JOHN S. DALTON, LCDR, USN

John Dalton '38

Date of birth: June 24, 1915

Date of death: July 18, 1943

Age: 28

Lucky Bag

From the 1938 Lucky Bag:

JOHN SHAW DALTON

Overbrook, Pennsylvania

Jack, J. Shaw

Seven years of military school and a wealth of tradition helped make J. Shaw, gentleman, athlete, and midshipman extraordinary. A wee bit of the Blarney also occasionally manifests itself whenever he bursts out with some rare old poetic gem or Irish ballad. Though not a brain trust, Jack does tol'ably well, preferring those comfortable middle sections. In the sprints this cinder path thorough-bred is always there at the payoff with ten points for Navy. Shaw might have made a successful Yankee horse trader—he's famous for bringing back a bucket from Youngster Cruise. He's a smoothie, never without a 4.0, and a gourmet of the old school. Difficult to know, but well worth the trouble, J. Shaw is bound to go a long way. Bon voyage, Jack!!

Track 4, 3, 2, 1, N* Captain; Football 4, 3; Hop Committee 3, 1; Christmas Card Committee; Trident 2, 1; Reception Committee 3, 2, 1; Lieutenant (j.g.).

JOHN SHAW DALTON

Overbrook, Pennsylvania

Jack, J. Shaw

Seven years of military school and a wealth of tradition helped make J. Shaw, gentleman, athlete, and midshipman extraordinary. A wee bit of the Blarney also occasionally manifests itself whenever he bursts out with some rare old poetic gem or Irish ballad. Though not a brain trust, Jack does tol'ably well, preferring those comfortable middle sections. In the sprints this cinder path thorough-bred is always there at the payoff with ten points for Navy. Shaw might have made a successful Yankee horse trader—he's famous for bringing back a bucket from Youngster Cruise. He's a smoothie, never without a 4.0, and a gourmet of the old school. Difficult to know, but well worth the trouble, J. Shaw is bound to go a long way. Bon voyage, Jack!!

Track 4, 3, 2, 1, N* Captain; Football 4, 3; Hop Committee 3, 1; Christmas Card Committee; Trident 2, 1; Reception Committee 3, 2, 1; Lieutenant (j.g.).

Loss

John was lost when his F4F-4 Wildcat fighter was shot down on July 18, 1943 while escorting land-based bombers over the Russell Islands in the Solomon Island chain.

He was a member of Fighting Squadron (VF) 27, flying from Guadalcanal while USS Sangamon (CVE 26) was anchored at Efate Island for upkeep and repairs.

Other Information

From researcher Kathy Franz:

Born in Chelsea, New Jersey, John was captain of the track team at the Naval Academy.
His brother, Lieutenant George Francis Dalton (‘38,) was an executive officer aboard a destroyer in the Pacific area. His mother was Edythe.
His father, Lt. Com. John Patrick Dalton (’12,) was died on March 10, 1919 while he was attached to the air arm of the Navy in the Solomon Islands area. He died of pneumonia in the New York navy yard hospital after a week’s illness. He became ill while serving as navigator of USS Frederick (Armored Cruiser #8), temporarily engaged as a troop transport. He was a former Navy football star who was quarterback all four years.

His mother was listed as next of kin.

Photographs

From The Philadelphia Inquirer on August 3, 1943

Career

From naval aviation historian Richard Leonard via email on February 9, 2018:

Date of rank LTJG from 1 Jul 1941 USN Register, 6/2/1941

NAS Pensacola attached for HTA flight training, 7/24/1941

NAS Pensacola designated NA # 9987, 12/3/1941

Date of rank from 1 Jul 1942 USN Register, 6/15/1942

Date of rank from 1 Jul 1943 USN Register, 6/15/1942

VF-28 USS Chenango (CVE-28) AM MIA BNR, 7/18/1943

VF-28 was assigned aboard USS Chenango in July and August 1943, though often rotated ashore. VF-26 was aboard USS Suwannee in this same time period (from USN Aircraft Location reports).

Note VF-28 (and VF-26) reports are incorrect; he is repeatedly listed as a member, and perhaps commanding officer, of VF-27.

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).

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.