WILLIAM E. HANK, LCDR, USN

William Hank '25

Date of birth: September 25, 1902

Date of death: November 13, 1942

Age: 40

Lucky Bag

From the 1925 Lucky Bag:

William Edwin Hank

Norfolk, Virginia

"Hank" "William E." "Bill"

ENDOWED by nature with a sunny disposition. Hank was a popular target for the brutal upper-classmen.

Wise beyond his years, he never dragged blind—but once—and since then he has confined himself to soulfull and heartrending communications "a la U. S. Mail" with numerous of the sub-debs of No'folk.

Great was the wailing and gnashing of teeth when Hank set sail from Copenhagen on Second Class Cruise, and we fear that several fair hearts were shattered beyond repair.

For four years his athletic aspirations have fought a game but losing fight with his ever-present and growing desire to lie enfolded in the arms of Morpheus. His noble efforts on the track, however, will be long remembered by several of his admirers.

"Lawd, how I love that girl!"

"Somebody wake me up in time for formation. I swear I didn't get enough sleep last night."

William Edwin Hank

Norfolk, Virginia

"Hank" "William E." "Bill"

ENDOWED by nature with a sunny disposition. Hank was a popular target for the brutal upper-classmen.

Wise beyond his years, he never dragged blind—but once—and since then he has confined himself to soulfull and heartrending communications "a la U. S. Mail" with numerous of the sub-debs of No'folk.

Great was the wailing and gnashing of teeth when Hank set sail from Copenhagen on Second Class Cruise, and we fear that several fair hearts were shattered beyond repair.

For four years his athletic aspirations have fought a game but losing fight with his ever-present and growing desire to lie enfolded in the arms of Morpheus. His noble efforts on the track, however, will be long remembered by several of his admirers.

"Lawd, how I love that girl!"

"Somebody wake me up in time for formation. I swear I didn't get enough sleep last night."

Loss

William was lost on November 13, 1942 when USS Laffey (DD 459) was sunk by Japanese surface gunfire and torpedoes during the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal. He had been the commanding officer since the ship was commissioned on March 31, 1942.

Laffey was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation for this action, which included a near-collision with the Japanese flagship, a battleship, and the wounding of the Japanese task force commander with machine gun fire. In August 1942 William and Laffey rescued survivors of USS Wasp (CV 7).

Other Information

From researcher Kathy Franz:

William attended the Chemical Warfare School at the Edgewood Arsenal, Maryland, in December, 1925.
His wife was Claribel born in Ohio in 1908. Their daughter was Cary.
His father W. H. was a bookkeeper at a music company, mother Marguerite, sisters Dorothy and Marguerite, and brother Lt Leonard Gaines Hank.

His wife was listed as next of kin. He has a memory marker in Arlington National Cemetery.

From Destroyer History: "Before World War II, he served at various shore stations and in New York, Hull (DD 350) and Saratoga."

Photographs

From the book "These Men Shall Never Die" by Lowell Thomas.

Navy Cross

From Hall of Valor:

The President of the United States of America takes pride in presenting the Navy Cross (Posthumously) to Lieutenant Commander William Edwin Hank (NSN: 0-59695), United States Navy, for extraordinary heroism and distinguished service in the line of his profession as Commanding Officer of the Destroyer U.S.S. LAFFEY (DD-459), during action against enemy Japanese naval forces off Savo Island during the Battle of Cape Esperance on the night of 11 - 12 October 1942. Boldly engaging a Japanese force of two destroyers and a cruiser, Lieutenant Commander Hank, despite his extremely hazardous position in a leading group and the terrific fire of the enemy, fought his ship with devastating effect upon the opposing vessels. Directing the fire of his guns with cool and daring accuracy, he enabled the LAFFEY to sink one hostile destroyer, to damage another, and to assist in the sinking of a cruiser. By his indomitable fighting spirit, expert seamanship, and gallant devotion to duty, he contributed largely to the success of the battle and upheld the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.
Service: Navy
Division: U.S.S. Laffey (DD-459)

From Hall of Valor:

The President of the United States of America takes pride in presenting a Gold Star in lieu of a Second Award of the Navy Cross (Posthumously) to Lieutenant Commander William Edwin Hank (NSN: 0-59695), United States Navy, for extraordinary heroism and distinguished service in the line of his profession as Commanding Officer of the Destroyer U.S.S. LAFFEY (DD-459), during an engagement with Japanese naval forces near Savo Island on the night of 12 - 13 November, 1942. On this occasion the force to which Lieutenant Commander Hank was attached engaged at close quarters and defeated a superior enemy force, inflicting heavy damage upon them and preventing the accomplishment of their intended mission. This daring and intrepid attack, brilliantly executed, led to a great victory for his country's forces. By his indomitable fighting spirit, expert seamanship, and gallant devotion to duty, Lieutenant Commander Hank contributed largely to the success of the battle and upheld the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.
Service: Navy
Division: U.S.S. Laffey (DD-459)
General Orders: Bureau of Naval Personnel Information Bulletin No. 320 (November 1943)

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.