JOHN C. HOLLINGSWORTH, CDR, USN

John Hollingsworth '31

Date of birth: September 12, 1909

Date of death: November 16, 1944

Age: 35

Lucky Bag

From the 1931 Lucky Bag:

John Christie Hollingsworth

Dawson, Georgia

"John" "Holly"

Not as large as his name implies, but large enough. Coming from God's own country, "Dixie," he possesses those traits characteristic of every Southerner. Slow of speech and quiet, yet holding one of the most striking and winning personalities ever. A true sport and every bit a man.

John's early training started at Dawson High. While in high school he distinguished himself on the gridiron, court, and field. He was captain of football, guard in basketball, and won many awards for his ability on the field. His abilities do not end in athletics, for he can make himself agreeable in any company, especially in mixed company, in which he is perfectly at ease.

By Dawson's loss we gained one who was entirely new to us. His friends at first were few, but he possessed that trait of holding a friend once he had gained him. He is a steady worker and succeeds in practically everything he undertakes, and his will to win carries him through where others fail. His loyalty and personality make him an asset to Navy.

Company Representative; Football 4 "B" Squad 3, 2, 1; Numeral 2; Track 4; 2 P. O.

John Christie Hollingsworth

Dawson, Georgia

"John" "Holly"

Not as large as his name implies, but large enough. Coming from God's own country, "Dixie," he possesses those traits characteristic of every Southerner. Slow of speech and quiet, yet holding one of the most striking and winning personalities ever. A true sport and every bit a man.

John's early training started at Dawson High. While in high school he distinguished himself on the gridiron, court, and field. He was captain of football, guard in basketball, and won many awards for his ability on the field. His abilities do not end in athletics, for he can make himself agreeable in any company, especially in mixed company, in which he is perfectly at ease.

By Dawson's loss we gained one who was entirely new to us. His friends at first were few, but he possessed that trait of holding a friend once he had gained him. He is a steady worker and succeeds in practically everything he undertakes, and his will to win carries him through where others fail. His loyalty and personality make him an asset to Navy.

Company Representative; Football 4 "B" Squad 3, 2, 1; Numeral 2; Track 4; 2 P. O.

Loss

John was lost when USS Scamp (SS 277) was sunk, possibly by a Japanese surface craft or mine, south of Tokyo Bay, probably on November 16, 1944. He was the boat's commanding officer.

He has a memory marker in Georgia; John is also listed at the Courts of the Missing in Hawaii. His wife was listed as next of kin.

Photographs

Other Information

From researcher Kathy Franz:

On March 24, 1936, John boarded the S.S. President Garfield from Genoa, Italy for New York City. His home address was listed as Emory University.
He married Irene Arsenault on October 25, 1937, at Sacred Heart rectory in Groton, Connecticut. In 1940, they lived in Cristobal, Canal Zone.
His father John was a hardware retail merchant, mother Lillie. His brother was Maj. Robert E. Hollingsworth, and their four sisters were Ruth, Mrs. John Scott, Mrs. William Wilkerson and Margaret (Mrs. A. Starr Ingram.)

His widow, Irene, sponsored USS Scamp (SSN 588), which was commissioned in 1961.

Career

From the now-broken link http://www.fleetorganization.com/subcommandersclassyear3.html:

Duty Submarine Base Coco Solo 1 Jul 1939 - 1 Jul 1940

Executive Officer USS Triton (SS-201) 30 Sep 1940 - Mar 1942

Executive Officer USS Peto (SS-265)

Captain USS Scamp (SS-277) Feb 1944 - Nov 1944

In April 1942 he was engineering officer aboard Thomas Jefferson. The ship had been briefly taken into service, outfitted with a pair of 20mm guns, and sent with various cargos to the Philippines. The voyage was short, however, as it was cancelled at Midway. After returning to Pearl Harbor, the ship picked up John's wife and the wife of the commanding officer before sailing for San Francisco. Upon reaching San Francisco the ship was returned to the War Shipping Administration and John (and all other officers & crew) transferred.

He was promoted to Lieutenant (j.g.) on 4 Jun 1934; to Lieutenant on 1 Jul 1939; to Lieutenant Commander (T) on 15 Jun 1942; and to Commander (T) 1 Nov 1942.

Silver Star

From Hall of Valor:

The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to Commander [then Lieutenant] John Christie Hollingsworth (NSN: 0-70037), United States Navy, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity as Executive Officer and Assistant Approach Officer of the U.S.S. TRITON (SS-201), during the SECOND War Patrol of that Submarine in enemy Japanese-controlled waters of the East China Sea, from 25 January to 19 March 1942. Through his excellent judgment and thorough knowledge of attack problems, Commander Hollingsworth materially assisted his Commanding Officer in conducting four successful torpedo attacks which, despite intensive hostile aircraft anti-submarine patrols and adverse weather conditions, resulted in the sinking of two enemy ships totaling 12,000 tons and in the damaging of two more totaling 15,000 tons. His courage and devotion to duty throughout were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.
General Orders: Board Serial 0433 (February 10, 1948)
Service: Navy
Rank: Commander

Legion of Merit

From Hall of Valor:

The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Legion of Merit with Combat "V" to Commander John Christie Hollingsworth (NSN: 0-70037), United States Navy, for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services to the Government of the United States as Commanding Officer of the U.S.S. SCAMP (SS-277), during the SEVENTH War Patrol of that Submarine in enemy Japanese-controlled waters, from 3 March to 22 April 1944. When his vessel was bombed on 7 April by an enemy float plane while trying to send a contact report of a hostile task force, Commander Hollingsworth directed emergency repairs on his ship in the face of dense phenolic smoke from fire in the main control cubicle to render his vessel capable of escaping from the area and returning to port. His leadership, courage and devotion to duty were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service. (Commander Hollingsworth is authorized to wear the Combat "V".)
General Orders: Pacific Fleet Board of Awards: Serial 73 (September 3, 1944)
Service: Navy
Rank: Commander

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.