JOHN L. PHILLIPS, JR., LCDR, USN

John Phillips, Jr. '33

Date of birth: March 23, 1910

Date of death: February 16, 1944

Age: 33

Lucky Bag

From the 1933 Lucky Bag:

JOHN LLOYD PHILLIPS

Linden, Virginia

"Phil" "Petah"

There isn't much at Northwestern College way up in Wisconsin to incite a longing for a sea going life. However, that's where Phil first felt the lust.

He made a step toward the military which, geographically speaking, brought him a little nearer salt water. V.P.I. didn't quite satisfy the urge though, so John took a bolder step and joined the Navy. At Prep School he polished up some previously acquired knowledge and then confidently took the final step — the one to Crabtown.

So well is he equipped, both mentally and physically, that there have been very few difficulties, if any, in his staying well above the water, except maybe in trying to find time to read all the current novels and magazines.

Phil has a few faults. For instance he couldn't see how anyone could be so "wooden" as his roommate and it was with the greatest delight that he continually informed said roommate of that fact. Another thing—he is quite willing to sacrifice a few hours sleep any night to talk about crew. He can't be blamed though. He was a valuable man to the squad.

John is going to be a big success, that is if he cans the women as well as he usually does. Some day he may settle down to an O.A.O. However, at present, he won't consider such limitations.

Football 4; Crew 4, 3, 2, 1; N Club; 2 P. O.

JOHN LLOYD PHILLIPS

Linden, Virginia

"Phil" "Petah"

There isn't much at Northwestern College way up in Wisconsin to incite a longing for a sea going life. However, that's where Phil first felt the lust.

He made a step toward the military which, geographically speaking, brought him a little nearer salt water. V.P.I. didn't quite satisfy the urge though, so John took a bolder step and joined the Navy. At Prep School he polished up some previously acquired knowledge and then confidently took the final step — the one to Crabtown.

So well is he equipped, both mentally and physically, that there have been very few difficulties, if any, in his staying well above the water, except maybe in trying to find time to read all the current novels and magazines.

Phil has a few faults. For instance he couldn't see how anyone could be so "wooden" as his roommate and it was with the greatest delight that he continually informed said roommate of that fact. Another thing—he is quite willing to sacrifice a few hours sleep any night to talk about crew. He can't be blamed though. He was a valuable man to the squad.

John is going to be a big success, that is if he cans the women as well as he usually does. Some day he may settle down to an O.A.O. However, at present, he won't consider such limitations.

Football 4; Crew 4, 3, 2, 1; N Club; 2 P. O.

Loss

From Find A Grave:

On 16FEB1944, Lt. Cdr. John Phillips was commanding Air Group Six during the attack at the major Japanese fleet base at Truk. Flying an F6F Hellcat from USS INTREPID with Ens. John R. Ogg (BuPers #176896), he was overseeing the strikes against shipping trying to leave the base. Neither Phillips or Ogg returned and no radio contact was heard.

Other Information

From the 1953 edition of the book "Double Three Roundup," published by the class of 1933:

Phil spent three and a half years in the MARYLAND before going to Pensacola. After receiving his wings in January 1938, he was ordered to VT-6, first in the YORKTOWN, then the ENTERPRISE. He returned to Pensacola as an instructor in September 1940 and in March 1943 was ordered to fit out and command VT-7. This became VT-6 that summer and John became Air Group Six Commander later the same year. His group did much of the pioneering in night tactics for ComAirPac. Phil was lost on 16 February, 1944, after directing the attack against enemy ships and installations in the vicinity of Truk Atoll. He was awarded the Navy Cross, 2 Air Medals and the Purple Heart.
Phil married Eleanore S. Gill from Philadelphia on June 22, 1935, in Seattle, Washington. Their daughter, Eleanore Diane, was born in 1940. Diane resembles her father in many ways; she is active in sports, church and scouts, and is studying piano and dancing.
In 1948 Eleanore married Leonard R. Snyder, who is in the publishing business in Philadelphia. Their address is 8231 Forrest Avenue in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania.

Prior to the war, he was a founding member of Torpedo Squadron (VT) 6 in 1938. Later, he was commanding officer of Torpedo Squadron (VT) 6 from November 10, 1943 until he took command of Air Group (CAG) 6 following the death of "Butch" O'Hare '37 in late November 1943.

John was piloting an Avenger torpedo bomber, outfitted with radar, and was credited with two air-to-air kills on the night of November 26, 1943 — one of three American aircraft aloft when Butch O'Hare was killed. For many years John's radioman/gunner was — likely unfairly — blamed for accidentally shooting down O'Hare.

His wife was listed as next of kin.

Photographs

John pictured with his team, including Albert Gray '31, Howard Shelton '32, and Kenneth Hartley '33. From The Ithaca Journal on April 20, 1931

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.

July 1933

Ensign, USS Maryland

Others at this command:

LTjg John Shaffer, III '30
ENS Truman Carpenter '32

ENS Arthur Vorpahl '32
ENS Robert Strickler '32

ENS Joseph Bourland '33

Others at or embarked at this command:

LTjg Bruce Van Voorhis '29 (Observation Plane Squadron (VO) 4B)

ENS John Burgess '30 (Observation Plane Squadron (VO) 4B)

July 1934

Ensign, USS Maryland

Others at this command:

LTjg John Shaffer, III '30
ENS Truman Carpenter '32

ENS Robert Strickler '32
ENS Joseph Bourland '33

ENS Frank Whitaker '34

October 1934

Ensign, USS Maryland

Others at this command:

LTjg John Shaffer, III '30

ENS Joseph Bourland '33

ENS Frank Whitaker '34

Others at or embarked at this command:

ENS Robert Strickler '32 (Observation Plane Squadron (VO) 4B)

January 1935

Ensign, USS Maryland

Others at this command:

LTjg John Shaffer, III '30

ENS Joseph Bourland '33

ENS Frank Whitaker '34

Lieutenant (j.g.), under instruction, Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida

Others at this command:

Others at or embarked at this command:

Lieutenant (j.g.), Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida

Others at this command:

April 1941

Lieutenant (j.g.), Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida

Others at this command:

Others at or embarked at this command:

2LT Alfred Gordon '39 (Marine Barracks)

Navy Cross

Two sites list John as a recipient of the Navy Cross, but both give the same obviously-wrong citation that has LCDR Butch O'Hare's name at the end, and also says he died in the action (November 26, 1943).

Several Naval Academy alumni registers list him as a recipient, but have been unable to find contemporary reference to the award.

Class of 1933

John is one of 38 members of the Class of 1933 on Virtual Memorial Hall.

← Paul Burton '33

Albert Clark '33 →

The "category" links below lead to lists of related Honorees; use them to explore further the service and sacrifice of alumni in Memorial Hall.

JOHN L. PHILLIPS, JR., LCDR, USN

John Phillips, Jr. '33

Lucky Bag

JOHN LLOYD PHILLIPS

JOHN LLOYD PHILLIPS

Loss

Other Information

Photographs

Navy Directories & Officer Registers

July 1933

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

November 1940

April 1941

Navy Cross