JOHN G. TENNENT, III, CDR, USN

John Tennent, III '32

Date of birth: December 10, 1909

Date of death: January 30, 1944

Age: 34

Lucky Bag

From the 1932 Lucky Bag:

JOHN GARDNER TENNENT, 3rd

Fredericksburg, Virginia

"Jack"

When John, alias Jack, cut his first teeth on the ornamented buckle of his father's sword belt, the Gods winked knowingly and said among themselves, "We'll send him to Annapolis." Various trials and tribulations were encountered in the interim between cradle days and the summer of 1928, but according to prediction, Jack became one of us, a Plebe in a voluminous suit of white works and a white hat that tired his ears.

The fight with academics began in October and since then studies have offered no little opposition to Jack's ambitions, but nothing daunted, he has surmounted all obstacles and, by perseverance, has maintained his head above the academic sea.

A sunny disposition, a desire to please, and a ready smile have made Jack a valued member of our class and they have helped to make our lives a little more cheerful. A detailed account of his qualities would be too lengthy, so suffice it to say that he has been a classmate of whom we are proud. What more could you say of any man?

Water Polo; Reception Committee; Plebe Lacrosse; 2 P. O.

JOHN GARDNER TENNENT, 3rd

Fredericksburg, Virginia

"Jack"

When John, alias Jack, cut his first teeth on the ornamented buckle of his father's sword belt, the Gods winked knowingly and said among themselves, "We'll send him to Annapolis." Various trials and tribulations were encountered in the interim between cradle days and the summer of 1928, but according to prediction, Jack became one of us, a Plebe in a voluminous suit of white works and a white hat that tired his ears.

The fight with academics began in October and since then studies have offered no little opposition to Jack's ambitions, but nothing daunted, he has surmounted all obstacles and, by perseverance, has maintained his head above the academic sea.

A sunny disposition, a desire to please, and a ready smile have made Jack a valued member of our class and they have helped to make our lives a little more cheerful. A detailed account of his qualities would be too lengthy, so suffice it to say that he has been a classmate of whom we are proud. What more could you say of any man?

Water Polo; Reception Committee; Plebe Lacrosse; 2 P. O.

Loss

John was killed in action on January 30, 1944 when USS Anderson (DD 411) was struck by artillery fire from Wotje Atoll in the Marshall Islands chain. He was the ship's commanding officer.

From Wikipedia:

Battle of Kwajalein
By 21 December 1943, [USS Anderson] was back in San Diego to escort the 4th Marine Division to Kwajalein. En route, Anderson was one of the units designated to conduct a diversionary strike at Wotje on 30 January 1944. As one of the leading destroyers she opened the bombardment at 0642 and began to maneuver to avoid enemy return fire. At 0646, a shell hit in her combat information center (CIC), killing the commanding officer, Lieutenant Commander John G. Tennent, III, two ensigns, and three enlisted men, and wounding 14 others.

John had been in command of Anderson since May 14, 1943.

Other Information

From researcher Kathy Franz:

John was born in Washington, D. C. He was engaged to Virginia Dawes in June, 1932. She was the daughter of the former vice president General Charles Gates Dawes.
On January 26, 1935, in San Francisco, John married Barbara Josephine Carpenter.
In April 1937, John was ordered to the USS Oglala, and in August, John sailed from Honolulu to San Francisco.
John was ordered to the USS Nitro on January 14, 1939, but two weeks later the order was revoked.
In March 1941, John was assigned to be executive officer of the USS Dorsey.
John married Mrs. Louise Brooks Howard on July 12, 1941, in Green Springs, Maryland. She was the daughter of Mrs. Lionel Atwill, former wife of General Douglas MacArthur. Louise’s former husband William Ross Howard, III, married screen actress Dorothy Lamour.
John’s father was Captain Eugene Hunter Tennent, USN. His mother was the former Roberta Louise Durrett.

His wife was listed as next of kin. John's name is in the Courts of the Missing in Hawaii.

Photographs

From The Philadelphia Inquirer on February 23, 1944

Navy Cross

From Hall of Valor:

The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Navy Cross to Lieutenant Commander John Gardner Tennent, III (NSN: 0-71649), United States Navy, for extraordinary heroism and distinguished service in the line of his profession as Commanding Officer of the Destroyer-Minesweeper U.S.S. SOUTHARD (DD-207), during an engagement with an enemy submarine near San Cristobal Island, Solomon Islands, on 10 November 1942. When sight contact was established with a hostile submarine at a distance of three thousand yards, Lieutenant Commander Tennent immediately engaged the enemy in fierce combat which lasted nearly eight hours. Twice the submarine attacked with torpedoes, but Lieutenant Commander Tennent, displaying expert seamanship and keen judgment, was successful in avoiding them. Directing the maneuvers of his vessel with outstanding professional ability during the entire engagement, he subsequently outwitted and destroyed his desperate and determined opponent, thereby enabling his ship to continue its performance of vital minesweeping duties.
General Orders: Commander South Pacific Force & Area: Serial 822 (March 14, 1943)
Action Date: 10-Nov-42
Service: Navy
Rank: Lieutenant Commander
Company: Commanding Officer
Division: U.S.S. Southard (DD-207)

From The Times Dispatch, November 10, 1943: For eight hours the Southard went after the submarine with depth charges. Finally the sub’s stern broke through the surface and she rose upward at a sharp angle. Three rounds from the main battery struck her amidships and she slid below the surface.

Legion of Merit

From Hall of Valor:

The President of the United States of America takes pride in presenting the Legion of Merit with Combat "V" (Posthumously) to Commander John Gardner Tennent, III (NSN: 0-71649), 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. ANDERSON (DD-411) in action against enemy Japanese forces from July 1943 to 30 January 1944. During this period of hazardous duty, Commander Tennent participated in the bombardment of Kiska, in the escort and support of the SECOND Marine Division at Tarawa, and in the bombardment of Wotje, during which he was mortally wounded when fire from an enemy shore battery hit his ship. His fine qualities of leadership were an inspiration to those who served under him and his devotion to duty was at all times in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service. (Commander Tennent is authorized the Combat "V".)
Action Date: July 1943 - January 30, 1944
Service: Navy
Rank: Commander
Company: Commanding Officer
Division: U.S.S. Anderson (DD-411)

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.