JOSEPH F. JOHNSON, LT, USN

Joseph Johnson '24

Date of birth: November 23, 1901

Date of death: June 30, 1934

Age: 32

Lucky Bag

From the 1924 Lucky Bag:

JOSEPH FREDERICK JOHNSON

Richton, Mississippi

"Freddy"

YES, "Freddy" is a southerner and a true Southern gentleman. He forsook the glorious village life of gay Richton to enter upon a naval career where all things run smoothly with exception of Plebe math, and as he neglected the fine training given to him by the dutiful Upper Classmen of his Plebe year, the stay here has been comparatively easy sailing for him.

The one thing that makes "Freddie's" life more bright and yet somewhat difficult is his wonderful way with the women. He nearly had three of his fair adherents present for the celebration of his First Class June Week. This arose from the preceding Easter leave when he asked three who lived nearby to be present for the event, and they all accepted. However, after much worry and many skillful jugglings of loose facts, he came out with all of them

pleased and the one of his choice present. When all is said and done, it will be found that "Freddy" is a classmate as well as a good pal. Here's to your future successes, "Freddy".

Radiator Club (4, 3, 2, 1); Sub Squad (2); Pink N (1).

JOSEPH FREDERICK JOHNSON

Richton, Mississippi

"Freddy"

YES, "Freddy" is a southerner and a true Southern gentleman. He forsook the glorious village life of gay Richton to enter upon a naval career where all things run smoothly with exception of Plebe math, and as he neglected the fine training given to him by the dutiful Upper Classmen of his Plebe year, the stay here has been comparatively easy sailing for him.

The one thing that makes "Freddie's" life more bright and yet somewhat difficult is his wonderful way with the women. He nearly had three of his fair adherents present for the celebration of his First Class June Week. This arose from the preceding Easter leave when he asked three who lived nearby to be present for the event, and they all accepted. However, after much worry and many skillful jugglings of loose facts, he came out with all of them

pleased and the one of his choice present. When all is said and done, it will be found that "Freddy" is a classmate as well as a good pal. Here's to your future successes, "Freddy".

Radiator Club (4, 3, 2, 1); Sub Squad (2); Pink N (1).

Loss

Joseph was lost on June 30, 1934 when he died of heat stroke in Shanghai, China. He was the engineering officer of USS Chaumont (AP 5).

Other Information

From Find A Grave:

Funeral Services For Lt Johnson
Mr. and Mrs. J. R. Goff of Gulfport, attended the funeral of LT. Joseph Frederick Johnson of the U. S. Navy at Richton Thursday afternoon. Lt. Johnson, the son of Mr. and Mrs. J. B. Johnson of Richton died in Shanghai, China, June 30 and his body arrived in Richton Thursday for burial. Dr. Dennis of Bassfield Miss. was the military escort from San Antonio, Texas here. The body was in an all steel casket, draped with the U. S. flag.
More than 2,000 persons from all parts of Mississippi and neighboring states attended the funeral which was said to be the largest in this section. Some friends and relatives were there from California, New York and Washington. The service was held in the Richton Baptist Church with Rev. A. M. Sheppard of Richton, Rev. A. L. O'Bryant of Hattiesburg and Rev. Spencer of the Immanuel Baptist Church, Hattiesburg, officiating. Mrs. Paul Johnson of Hattiesburg, Mrs Rosalyn Shephard Street of Meridian and the choir sang.
Three of Lt. Johnson's brothers are in the Navy, namely; Ensigns Jimmy and Stewart Johnson and Midshipman Cecil Johnson and these three arrived for the funeral, motoring from Washington. All of the nine brothers and two sisters of the deceased attended the funeral. The Daily Herald, Biloxi Miss. Friday August 10, 1934 p. 5

All three brothers mentioned were Naval Academy graduates, and all went on to distinguished careers. John retired a Captain; James retired a Captain, too, and also had a hand in the sinking of the German battleship Bismark; Cecil was awarded the Navy Cross.

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.