JOHN A. COLLETT, LCDR, USN
John Collett '29
Lucky Bag
From the 1929 Lucky Bag:
JOHN AUSTIN COLLETT
Omaha, Nebraska
"Jack" "Glenna"
JACK was born in Nebraska, lived a number of years in Haiti, went to school in Washington, and finally became one of us back in June '25. Being rather young, he started out to demolish all records, scholastic and otherwise; but the steam department prevented him from being a savoir, and his faculty of learning what it is all about showed him how many things there are worth doing. As a result he turned his attention to the Log, class athletics, and the fair femmes. The results speak for themselves in that he has controlled the advertising department of the Log successfully for two years, played soccer and baseball to the extent of class numerals, and appeared at every hop—with a different femme each time.
Being naturally reserved Jack is really known by a few close friends and they have found him easy going, entertaining and ready to help anyone at any time. While he may never achieve his ambition of annexing a Spanish dancer, we would be proud and glad to have him as a shipmate on any old cruise.
Christmas Card Committee 2, 1. Class Baseball 4, 3; 1929. Gymkhana 4. Log Staff 3, 2. Log Board 1. M.P.O.
JOHN AUSTIN COLLETT
Omaha, Nebraska
"Jack" "Glenna"
JACK was born in Nebraska, lived a number of years in Haiti, went to school in Washington, and finally became one of us back in June '25. Being rather young, he started out to demolish all records, scholastic and otherwise; but the steam department prevented him from being a savoir, and his faculty of learning what it is all about showed him how many things there are worth doing. As a result he turned his attention to the Log, class athletics, and the fair femmes. The results speak for themselves in that he has controlled the advertising department of the Log successfully for two years, played soccer and baseball to the extent of class numerals, and appeared at every hop—with a different femme each time.
Being naturally reserved Jack is really known by a few close friends and they have found him easy going, entertaining and ready to help anyone at any time. While he may never achieve his ambition of annexing a Spanish dancer, we would be proud and glad to have him as a shipmate on any old cruise.
Christmas Card Committee 2, 1. Class Baseball 4, 3; 1929. Gymkhana 4. Log Staff 3, 2. Log Board 1. M.P.O.
Loss
John was lost on October 26, 1942 when his TBF-1 Avenger torpedo bomber was shot down at the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands. He was commanding officer of Torpedo Squadron (VT) 10, flying from USS Enterprise (CV 6); he had only taken command 10 days earlier.
Other Information
From researcher Kathy Franz:
John graduated from Western High School in Washington, D. C. He also attended John Eaton School and the Swavely School in Manassas, Virginia.
On September 5, 1936, John flew a Navy plane from San Diego to Fort Crook field in Omaha to visit with relatives and friends.
He married Jane Gray on December 28, 1939, in St. Andrew’s Cathedral in Honolulu.
John wrote three articles on naval affairs for the United States Naval Institute Proceedings: “The Flying Deck Cruiser,” November, 1934; “Naval Aerial Menace No. 1,” August, 1942; and “The Aircraft Carrier,” December, 1942.
In the 1910 Omaha census, John was listed as Austin J. Collett, Jr. His father Austin died in April, 1934. He was the first designated electrical engineer of the Union Pacific railroad. He served as manager for the Texas Oil company in Cuba, and previous to that, he was director general of public works in Santa Domingo. John’s mother was Ruth, and his brother was James Dahlman Collett (’32). His stepfather was Captain C. C. Baughman, director of special activities of the Bureau of Naval Personnel. His grandmother, Mrs. J. C. Dahlman of Omaha, was the widow of the former mayor there.
He was briefly in command of Torpedo Squadron (VT) 3 in January 1942.
His mother was listed as next of kin.
Photographs
Omaha Daily Bee, January 18, 1914
"This image is from a photo of VT-10 officers at Kaneohe Bay, Oahu"
From the Washington DC Evening Star on December 30, 1942
Namesake
USS Collett (DD 730) was named for John; the ship was sponsored by his mother. The commissioning commanding officer was his brother James.
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 1929
October 1929
January 1930
April 1930
October 1930
LT Paul Thompson '19
LT Irving Wiltsie '21
LTjg Matthias Marple, Jr. '23
LTjg Robert Larson '24
LTjg James McDonough '24
LTjg John Waldron '24
LTjg Charles McDonald '24
LTjg Richard Moss '24
January 1931
LT Paul Thompson '19
LT Irving Wiltsie '21
LTjg Matthias Marple, Jr. '23
LTjg Robert Larson '24
LTjg James McDonough '24
LTjg John Waldron '24
LTjg Charles McDonald '24
LTjg Richard Moss '24
LTjg John Duke '26
April 1931
LT Irving Wiltsie '21
LTjg Matthias Marple, Jr. '23
LTjg Robert Larson '24
LTjg James McDonough '24
LTjg John Waldron '24
LTjg Charles McDonald '24
LTjg Richard Moss '24
LTjg John Duke '26
LTjg James Averill '27
LTjg William Potts '27
July 1931
LT Irving Wiltsie '21
LTjg Matthias Marple, Jr. '23
LTjg Robert Larson '24
LTjg James McDonough '24
LTjg Charles McDonald '24
LTjg Richard Moss '24
LTjg Carlton Hutchins '26
LTjg Charles Signer '26
LTjg John Duke '26
LTjg William Potts '27
October 1931
January 1932
April 1932
October 1932
January 1933
April 1933
July 1933
ENS James Kyes '30 (USS Chester)
ENS Max Silverstein '32 (USS Chester)
October 1933
ENS James Kyes '30 (USS Chester)
ENS Max Silverstein '32 (USS Chester)
April 1934
July 1934
October 1934
January 1935
April 1935
October 1935
January 1936
April 1936
July 1936
LT Charles McDonald '24 (Torpedo Plane Squadron (VT) 2B)
LT Richard Moss '24 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)
LTjg Elmer Cooper '27 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)
LTjg Gerald Dyson '27 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)
LTjg Leonard Southerland '27 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg William Pye, Jr. '28 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg Ford Wallace '31 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg Edward Blessman '31 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 2B)
LTjg Albert Gates, Jr. '32 (USS Saratoga)
LTjg George Bellinger '32 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg Edwin Hurst '32 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)
ENS Wendell Froling '34 (USS Saratoga)
ENS Maurice Fitzgerald '35 (USS Saratoga)
January 1937
LCDR John Gillon '20 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 2B)
LT John Waldron '24 (USS Saratoga)
LT Richard Moss '24 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)
LT Gerald Dyson '27 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)
LTjg Leonard Southerland '27 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LT William Pye, Jr. '28 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg Thomas Ashworth, Jr. '31 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg Clarence Kasparek '32 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 4B)
LTjg Albert Gates, Jr. '32 (USS Saratoga)
LTjg George Bellinger '32 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg Edwin Hurst '32 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)
ENS Maurice Fitzgerald '35 (USS Saratoga)
April 1937
LCDR John Gillon '20 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 2B)
LT John Waldron '24 (USS Saratoga)
LT Richard Moss '24 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)
LT Gerald Dyson '27 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)
LT Leonard Southerland '27 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LT William Pye, Jr. '28 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg Thomas Ashworth, Jr. '31 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg Clarence Kasparek '32 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 4B)
LTjg Albert Gates, Jr. '32 (USS Saratoga)
LTjg George Bellinger '32 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg Edwin Hurst '32 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)
ENS Maurice Fitzgerald '35 (USS Saratoga)
September 1937
LT Robert Winters '27 (Scouting Squadron (VS) 5)
LTjg James Averill '27 (Fighting Squadron (VF) 5)
LT Henry Dozier '27 (Scouting Squadron (VS) 5)
LT Lloyd Greenamyer '29 (Scouting Squadron (VS) 5)
LT Finley Hall '29 (Scouting Squadron (VS) 5)
ENS Milton Ricketts '35 (USS Yorktown)
ENS Hubert Harden '35 (USS Yorktown)
ENS Webster Johnson '36 (USS Yorktown)
ENS Bethel Otter '37 (USS Yorktown)
January 1938
July 1938
January 1939
October 1939
June 1940
November 1940
April 1941
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