HERBERT F. CARROLL, JR., LT, USN

Herbert Carroll, Jr. '34

Date of birth: September 16, 1911

Date of death: August 9, 1942

Age: 30

Lucky Bag

From the 1934 Lucky Bag:

HERBERT FULLER CARROLL

Raleigh, North Carolina

"Herbie" "Rubio" "Doctor"

HERB hails from North Carolina and there is no denying that southern charm. There are light hearts and gay laughter in the land where the warm breezes blow and Herb brought it all with him when he came north to cast his lot with King Neptune some four years ago. It hasn't all been easy sailing for this gentleman from the old south. During Plebe and Youngster Years those old sea devils, steam and math, haunted the ship and put an end to a promising basketball career. It was discouraging but with a grin and a song he settled down to some mighty hard work and put those ghosts behind him. It took careful handling of the wheel to steer clear of those academic rocks and shoals which have spelt disaster for more than one good sailor, but courage and hard work did the trick.

Despite difficulties Herb has never been one to neglect his social obligations. Many a fair heart has fluttered under the spell of this gay cavalier's soft drawl and winning smile. In fact it is known that several charming ladies from staunch and stern New England have become southern sympathizers in the space of one short week-end.

In after years it will be the greatest of pleasures to recall the splendid company and fine good fellowship of this man we all admire and we toast "A fair wind and a flood tide" as he finally sets out to fulfill life's purpose and his own destiny. Good luck, Herbie.

Basketball 4, 3. Baseball 3,2. 2 P.O.

HERBERT FULLER CARROLL

Raleigh, North Carolina

"Herbie" "Rubio" "Doctor"

HERB hails from North Carolina and there is no denying that southern charm. There are light hearts and gay laughter in the land where the warm breezes blow and Herb brought it all with him when he came north to cast his lot with King Neptune some four years ago. It hasn't all been easy sailing for this gentleman from the old south. During Plebe and Youngster Years those old sea devils, steam and math, haunted the ship and put an end to a promising basketball career. It was discouraging but with a grin and a song he settled down to some mighty hard work and put those ghosts behind him. It took careful handling of the wheel to steer clear of those academic rocks and shoals which have spelt disaster for more than one good sailor, but courage and hard work did the trick.

Despite difficulties Herb has never been one to neglect his social obligations. Many a fair heart has fluttered under the spell of this gay cavalier's soft drawl and winning smile. In fact it is known that several charming ladies from staunch and stern New England have become southern sympathizers in the space of one short week-end.

In after years it will be the greatest of pleasures to recall the splendid company and fine good fellowship of this man we all admire and we toast "A fair wind and a flood tide" as he finally sets out to fulfill life's purpose and his own destiny. Good luck, Herbie.

Basketball 4, 3. Baseball 3,2. 2 P.O.

Loss

Herb was lost when USS Astoria (CA 34) was sunk during the Battle of Savo Island on August 9, 1942.

Other Information

From researcher Kathy Franz:

Herbert was born in Maryland and was unmarried.
Dr. Norwood Carroll, a dentist, was his uncle. He and his wife, Dr. Delia Dixon Carroll, lived in Raleigh. Herbert lived with them for a time and attended elementary schools in Raleigh and attended Woodberry Forest School in Orange, Virginia.
His father Herbert F. was an insurance agent, mother was Jane of Winston-Salem.

No next of kin was listed, but he was survived by his parents.

Namesake

USS Carroll (DE 171) was named for Herb; the ship was sponsored by his mother.

Photographs

From the yearbook of Woodberry Forest School, 1929

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.