PAUL S. SLAWSON, CDR, USN

Paul Slawson '20

Date of birth: May 2, 1897

Date of death: July 18, 1943

Age: 46

Lucky Bag

From the 1920 Lucky Bag:

Paul Sidney Slawson

Big Rapids, Michigan

"Germany"

"SAY, Paul, I've got a queen coming down to the New Year's Hop and she wants to bring a friend with her. I'm sure she's a great kid or my girl wouldn't bring her. Wanta drag?"

"Sure, I'll take a chance, bring her on."

With blithe heart and gay, P. S. sallies forth with his friend to greet the long looked for messenger from the angels. The scene shifts; Carvel Hall lobby sees Paul stagger, turn pale, then moan, "God give me strength." Faithfully did he stand watch over the corpse of his dreams until the New Year brought the end of the hop—and his relief.

Fresh as the fairest lily came our hero from the wilds of Michigan bent on the conquest of worldly knowledge, Trees are his favorite mode of transportation; in fact he is like unto a monkey as he progresses thru the forests of Academic learning. An ardent disciple of old Tecumseh, he is none the less a fervent follower of the quips and cranks and wanton wiles of Dame Pleasure. That sunny smile and disposition allow no such word as ennui or blase to exist in the vocabularies of those fortunate enough to be with him.

Paul is a quiet man, but like all still water, he runs deep, deep enough to float the highest principles of honor and integrity which always stay on top.

He does not loudly proclaim you from the house tops as his friend and idol of his heart, but if ever you need a true friend, go to old P. S.

Honors: Buzzard.

The Class of 1920 was graduated in June 1919 due to World War I. The entirety of 2nd class (junior) year was removed from the curriculum.

Paul Sidney Slawson

Big Rapids, Michigan

"Germany"

"SAY, Paul, I've got a queen coming down to the New Year's Hop and she wants to bring a friend with her. I'm sure she's a great kid or my girl wouldn't bring her. Wanta drag?"

"Sure, I'll take a chance, bring her on."

With blithe heart and gay, P. S. sallies forth with his friend to greet the long looked for messenger from the angels. The scene shifts; Carvel Hall lobby sees Paul stagger, turn pale, then moan, "God give me strength." Faithfully did he stand watch over the corpse of his dreams until the New Year brought the end of the hop—and his relief.

Fresh as the fairest lily came our hero from the wilds of Michigan bent on the conquest of worldly knowledge, Trees are his favorite mode of transportation; in fact he is like unto a monkey as he progresses thru the forests of Academic learning. An ardent disciple of old Tecumseh, he is none the less a fervent follower of the quips and cranks and wanton wiles of Dame Pleasure. That sunny smile and disposition allow no such word as ennui or blase to exist in the vocabularies of those fortunate enough to be with him.

Paul is a quiet man, but like all still water, he runs deep, deep enough to float the highest principles of honor and integrity which always stay on top.

He does not loudly proclaim you from the house tops as his friend and idol of his heart, but if ever you need a true friend, go to old P. S.

Honors: Buzzard.

The Class of 1920 was graduated in June 1919 due to World War I. The entirety of 2nd class (junior) year was removed from the curriculum.

Loss

Paul was lost on July 18, 1943 when the ship he was embarked in, USS LST-342, was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine in the Solomon Sea near Rendova. (The ship broke in two, with the stern sinking immediately. The bow was towed and beached at Florida Island.) Eighty-one other officers and men were lost.

He was the commanding officer of LST Group 14.

Other Information

From researcher Kathy Franz:

Paul graduated from Big Rapids high school.
In March, 1920, he was on the USS Arizona in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
When WW II began, he was stationed with the American consulate as a naval observer in Java. When the Japanese occupied the island, he escaped in a submarine to Australia. He was later decorated by Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands for his service in Java.
Paul married Loretta Hassett on July 18, 1930, in the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. At the time, he was stationed on board the battleship USS Wyoming. Their children were Ruth, John, and Paul (’54.) They lived with their grandmother Delia Hassett on River Road, Newcastle, New Hampshire, and summered in Wallis Sands. The younger Paul was a lieutenant (jg) on USS Bronson in 1956 and was a lieutenant in 1959. He went on to an international career in investments and public service.
Paul’s father William, was an editor and later a printer in his own shop. Paul’s mother was Elizabeth, and his sisters were Susie (Mrs. Smith) and Elizabeth (Mrs. Soper.) His mother died on January 11, 1936, when Paul was on USS Philip at San Diego.

His wife was listed as next of kin. He has a memory marker in the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial; he is also listed on at the New Hampshire Marine Memorial.

Wartime Service

In February 1943 he was commanding officer of LST Group 14 (during invasion of Russel Islands)

He was the commanding officer of the 3rd Echelon of the invasion force at New Georgia on June 3, 1943. This was comprised of eight destroyer-transports and four LSTs.

Legion of Merit

From Hall of Valor:

(Citation Needed) - SYNOPSIS: Captain Paul Sidney Slawson, United States Navy, was awarded the Legion of Merit for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services to the Government of the United States.
Service: Navy
Rank: Captain

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.

January 1920

Ensign, USS Arizona

Others at this command:

CDR Ralph Griswold '02

January 1921

Ensign, USS Arizona