JACOB W. BRITT, LCDR, USN
Jacob Britt '29
Lucky Bag
From the 1929 Lucky Bag:
JACOB WILLIAM BRITT
Juneau, Alaska
"Jake" "Babe" "Yacub"
SIX feet two, red-headed, and with a perpetual grin; it takes only one look from as far as you can see to recognize "Babe." He came to the Academy after spending a year at the University of Washington. His home, however, is in the frozen north, and if you don't believe that Alaska is the one and only place, ask him.
Until the last part of Youngster year Jake was sure enough "red mike," but a certain young lady changed all that; now we do believe our boy is very much in love. Babe never does much worrying about anything, believing more or less in "easy come, easy go." Academics never gave him much trouble and, as a result, studying was indulged in very lightly. Jake is one of the biggest hearted boys we have ever known; he would give you his last shirt, his last cigarette, or his last dime if you needed it.
It is prophetic to say whether or not a man will succeed in his chosen profession, but we are sure that every man among his many friends will tell you that Jake has all the qualities which belong in the make-up of an officer and a gentleman.
Plebe Crew. Buzzard. Hop Committee 3.
JACOB WILLIAM BRITT
Juneau, Alaska
"Jake" "Babe" "Yacub"
SIX feet two, red-headed, and with a perpetual grin; it takes only one look from as far as you can see to recognize "Babe." He came to the Academy after spending a year at the University of Washington. His home, however, is in the frozen north, and if you don't believe that Alaska is the one and only place, ask him.
Until the last part of Youngster year Jake was sure enough "red mike," but a certain young lady changed all that; now we do believe our boy is very much in love. Babe never does much worrying about anything, believing more or less in "easy come, easy go." Academics never gave him much trouble and, as a result, studying was indulged in very lightly. Jake is one of the biggest hearted boys we have ever known; he would give you his last shirt, his last cigarette, or his last dime if you needed it.
It is prophetic to say whether or not a man will succeed in his chosen profession, but we are sure that every man among his many friends will tell you that Jake has all the qualities which belong in the make-up of an officer and a gentleman.
Plebe Crew. Buzzard. Hop Committee 3.
Loss
Jacob was lost when USS Asheville (PG 21) was sunk by Japanese surface forces on March 3, 1942. He was the gunboat's commanding officer. There was only one known survivor of the ship's sinking.
Other Information
From The Stroller’s Weekly and Douglas Island News, Alaska, February 18, 1922, via researcher Kathy Franz:
The high school, or that portion of it composing the Big J Club will give a vaudeville entertainment, “Music Hath Charms,” next Wednesday night and the entertainment will likely be given in the Coliseum theatre. The play was arranged by two of the high school boys, James Barrager and Jacob Britt. The proceeds of the affair will go toward paying the expenses of the basketball team on a contemplated tour of towns to the southward and extending as far as Ketchikan.
From researcher Kathy Franz:
Born in Skagway, Jacob graduated from Juneau-Douglas high school in 1923. In the senior class play, “Come Out of the Kitchen,” Jacob had the role of Burton Crane from New York. He falls in love with the cook who later turns out to be the daughter of the owner of the Southern home he rented for the hunting season. Jacob was known as “Pinky” on the basketball team. The yearbook stated “He has been on the team three years as center, and as he graduates this year his loss will be felt greatly by the High School team.” In the Class Will: Jacob left his finest points -- his slimness and dainty feet --, his pet expression of “Whachamacallit” and his love of going to Douglas and missing the ferry. Class Prophecy, 1940: Jacob was Secretary of State and our Diplomat. In October, 1944, his high school donated $25 to the War Relief Drive in his name and that of Leroy Vestal.
Known as Jake at the University of Washington in 1924, he was a member of Delta Kappa Epsilon and the Sourdough Club.
Jacob married Elsie Louise Zimmerman on May 3, 1930, at Cove Harbor, Severna Park, Maryland. His wife and son Richard William, born in 1932, were evacuated from Hongkong in December, 1940.
Jacob’s father Sir William Britt was a proprietor of a drug company, former member of the Alaska legislature, and former Norwegian vice consul. He was decorated a baronet by the king of Norway, and he died in April, 1932. In September, 1918, he met and interviewed the Arctic explorer Vilhjalmur Stefansson. Jacob’s mother was known as Lady Sophia Lind Britt. In 1940, she was a matron at the federal jail. His parents were both born in Norway.
In the 1919 Juneau-Douglas high school yearbook, Jacob’s story “A Trip to Mars” was printed:
One night as I was sitting on the porch gazing at the stars, an idea struck me that I would like to take a trip to one of the planets.
I went over to my chum’s house and told him of my idea. He thought it was fine. We decided to go to Mars because it was the nearest planet to the earth.
We then went to work and built ourselves a huge shell which was two hundred feet long and eighty feet wide. Inside of it were two staterooms, a pilot house, a storeroom, and an engine room. Our engine was capable of making three horse-power which was enough power to drive us to [illegible] seven years, once we got outside of the earth.
In the pilot house was a small machine which was capable of producing enough air to ventilate our shell very well. This was Fred’s invention and he was very proud of it. We also had a machine which was capable of making water out of air to wash with. This machine was my invention and I was equally proud.
We figured that with the speed our shell would have after leaving the gun from which we were to be shot, we could get outside of the earth’s gravity. Then our engine would drive us through space until we got into the gravity of Mars.
At last we were ready and all stocked up with provisions. We said goodbye to our parents and stepped into the shell. Then came a terrific shock and I lost consciousness and when I came to, Fred was standing over me and he told me that I had been unconscious two days.
We played games and did other things to pass away the time. At last we saw in the far distance – Mars. So Fred and I prepared ourselves for the shock which was to come. Day by day our speed increased until the sides of our shell were red hot from the friction. To withstand this heat we had to have cold water running over us all the time. Then we struck with a terrific jar, but, as we were prepared for the shock, we were not knocked unconscious.
We climbed out the back door, for the front part of our shell was buried deep in the ground.
The people of Mars were very small – about three feet in height – but were very much more advanced mentally than the people of our earth. The most wonderful thing they had was the telescope with which we could see the earth plainly. We could even see Juneau! We stayed on Mars about a year and then returned to the earth. The gravitation of Mars is not as strong as that of our earth. So we left Mars by the aid of our engines and didn’t have to build a gun to get away and we were certainly glad to be back to the old town of Juneau, after a fourteen year absence.
He was aboard USS Salinas (AO 19) from 1932-1934, and USS Warrington (DD 383) from 1935-1938.
From Find A Grave:
Jacob entered the U.S. Naval Academy on June 19, 1925. He was promoted to Lieutenant Junior Grade on June 6, 1932, Promoted to Lieutenant on June 30, 1937 and was Promoted to Lieutenant Commander on January 1, 1942.
His wife was listed as next of kin.
Photographs
His 1922 high school yearbook basketball photo
His 1922 his high school yearbook football photo
From the University of Washington yearbook
From his 1923 high school yearbook
His 1923 high school yearbook basketball photo
From The Evening Sun on March 23, 1942
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 1929
October 1929
January 1930
April 1930
LTjg Walter Leach, Jr. '24 (Light Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)
LTjg Creighton Lankford '25 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 1B)
LTjg Carlton Hutchins '26 (Light Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)
LTjg Claude Haman '26 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 2B)
ENS John Eldridge, Jr. '27 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 2B)
ENS Julian Greer '27 (Light Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)
October 1930
LT William Sample '19 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 2B)
LTjg Walter Leach, Jr. '24 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg Creighton Lankford '25 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 1B)
LTjg Carlton Hutchins '26 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg Charles Signer '26 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg Robert Symes '27 (Torpedo and Bombing Plane Squadron (VT) 2B)
LTjg Renwick Calderhead '27 (Torpedo and Bombing Plane Squadron (VT) 2B)
LTjg John Eldridge, Jr. '27 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 2B)
LTjg Julian Greer '27 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
ENS Weldon Hamilton '28 (Torpedo and Bombing Plane Squadron (VT) 2B)
January 1931
LT William Sample '19 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 2B)
LTjg Walter Leach, Jr. '24 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg Creighton Lankford '25 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 1B)
LTjg Carlton Hutchins '26 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg Charles Signer '26 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg Robert Symes '27 (Torpedo and Bombing Plane Squadron (VT) 2B)
LTjg Renwick Calderhead '27 (Torpedo and Bombing Plane Squadron (VT) 2B)
LTjg John Eldridge, Jr. '27 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 2B)
LTjg Julian Greer '27 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
ENS Weldon Hamilton '28 (Torpedo and Bombing Plane Squadron (VT) 2B)
April 1931
LT William Sample '19 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 2B)
LTjg Walter Leach, Jr. '24 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg Creighton Lankford '25 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 1B)
LTjg Carlton Hutchins '26 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg Charles Signer '26 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg Robert Symes '27 (Torpedo and Bombing Plane Squadron (VT) 2B)
LTjg Renwick Calderhead '27 (Torpedo and Bombing Plane Squadron (VT) 2B)
LTjg John Eldridge, Jr. '27 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 2B)
LTjg Julian Greer '27 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
ENS Weldon Hamilton '28 (Torpedo and Bombing Plane Squadron (VT) 2B)
July 1931
LTjg Walter Leach, Jr. '24 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg Robert Symes '27 (Torpedo and Bombing Plane Squadron (VT) 2B)
LTjg Eugene Davis '27 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg Renwick Calderhead '27 (Torpedo and Bombing Plane Squadron (VT) 2B)
LTjg Julian Greer '27 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
ENS William Arthur '29 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 1B)
ENS Lloyd Greenamyer '29 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 1B)
October 1931
LT Edwin Conway '20 (Torpedo and Bombing Plane Squadron (VT) 2B)
LTjg Walter Leach, Jr. '24 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg Robert Symes '27 (Torpedo and Bombing Plane Squadron (VT) 2B)
LTjg Eugene Davis '27 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg Renwick Calderhead '27 (Torpedo and Bombing Plane Squadron (VT) 2B)
ENS Weldon Hamilton '28 (Torpedo and Bombing Plane Squadron (VT) 2B)
ENS William Arthur '29 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 1B)
ENS William Oliver '29 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
ENS Lloyd Greenamyer '29 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 1B)
January 1932
LTjg Walter Leach, Jr. '24 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg Robert Symes '27 (Torpedo and Bombing Plane Squadron (VT) 2B)
LTjg Eugene Davis '27 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg Renwick Calderhead '27 (Torpedo and Bombing Plane Squadron (VT) 2B)
ENS Weldon Hamilton '28 (Torpedo and Bombing Plane Squadron (VT) 2B)
ENS William Arthur '29 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 1B)
ENS William Oliver '29 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
ENS Lloyd Greenamyer '29 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 1B)
April 1932
LTjg Walter Leach, Jr. '24 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg Robert Symes '27 (Torpedo and Bombing Plane Squadron (VT) 2B)
LTjg Eugene Davis '27 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg Renwick Calderhead '27 (Torpedo and Bombing Plane Squadron (VT) 2B)
LTjg Julian Greer '27 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
ENS William Arthur '29 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 1B)
ENS Mathias Wyatt '29 (Aircraft Squadrons, Battle Force)
ENS William Oliver '29 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
ENS Lloyd Greenamyer '29 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 1B)
October 1932
LTjg Eugene Davis '27 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg Renwick Calderhead '27 (Torpedo and Bombing Plane Squadron (VT) 2B)
ENS Weldon Hamilton '28 (Torpedo and Bombing Plane Squadron (VT) 2B)
LTjg William Arthur '29 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 1B)
LTjg William Oliver '29 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg Lloyd Greenamyer '29 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 1B)
ENS James Kyes '30 (Aircraft Squadrons)
January 1933
LTjg Matthias Marple, Jr. '23 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg Eugene Davis '27 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg Renwick Calderhead '27 (Torpedo and Bombing Plane Squadron (VT) 2B)
ENS Weldon Hamilton '28 (Torpedo and Bombing Plane Squadron (VT) 2B)
LTjg Mathias Wyatt '29 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg William Oliver '29 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg Lloyd Greenamyer '29 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 1B)
ENS James Kyes '30 (Aircraft Squadrons)
April 1933
LT Matthias Marple, Jr. '23 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg Eugene Davis '27 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg Renwick Calderhead '27 (Torpedo and Bombing Plane Squadron (VT) 2B)
ENS Weldon Hamilton '28 (Torpedo and Bombing Plane Squadron (VT) 2B)
LTjg William Arthur '29 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 1B)
LTjg William Oliver '29 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg Lloyd Greenamyer '29 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 1B)
ENS Mack Vorhees '30 (Aircraft Squadrons)
ENS James Kyes '30 (Aircraft Squadrons)
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
January 1939
October 1939
June 1940
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