JAMES V. CARNEY, CAPT, USN

James Carney '21

Date of birth: February 14, 1898

Date of death: December 16, 1942

Age: 44

Lucky Bag

From the 1921 Lucky Bag:

James Valentine Carney

O'Neill, Nebraska

"Jimmie" "Mick" "Steve" "Sook"

OUT from the land where corn husking is the national pastime came "Sook" alias Jimmie Valentine. Young "golden-ear" girded about him three innocent roommates and hardly had Plebe year been underway when we began to hear of Nebraskey. "What! Never heard of O'Neill. Well———" and he was good for hours. He has faced death itself in defending that famous podunk and as the argument waxed warmer, the tighter became that grip and the more violently he slashed the air with that index finger in his efforts to convince, a mannerism that has added to his fame.

By chance this was not the one finger he lost in the notorious looting of the Kaydet's artillery, following that 6-0 battle of 1919. The accident, however, caused him two long months in the hospital where he acquired that finesse which has made him the envy of his wife and all who dared to swap stories.

Occasionally the Academics have slipped over an on-side kick on the boy but the game has been mostly in midfield, and the final whistle will find Jimmie among the fold staging that old uphill fight that must ultimately land him success.

Buzzard.

The Class of 1921 was the last of the wartime-accelerated classes. "1921A" was graduated on June 3, 1920; the second half, "1921B", was graduated on June 2, 1921. James was graduated with 1921B.

James Valentine Carney

O'Neill, Nebraska

"Jimmie" "Mick" "Steve" "Sook"

OUT from the land where corn husking is the national pastime came "Sook" alias Jimmie Valentine. Young "golden-ear" girded about him three innocent roommates and hardly had Plebe year been underway when we began to hear of Nebraskey. "What! Never heard of O'Neill. Well———" and he was good for hours. He has faced death itself in defending that famous podunk and as the argument waxed warmer, the tighter became that grip and the more violently he slashed the air with that index finger in his efforts to convince, a mannerism that has added to his fame.

By chance this was not the one finger he lost in the notorious looting of the Kaydet's artillery, following that 6-0 battle of 1919. The accident, however, caused him two long months in the hospital where he acquired that finesse which has made him the envy of his wife and all who dared to swap stories.

Occasionally the Academics have slipped over an on-side kick on the boy but the game has been mostly in midfield, and the final whistle will find Jimmie among the fold staging that old uphill fight that must ultimately land him success.

Buzzard.

The Class of 1921 was the last of the wartime-accelerated classes. "1921A" was graduated on June 3, 1920; the second half, "1921B", was graduated on June 2, 1921. James was graduated with 1921B.

Loss

James was lost on December 16, 1942 when the SBD Dauntless he was piloting developed engine problems and crashed near Guadalcanal.

He was the commanding officer of Naval Construction Battalion 14, which had repaired Henderson Field and was nearly complete in completing an emergency runway at Koli Point, Guadalcanal, when James was lost. (He had landed and taken off earlier to test the work.) The crewman aboard was also killed.

He was designated naval aviator #3195 in 1925.

His wife was listed as next of kin. He was originally buried in Guadalcanal, but is now buried in California.

Namesake

The airstrip his battalion constructed was named "Carney Field" in his honor.

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 1922

Ensign, USS New Mexico

Others at this command: LT Lyman Swenson '16 and ENS Samuel Arthur '20.

May 1923

Ensign, USS La Vallette

July 1923

Ensign, USS La Vallette

September 1923

Ensign, USS La Vallette

November 1923

Ensign, USS La Vallette

January 1924

Ensign, USS La Vallette

March 1924

Ensign, USS La Vallette

May 1924

Ensign, USS La Vallette

July 1924

Ensign, USS La Vallette

September 1924

Ensign, under instruction, Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida

Others at this command: ENS Arthur Page, Jr. '18, LTjg Samuel Arthur '20, LTjg Frederick Buse '20, LTjg John Burrow '21, LTjg William Gray '21, LTjg Arnold Isbell '21, LTjg Frederick Jackson '21, ENS Frederick Kahn '21, ENS John Lenhart '21, LTjg Kilburn Roby '21, ENS William Ault '22, ENS William Beyrer '22, ENS Eaton Boothe '22, and ENS William Engeman, Jr. '22.

November 1924

Ensign, under instruction, Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida

Others at this command: ENS Arthur Page, Jr. '18, LTjg John Burrow '21, LTjg William Gray '21, ENS John Lenhart '21, ENS William Ault '22, ENS William Beyrer '22, and ENS Eaton Boothe '22.

January 1925

Ensign, under instruction, Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida

Others at this command: CAPT Arthur Page, Jr. '18, LTjg William Gray '21, LTjg John Jones '21, ENS John Lenhart '21, ENS Addis Nelson '21, ENS Eaton Boothe '22, and ENS William Davis '22.

March 1925

Lieutenant (j.g.), under instruction, Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida

Others at this command: CAPT Arthur Page, Jr. '18, LTjg John Jones '21, LTjg John Lenhart '21, ENS Addis Nelson '21, LTjg William Ault '22, ENS Eaton Boothe '22, and ENS William Davis '22.

May 1925

Lieutenant (j.g.), under instruction, Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida

Others at this command: LTjg Frank Conant, II '20, LTjg John Jones '21, LTjg John Lenhart '21, LTjg Addis Nelson '21, LTjg William Ault '22, ENS Eaton Boothe '22, and ENS William Davis '22.

July 1925

Lieutenant (j.g.), for assignment, Aircraft Squadrons, Battle Fleet, USS Langley

Others at this command: CDR John Rodgers '03 and LTjg Eaton Boothe '22USS Langley.

October 1925

Lieutenant (j.g.), for assignment, Aircraft Squadrons, Battle Fleet, USS Langley

Others at this command: LTjg Eaton Boothe '22USS Langley.

January 1926

Lieutenant (j.g.), Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 1, USS Langley

Others at or embarked at USS Langley: LT Samuel Arthur '20 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 2), LTjg Frederick Buse '20 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 2), and LTjg John Jones '21 (Aircraft Squadrons, Battle Fleet).

October 1926

Lieutenant (j.g.), Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 1, USS Langley

Others at or embarked at USS Langley: LT Oscar Erickson '16 (Aircraft Squadrons, Battle Fleet), LT Frederick Buse '20 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 2), LT John Jones '21 (Aircraft Squadrons, Battle Fleet), LTjg George Covell '22 (Aircraft Squadrons, Battle Fleet), and LTjg Matthias Marple, Jr. '23 (Aircraft Squadrons, Battle Fleet).

January 1927

Lieutenant (j.g.), Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 1

Others at this command: LT Oscar Erickson '16, LT John Gillon '20, LT LaRue Lawbaugh '20, LTjg George Lehman '23, and LTjg Joseph Rooney '23.

April 1927

Lieutenant (j.g.), Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 1, USS Langley

Others at or embarked at USS Langley: LTjg Henry Brandenburger '21 (Observation Plane Squadron (VO) 2), LT John Jones '21 (Aircraft Squadrons, Battle Fleet), and LTjg George Covell '22 (Observation Plane Squadron (VO) 1).

October 1927

Lieutenant, Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 1B, USS Langley

Others at or embarked at USS Langley: LCDR Oscar Erickson '16 (Utility Plane Squadron (VJ) 1B), LT Paul Thompson '19 (Torpedo and Bombing Plane Squadron (VT) 2B), LT John Jones '21 (Aircraft Squadrons, Battle Fleet), LTjg Herbert Ballinger '24 (Torpedo and Bombing Plane Squadron (VT) 2B), LTjg Charles McDonald '24 (Torpedo and Bombing Plane Squadron (VT) 2B), LTjg Richard Moss '24 (Torpedo and Bombing Plane Squadron (VT) 2B), and LTjg Fitzhugh Rhea '24 (Torpedo and Bombing Plane Squadron (VT) 2B).

January 1928

Lieutenant, Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 1B, USS Langley

Others at or embarked at USS Langley: LCDR Frank McCord '11 (USS Langley), LCDR Oscar Erickson '16 (Utility Plane Squadron (VJ) 1B), LT John Jones '21 (Aircraft Squadrons, Battle Fleet), and LTjg Charles McDonald '24 (Torpedo and Bombing Plane Squadron (VT) 2B).

April 1928

Lieutenant, Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 1B, USS Saratoga

Others at or embarked at USS Saratoga: LCDR Henry Mullinnix '16 (USS Saratoga), LT Edwin Conway '20 (USS Saratoga), LTjg Matthias Marple, Jr. '23 (USS Saratoga), LTjg Ted Marshall '24 (USS Saratoga), ENS John Crane '26 (USS Saratoga), ENS Morgan Redfield '26 (USS Saratoga), ENS Henry Dozier '27 (USS Saratoga), ENS Eugene Lindsey '27 (USS Saratoga), ENS Arthur Loeser '27 (USS Saratoga), ENS Oscar Pate, Jr. '27 (USS Saratoga), and ENS Clinton Rounds '27 (USS Saratoga).

July 1928

Lieutenant, Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida

Others at this command: LT Van Moore '19, LT LaRue Lawbaugh '20, LT Frederick Roberts '20, LT Francis Bridget '21, LT Stephen Cooke '21, LT John Jones '21, LTjg James Craig '22, LTjg William Davis '22, ENS Jack DeShazo '25, ENS Creighton Lankford '25, ENS John Gotjen, Jr. '26, ENS John Graff '26, ENS Irving Howell '26, and ENS William Watson '26.

October 1928

Lieutenant, Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida

Others at this command: LT LaRue Lawbaugh '20, LT Frederick Roberts '20, LT Francis Bridget '21, LT Stephen Cooke '21, LT John Jones '21, LT James Craig '22, LTjg William Davis '22, LTjg Walter Leach, Jr. '24, LTjg Jack DeShazo '25, LTjg Creighton Lankford '25, LTjg James Smith, Jr. '25, ENS John Gotjen, Jr. '26, ENS John Graff '26, 2LT Lofton Henderson '26, ENS Irving Howell '26, and ENS William Watson '26.

January 1929

Lieutenant, Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida

Others at this command: LT Edwin Conway '20, LT LaRue Lawbaugh '20, LT Frederick Roberts '20, LT Francis Bridget '21, LT Stephen Cooke '21, LT John Jones '21, LT James Craig '22, LTjg William Davis '22, LTjg Walter Leach, Jr. '24, LTjg Lawrence McPeake '24, LTjg Jack DeShazo '25, LTjg Creighton Lankford '25, LTjg Hubert Waters '25, ENS Francis Black '26, ENS John Graff '26, ENS Henry G'Sell '26, ENS Claude Haman '26, 2LT Lofton Henderson '26, ENS William Watson '26, 2LT Joseph Wolfe '26, 2LT Guy Chappell '27, ENS Eugene Lindsey '27, 2LT Raymond Rutledge '27, and ENS Leonard Southerland '27.

January 1930

Lieutenant, Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida

Others at this command: LT John Jones '21, LT James Craig '22, LTjg William Davis '22, LTjg Matthias Marple, Jr. '23, LTjg Walter Dey '24, LTjg Ted Marshall '24, LTjg John Waldron '24, LTjg Andrew Harris '25, LTjg Ralph Smith '26, ENS Oddle Anderson '27, ENS Renwick Calderhead '27, ENS Elmer Cooper '27, ENS Eugene Davis '27, ENS Dick Downer '27, ENS Henry Dozier '27, ENS Gerald Dyson '27, ENS Charles Hill, Jr. '27, ENS Seymour Johnson '27, ENS James McRoberts '27, ENS Oscar Pate, Jr. '27, ENS Charles Skelly '27, ENS Robert Symes '27, and 2LT Ernest Pollock '28.

October 1930

Lieutenant, Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 2B, USS Langley

Others at or embarked at USS Langley: LCDR Francis Maile, Jr. '15 (USS Langley), LT Samuel Arthur '20 (USS Langley), and LT Edwin Conway '20 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 1B).

January 1931

Lieutenant, Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 2B, USS Langley

Others at or embarked at USS Langley: LCDR Francis Maile, Jr. '15 (USS Langley), LT Samuel Arthur '20 (USS Langley), and LT Edwin Conway '20 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 1B).

April 1931

Lieutenant, Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 2B, USS Lexington

Others at or embarked at USS Lexington: LT Henry Brandenburger '21 (USS Lexington), LT Francis Bridget '21 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5B), LT Edwin Crouch '21 (USS Lexington), LT Arnold Isbell '21 (Torpedo and Bombing Plane Squadron (VT) 1B), LTjg Hilan Ebert '26 (USS Lexington), LTjg Elmer Cooper '27 (Torpedo and Bombing Plane Squadron (VT) 1B), LTjg Dick Downer '27 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 3B), LTjg Eugene Lindsey '27 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5B), LTjg Harold Richards '27 (USS Lexington), LTjg Robert Winters '27 (Torpedo and Bombing Plane Squadron (VT) 1B), ENS J. C. Riggs, Jr. '28 (Torpedo and Bombing Plane Squadron (VT) 1B), and ENS Baylies Clark '30 (USS Lexington).

July 1931

Lieutenant, Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 2B, USS Lexington

Others at or embarked at USS Lexington: LT Henry Brandenburger '21 (USS Lexington), LT Edwin Crouch '21 (USS Lexington), LTjg John Waldron '24 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 3B), LTjg Elmer Cooper '27 (Torpedo and Bombing Plane Squadron (VT) 1B), LTjg Dick Downer '27 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 3B), LTjg Eugene Lindsey '27 (USS Lexington), LTjg Harold Richards '27 (USS Lexington), LTjg Robert Winters '27 (Torpedo and Bombing Plane Squadron (VT) 1B), ENS Weldon Hamilton '28 (Torpedo and Bombing Plane Squadron (VT) 1B), ENS J. C. Riggs, Jr. '28 (Torpedo and Bombing Plane Squadron (VT) 1B), ENS John Yoho '29 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 3B), ENS Baylies Clark '30 (USS Lexington), ENS Edward Allen '31 (USS Lexington), ENS Walter Bailey '31 (USS Lexington), ENS Cleon Felton '31 (USS Lexington), and ENS Eugene Lytle, Jr. '31 (USS Lexington).

October 1931

Lieutenant, Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 2B, USS Lexington

Others at or embarked at USS Lexington: LT Henry Brandenburger '21 (USS Lexington), LT Edwin Crouch '21 (USS Lexington), LTjg John Waldron '24 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 3B), LTjg Elmer Cooper '27 (Torpedo and Bombing Plane Squadron (VT) 1B), LTjg Dick Downer '27 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 3B), LTjg Eugene Lindsey '27 (USS Lexington), LTjg Harold Richards '27 (USS Lexington), LTjg Robert Winters '27 (Torpedo and Bombing Plane Squadron (VT) 1B), LTjg J. C. Riggs, Jr. '28 (Torpedo and Bombing Plane Squadron (VT) 1B), ENS Henry Twohy '29 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5B), ENS John Yoho '29 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 3B), ENS Baylies Clark '30 (USS Lexington), ENS John Craig '30 (USS Lexington), ENS Edward Allen '31 (USS Lexington), ENS Walter Bailey '31 (USS Lexington), ENS Cleon Felton '31 (USS Lexington), and ENS Eugene Lytle, Jr. '31 (USS Lexington).

January 1932

Lieutenant, Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 2B, USS Lexington

Others at or embarked at USS Lexington: LT Henry Brandenburger '21 (USS Lexington), LT Edwin Crouch '21 (USS Lexington), LTjg John Waldron '24 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 3B), LTjg Elmer Cooper '27 (Torpedo and Bombing Plane Squadron (VT) 1B), LTjg Dick Downer '27 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 3B), LTjg Eugene Lindsey '27 (USS Lexington), LTjg Robert Winters '27 (Torpedo and Bombing Plane Squadron (VT) 1B), LTjg J. C. Riggs, Jr. '28 (Torpedo and Bombing Plane Squadron (VT) 1B), ENS Henry Twohy '29 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5B), ENS John Yoho '29 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 3B), ENS Baylies Clark '30 (USS Lexington), ENS John Craig '30 (USS Lexington), ENS Edward Allen '31 (USS Lexington), ENS Walter Bailey '31 (USS Lexington), ENS Cleon Felton '31 (USS Lexington), and ENS Eugene Lytle, Jr. '31 (USS Lexington).