dancing, femmes, crew and almost every other thing he does or sees. He is continually certain of hitting trees, yet never does; he enjoys brushing his teeth, and is never more than half-dressed when the bell rings. Easy-going yet not indolent, often worried but seldom gloomy, a smile for anyone who is willing to smile back, happy-go-lucky yet sure of himself, Wiggles is the ideal wife. Loyalty and friendliness itself, he never whines but takes what comes his way with a carelessness that belies the intensity underneath.

Wrestling Squad 4, 3, 2, 1; Crew Squad 3, 2, 1; 2 P.O.

Loss

Henry was lost in the explosion of USS Turner (DD 648) in New York harbor on January 3, 1944.

Other Information

From researcher Kathy Franz:

Henry was a native of Kingfisher, Oklahoma.
He married Peggy Howe, daughter of Commander William Bingham Howe, U.S.N., in Jamestown, Rhode Island on September 4, 1931. Their son Henry, III, only lived 10 weeks. He was born on November 17, 1932, and died February 1, 1933, in Philadelphia. Their daughter Marjorie was born on August 23, 1934, in Philadelphia. When Henry died, his son William Henry was 3 and Richard Howe was 18 months.
In July, 1934, Henry was on USS Gilmer, one of the destroyers accompanying USS Houston on which President Roosevelt was making a vacation trip. In 1934, he was cited for gallant action in diving into shark-infested waters from the Gilmer to rescue a flying officer who had crashed in a plane from the carrier Lexington.
In October, 22, 1941, Henry was executive officer of USS Bristol, a destroyer commissioned in the New York Navy Yard in Brooklyn. It was sunk in the Mediterranean off the Algerian Coast on October 13, 1943.
In April, 1943, Henry, a lieutenant commander, was the commanding officer of the destroyer USS Turner when it was launched in New York City. Henry was promoted to commander in November, 1943.
Henry’s father, uncle and grandfather all served in the military; see links in his findagrave. His mother was Marie. Sisters were Marie (Mrs. Eugene Philpot Curran), Christiana whose husband Lt. Thomas Donovan was a Japanese prisoner, and Sophie Elizabeth who married Lt. George Woodson Ashford in 1933. His brother was Edward.

His wife was listed as next of kin.

From USS Turner Association, formerly at http://www.ussturner.org/memories17.php:

Commander Henry Sollet Wygand Jr. of the U.S.S. TURNER never had a chance. Without warning a mysterious explosion ripped open the main deck sending it sky-high, toppling the mast onto the deckhouse and smashing the ship's only link with the world, destroying the ship's nerve center and the emergency transmission radio system. Commander Wygand along with many of his officers were killed immediately. Sailors were blown to the deck. Their bleeding bodies were scattered everywhere. Fire erupted instantly while the engine room quickly filled with hot poisonous smoke and fumes. …

Photographs

From the Pittsburgh Post Gazette on October 24, 1941
From The Baltimore Sun on January 5, 1944

Navy Directories & Officer Registers

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.