WILLIAM G. MCCREA, ENS, USN

William McCrea '22

Date of birth: July 11, 1899

Date of death: June 12, 1924

Age: 24

Lucky Bag

From the 1922 Lucky Bag:

WILLIAM GEORGE McCREA

Renovo, Pennsylvania

"Mac," "The Harp."

"WELL, fellows, I bilged cold last period," is the line that invariably greets us after each recitation, but a little pressure brings out that he ragged his marks: a 3.5 in Nav or a 3.8 in Dago. "Tough luck, old boy. It's hell to be wooden."

It's a known fact that "Mac" is wasting his efforts here, for as a memory course expert he's all to the berries. The originator of Mr. Addison Sims, of Seattle, better look to his laurels. Any man that can memorize two pages of Dago in an hour is superhuman, and "Mac" qualifies.

George is credited, by good authority, with having more wives than Solomon in all his glory. In fact, they come to him like misfortunes to an average man.

Though only a simple, small town youth, "Mac" savvies only too well the ways of the wicked city, and it is predicted that his future will be full to overflowing in more ways than one.

Mandolin Club (4); Fencing Squad (2, 1); Numerals (2).

WILLIAM GEORGE McCREA

Renovo, Pennsylvania

"Mac," "The Harp."

"WELL, fellows, I bilged cold last period," is the line that invariably greets us after each recitation, but a little pressure brings out that he ragged his marks: a 3.5 in Nav or a 3.8 in Dago. "Tough luck, old boy. It's hell to be wooden."

It's a known fact that "Mac" is wasting his efforts here, for as a memory course expert he's all to the berries. The originator of Mr. Addison Sims, of Seattle, better look to his laurels. Any man that can memorize two pages of Dago in an hour is superhuman, and "Mac" qualifies.

George is credited, by good authority, with having more wives than Solomon in all his glory. In fact, they come to him like misfortunes to an average man.

Though only a simple, small town youth, "Mac" savvies only too well the ways of the wicked city, and it is predicted that his future will be full to overflowing in more ways than one.

Mandolin Club (4); Fencing Squad (2, 1); Numerals (2).

Loss

William was lost on June 12, 1924 when USS Mississippi (BB 41)'s No. 2 turret exploded during gunnery practice off the coast of California

Other Information

From researcher Kathy Franz:

According to the The Long Beach Telegram of June 14, 1924, William stood by Lieutenant Thomas Edwards Zellars on the USS Mississippi during target practice. The first two guns, the port and midship guns, were readied and Zellars saw the lights flash. But when the third light did not flash indicating the gun was ready, he recognized the error and threw the flood control level as the turret was on fire. Zellars ordered the men to try to escape. William and Zellars died in the following blast. Zellars was found dead with his hand still on the control. If he had not done this, tons of TNT under the turret would have blown the ship apart. The Navy thought the third turret fired too quickly causing the fire. The original death count was 48 with 12 men clinging to life.

From Find A Grave:

The Clinton County Times, Lock Haven, PA, Fri., Jan. 30, 1925.
Give Memorial Tablet.
Mr. and Mrs. C. R. McCrea and daughter Mary will, within the next four weeks, place a bronze tablet in the vestibule of St. Joseph’s Catholic church (Renovo, PA), in memory of Ensign William G. McCrea, who was killed by an explosion in the Turret of the Battleship Mississippi, June 12, 1924.
The Bell in This Church was presented Mr. and Mrs. Charles R. McCrea and Daughter Mary, His Father, Mother, and Sister, “In Memory of William George McCrea 1899-1924 Ensign U.S. Navy Class of 1922 killed by Explosion in Turret No. 2 On Board U.S.S. Mississippi June 21, 1924. He gave his life to duty. A model Catholic. A Hero to his Country R.I.P. M.C. MXXIV.”
On one side of the tablet is a figure representing war while the opposite side shows a figure representing peace.
The bell mentioned on the tablet was blessed by Bishop J. J. McCort, Sept. 1, 1924 and soon afterward placed in the church belfry.

He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

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.