JOHN H. FURSE, LT, USN
John Furse '01
Lucky Bag
From the 1901 Lucky Bag:
Furse, John Houseal,
Savannah, Georgia
"Pat, "Boxer."
A true son of the old sod, claiming direct lineal descent from Brian Boru, and later from the family of Daniel O'Conner. Said by ladies who know him best to be highly educated in Chinese. Favors Boxer movement. Pride of St. Patrick's day. Held responsible for mild, very, very mild attacks of insomnia on Joey! Though winner of mathematical prizes before his arrival at the Academy, he seems to have been unfortunate in his dealings with Pa H——n.
Four Buttons. Gym fiend (4, 3, 2, 1).
Furse, John Houseal,
Savannah, Georgia
"Pat, "Boxer."
A true son of the old sod, claiming direct lineal descent from Brian Boru, and later from the family of Daniel O'Conner. Said by ladies who know him best to be highly educated in Chinese. Favors Boxer movement. Pride of St. Patrick's day. Held responsible for mild, very, very mild attacks of insomnia on Joey! Though winner of mathematical prizes before his arrival at the Academy, he seems to have been unfortunate in his dealings with Pa H——n.
Four Buttons. Gym fiend (4, 3, 2, 1).
Loss
John died on September 30, 1907 of injuries sustained while battle a storm that threatened his ship, USS Illinois (Battleship No. 7).
Other Information
From researcher Kathy Franz:
John was appointed to the Naval Academy by Congressman Lester.
In July 1902, John sent a gown from the Philippines to be worn by his brother James' fiancée at their wedding. The gown was of jusi cloth, made over white silk.
In August 1904, John related his experiences in the Pacific to a Savannah Morning News reporter. John was critical of the Filipinos as being indolent, but he considered the Japanese an up-to-date people “You could see from their practices that they had gotten onto the modern methods of naval warfare. They used identically the same methods as ours and showed in their every movement the results of splendid training.
“The Russians on the other hand, seemed to have no conception of modern methods. While the Japanese were putting themselves through strenuous training in expectation of the war, the Russians, I don't think, ever uncovered their guns.”
John was on the Cincinnati when it cruised from Yokahoma to Shanghai. He then transferred to the Annapolis and went to Chemulpu. John saw the two Russian boats, the Corietz and the Variag, sunk by Japanese guns.
John's father was a wool dealer in Savannah.
From Wikipedia:
Furse, born 20 April 1880 in South Carolina, was a member of the United States Naval Academy class of 1901. His first service was on the Asiatic Station, where he served in Manila during a scientific expedition, as well as in other ships. Returning to the United States, he joined Illinois (BB-7) 29 September 1904, and in her served in Cuban waters. Lieutenant Furse died on board Illinois 30 September 1907, of injuries received fighting a storm which threatened his ship.
He is buried in Georgia.
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 1902
January 1903
January 1904
January 1905
July 1906
Namesake
USS Furse (DD 882) was named for Frank; the ship was sponsored by his sister.
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