DAVID K. SLOAN, JR., LT, USN
David Sloan, Jr. '38
Lucky Bag
From the 1938 Lucky Bag:
Loss
David was lost when USS Corvina (SS 226) was sunk on November 16, 1943 by a Japanese submarine. He was the boat's executive officer.
His parents were listed as next of kin. He has a memory marker in Pennsylvania.
Silver Star
From Hall of Valor:
The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to Lieutenant David K. Sloan, Jr. (NSN: 81093), United States Navy, for gallantry and intrepidity in action against the enemy from 8 December 1941 through September 1942. While serving on board the U.S.S. SWORDFISH (SS-193) during the first five war patrols of that Submarine, he rendered inestimable assistance in sinking eleven enemy vessels totaling 75,200 tons, and in damaging an additional ship of 6,500 tons. Further, during the second war patrol, he was of invaluable aid in the successful execution of two special missions to Corregidor Fortress, evacuating President Quezon and his official party to Panay, and bring the United States High Commissioner of the Philippines and his official party to Australia. Throughout enemy counterattacks in which a total of 95 depth charges and bombs were dropped, his courage was an inspiration to those serving under him, and was in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.
Action Date: December 8, 1941 - September 1942
Service: Navy
Rank: Lieutenant
Division: U.S.S. Swordfish (SS-193)
Memorial Hall Error
David is listed in all documentation as Jr.; Memorial Hall omits this on both the Class of 1938 panel and the killed in action scroll.
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.
July 1938
Ensign, USS New Mexico
Others at this command: LTjg Wendell Froling '34, ENS Edward O'Hare '37, ENS Carl Holmstrom '38, and ENS Howard Berry, Jr. '38.
Others at or embarked at this command: LT Lance Massey '30 (Observation Squadron (VO) 3) and LTjg Robert Strickler '32 (Observation Squadron (VO) 3).
January 1939
Ensign, USS New Mexico
Others at this command: LTjg Wendell Froling '34, ENS Edward O'Hare '37, ENS Carl Holmstrom '38, and ENS Howard Berry, Jr. '38.
Others at or embarked at this command: LT Lance Massey '30 (Observation Squadron (VO) 3) and LTjg Robert Strickler '32 (Observation Squadron (VO) 3).
October 1939
Ensign, USS McCall
June 1940
Ensign, USS McCall
Others at this command: ENS Lenard Reichel '39.
Others at or embarked at this command: LTjg Richard Boutelle '34 (USS McCalla).
November 1940
Ensign, under instruction, Submarine Base New London, Connecticut
Others at this command: CDR Cassin Young '16, LT George MacKenzie, Jr. '31, ENS Hugh Rimmer '37, ENS Howard Berry, Jr. '38, and ENS Samuel Hunter, Jr. '38.
Class of 1938
David is one of 71 members of the Class of 1938 on Virtual Memorial Hall.
