EDWARD R. HOLT, JR., LCDR, USN
Edward Holt, Jr. '39
Lucky Bag
From the 1939 Lucky Bag:
EDWARD ROWELL HOLT, JR.
Charlotte, North Carolina
Skillet
Through the bustle of his four years at the Naval Academy, Skillet has shown effort and energy of which he should be proud. He is easy-going, but not lazy, and when there is reason for hurry, Skillet can show speed that is surprising. He thinks nothing of being in the shower at formation time, for dressing in two minutes is easy for him—he can do it without losing one bit of his Southern dignity. All of us have seen Skillet's art work—many of us have had him draw personal illustrations that only his sense of something could comprehend. Skillet combines an energetic, jovial personality with a great sense of humor in such a way that making friends is the inevitable result.
Soccer 4, 3, 2, 1; Track 4; Class Crest Committee; Art Editor, Reef Points; Log Staff 4, 3, 2, 1; Make-up Gang 3, 2, 1; Art Club; 1 Stripe.
EDWARD ROWELL HOLT, JR.
Charlotte, North Carolina
Skillet
Through the bustle of his four years at the Naval Academy, Skillet has shown effort and energy of which he should be proud. He is easy-going, but not lazy, and when there is reason for hurry, Skillet can show speed that is surprising. He thinks nothing of being in the shower at formation time, for dressing in two minutes is easy for him—he can do it without losing one bit of his Southern dignity. All of us have seen Skillet's art work—many of us have had him draw personal illustrations that only his sense of something could comprehend. Skillet combines an energetic, jovial personality with a great sense of humor in such a way that making friends is the inevitable result.
Soccer 4, 3, 2, 1; Track 4; Class Crest Committee; Art Editor, Reef Points; Log Staff 4, 3, 2, 1; Make-up Gang 3, 2, 1; Art Club; 1 Stripe.
Loss
Edward was lost when USS Bullhead (SS 332) was sunk, probably by Japanese aircraft, on or around August 6, 1945, in the Java Sea. He was only a month past his 30th birthday and was said to be one of the youngest submarine skippers in the Navy. He had made ten previous patrols.
He is discussed extensively in Overdue and Presumed Lost: The Story of the USS Bullhead by Martin Sheridan.
His career and loss is also recounted on the Clemson Alumni site; he majored in architecture and left after his sophomore year.
Other Information
From researcher Kathy Franz:
Edward graduated from Central high school in 1933. “Skillet” Football Squad (2, 3); Basketball Squad (1, 2, 3); Hi-Y (1, 2, 3), Secretary (1); Home Room Treasurer (1).
He attended Clemson college for two years, and in 1935, he was a Corporal in Company G, a member of the Minaret Club (architecture students,) and reporter on the weekly newspaper, the Tiger. He also attended Marion Military Institute in Alabama.
In 1935, Edward won a season pass to the Charlotte Hornets’ baseball season as first prize winner.
Edward was a private in the National Guard when he was chosen to take the entrance examination for admission to the U. S. Military Academy at West Point on July 1, 1935.
He married Mary Herndon Davis on November 20, 1943, at the First Presbyterian church in Laurens, South Carolina. He was on a 30-day leave and the Charlotte Observer newspaper reported that he was wearing two decorations, one for submarine service and the other for combat patrol. On the latter were three stars, showing at least three such successful patrols.
His father, a life insurance agent, was best man at his wedding. His mother was Sally; sister was Peggy.
His wife was listed as next of kin; she died at age 100.
Photographs
From his high school yearbook
From the Clemson Minaret Club in 1935
From the Lucky Bag
In Freemantle, Australia, Lieut. Comdr. Edward R. Holt, Jr., reads his orders assigning him to command the USS Bullhead, as the former skipper, Comdr. Griffith, right, other officers and chiefs look on. (Official US Navy photo)
From The Charlotte Observer on August 25, 1945
Career
From the now-broken link http://www.fleetorganization.com/subcommandersclassyear3.html:
- Duty USS Arizona (BB-39) 1 Jul 1939 - 1 Oct 1939
- Duty USS Cushing (DD-376) 1 Jul 1940 - 1 Nov 1940
- Duty USS Grouper (SS-214) 12 Feb 1942
- Executive Officer USS Baya (SS-318) May 1944 - 1 Jan 1945
- Executive Officer USS Sealion (SS-315) Apr 1945 - 31 Jul 1945
- Captain USS Bullhead (SS-332) 31 Jul 1945 - 6 Aug 1945
- Ensign 1 Jun 1939
- Lieutenant (j.g.) 1 Jun 1942
- Lieutenant (T) 15 Jun 1942
- Lieutenant Commander (T) 15 Mar 1944
Several sites claim he was awarded the Navy Cross, but unable to find a citation and he is not listed with other recipients. Both of these facts are highly unusual for this award. There is no mention of the award in contemporaneous reporting, either, nor in an article about Bullhead from 1981.
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.
October 1939
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