JACK A. MAHONY, JR., LT, USN

Jack Mahony, Jr. '39

Date of birth: July 21, 1917

Date of death: July 1, 1943

Age: 25

Lucky Bag

From the 1939 Lucky Bag:

JACK ALGER MAHONEY, JR.

Charleston, South Carolina

Jack

"A beautiful woman and a beautiful ship have no peers." Coming from Charleston, "The Beautiful City by the Sea," Jack is a staunch Rebel. His ability as a teller of yarns is well known, his favorite topics ranging from the elegant social affairs of Charleston to yacht regattas and hunting. Jack is a sailor from 'way back, sailing in many Southern Coast regattas before entering the Academy and being one of our representatives in intercollegiate racing. Socially Jack is up with the best of them. He has dragged many, but the Southern Belle remains his preference. Professionally, with his military background from the Citadel, his ambition to make good, and his ability to make friends, Jack will be an admirable shipmate and an enviable asset to the Navy.

Soccer 4; Sailing Team 2, 1; Boat Club 4, 3, 2, 1; International Star Boat Crew; Medal offered by by Minstére de La Marine Marchandaise; 2 Stripes.

JACK ALGER MAHONEY, JR.

Charleston, South Carolina

Jack

"A beautiful woman and a beautiful ship have no peers." Coming from Charleston, "The Beautiful City by the Sea," Jack is a staunch Rebel. His ability as a teller of yarns is well known, his favorite topics ranging from the elegant social affairs of Charleston to yacht regattas and hunting. Jack is a sailor from 'way back, sailing in many Southern Coast regattas before entering the Academy and being one of our representatives in intercollegiate racing. Socially Jack is up with the best of them. He has dragged many, but the Southern Belle remains his preference. Professionally, with his military background from the Citadel, his ambition to make good, and his ability to make friends, Jack will be an admirable shipmate and an enviable asset to the Navy.

Soccer 4; Sailing Team 2, 1; Boat Club 4, 3, 2, 1; International Star Boat Crew; Medal offered by by Minstére de La Marine Marchandaise; 2 Stripes.

Loss

From the All Hands Naval Bulletin (April 1944), describing the action for which he was awarded an Air Medal:

Lieut. Jack A. Mahony Jr., USN, Charleston, S.C. (posthumously): Completely disregarding his own safety, he struck courageously at a formation of 45 enemy bombers and fighters over New Georgia Island, 1 July 1943. Making a powerful run he severely damaged one of the enemy craft before the furious speed of his dive tore the wings from his own plane and he dived into the sea.

He was a member of Fighting Squadron (VF) 27, flying from a shore base while USS Suwanee (CVE 27), was anchored for upkeep and repairs.

Operations in February - June 1943

In the first months of 1943, Carrier Division 22 seems to have operated their aircraft almost interchangeably. For example, on April 17 Sagamon listed pilots aboard from VFs 26, 27, 28, and VC-26. However, most of the time James Fitzpatrick, Jr. '35, John Dalton '38, and Jack Mahony, Jr. '39 were aboard Suwanee or ashore at Guadalcanal. The following mentions were found in the ship's logs:

4 February: Suwanee, VGF 27 (Mahoney)
8 February: Suwanee, VGF 27 (Dalton, Mahoney)
6 March: Suwanee Air Group transferred to Guadalcanal
24 April: Suwanee VF 27 mostly returns. Dalton does, but Fitzpatrick and Mahoney are at the Guadalcanal base hospital
11 May: Suwanee Dalton flight lead
11 May: Suwanee Dalton and LCDR Fitzpatrick
13 May: Suwanee Fitzpatrick flight lead
13 May: Suwanee Dalton and LCDR Fitzpatrick
26 May: Suwanee Mahoney flight lead
27 May: Dalton, Mahoney TAD aboard Sagamon
8 June: Suwanee Fitzpatrick flight lead
9 June: Suwanee Fitzpatrick and Mahoney
10 June: Suwanee Fitzpatrick, Dalton, Mahoney
11 June: Suwanee Dalton
12 June: Suwanee Mahoney, Dalton
13 June: Suwanee Fitzpatrick, Mahoney
14 June: Suwanee Fitzpatrick, Dalton
15 June: Suwanee Fitzpatrick
21 June: Suwanee Fitzpatrick, flight lead, catapulted from the ship while she lay at anchor

After this, there are no further mentions of any of these men or Fighting Squadron (VF) 27 aboard USS Suwanee or USS Sagamon (CVE 26).

Other Information

From researcher Kathy Franz: "In 1920, his father Jack was a furniture salesman, mother Mary Elizabeth, and brother Carlyle. In 1940, the family included sisters Mary Elizabeth, Dorothy, Gloria and Sarah; and brothers John, Hilliard, Robert and William."

Jack's wife was listed as next of kin. He has a memory marker in South Carolina.

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.