WILLIAM E. HANK, LCDR, USN

From USNA Virtual Memorial Hall
William Hank '25

Date of birth: September 25, 1902

Date of death: November 13, 1942

Age: 40

Lucky Bag

From the 1925 Lucky Bag:

1925 Hank LB.jpg

William Edwin Hank

Norfolk, Virginia

"Hank" "William E." "Bill"

ENDOWED by nature with a sunny disposition. Hank was a popular target for the brutal upper-classmen.

Wise beyond his years, he never dragged blind—but once—and since then he has confined himself to soulfull and heartrending communications "a la U. S. Mail" with numerous of the sub-debs of No'folk.

Great was the wailing and gnashing of teeth when Hank set sail from Copenhagen on Second Class Cruise, and we fear that several fair hearts were shattered beyond repair.

For four years his athletic aspirations have fought a game but losing fight with his ever-present and growing desire to lie enfolded in the arms of Morpheus. His noble efforts on the track, however, will be long remembered by several of his admirers.

"Lawd, how I love that girl!"

"Somebody wake me up in time for formation. I swear I didn't get enough sleep last night."

1925 Hank LB.jpg

William Edwin Hank

Norfolk, Virginia

"Hank" "William E." "Bill"

ENDOWED by nature with a sunny disposition. Hank was a popular target for the brutal upper-classmen.

Wise beyond his years, he never dragged blind—but once—and since then he has confined himself to soulfull and heartrending communications "a la U. S. Mail" with numerous of the sub-debs of No'folk.

Great was the wailing and gnashing of teeth when Hank set sail from Copenhagen on Second Class Cruise, and we fear that several fair hearts were shattered beyond repair.

For four years his athletic aspirations have fought a game but losing fight with his ever-present and growing desire to lie enfolded in the arms of Morpheus. His noble efforts on the track, however, will be long remembered by several of his admirers.

"Lawd, how I love that girl!"

"Somebody wake me up in time for formation. I swear I didn't get enough sleep last night."

Loss

William was lost on November 13, 1942 when USS Laffey (DD 459) was sunk by Japanese surface gunfire and torpedoes during the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal. He had been the commanding officer since the ship was commissioned on March 31, 1942.

Laffey was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation for this action, which included a near-collision with the Japanese flagship, a battleship, and the wounding of the Japanese task force commander with machine gun fire. In August 1942 William and Laffey rescued survivors of USS Wasp (CV 7).

Other Information

From researcher Kathy Franz:

William attended the Chemical Warfare School at the Edgewood Arsenal, Maryland, in December, 1925.

His wife was Claribel born in Ohio in 1908. Their daughter was Cary.

His father W. H. was a bookkeeper at a music company, mother Marguerite, sisters Dorothy and Marguerite, and brother Lt Leonard Gaines Hank.

His wife was listed as next of kin. He has a memory marker in Arlington National Cemetery.

From Destroyer History: "Before World War II, he served at various shore stations and in New York, Hull (DD 350) and Saratoga."

Photographs

Navy Cross

From Hall of Valor:

The President of the United States of America takes pride in presenting the Navy Cross (Posthumously) to Lieutenant Commander William Edwin Hank (NSN: 0-59695), United States Navy, for extraordinary heroism and distinguished service in the line of his profession as Commanding Officer of the Destroyer U.S.S. LAFFEY (DD-459), during action against enemy Japanese naval forces off Savo Island during the Battle of Cape Esperance on the night of 11 - 12 October 1942. Boldly engaging a Japanese force of two destroyers and a cruiser, Lieutenant Commander Hank, despite his extremely hazardous position in a leading group and the terrific fire of the enemy, fought his ship with devastating effect upon the opposing vessels. Directing the fire of his guns with cool and daring accuracy, he enabled the LAFFEY to sink one hostile destroyer, to damage another, and to assist in the sinking of a cruiser. By his indomitable fighting spirit, expert seamanship, and gallant devotion to duty, he contributed largely to the success of the battle and upheld the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.

Service: Navy
Division: U.S.S. Laffey (DD-459)

From Hall of Valor:

The President of the United States of America takes pride in presenting a Gold Star in lieu of a Second Award of the Navy Cross (Posthumously) to Lieutenant Commander William Edwin Hank (NSN: 0-59695), United States Navy, for extraordinary heroism and distinguished service in the line of his profession as Commanding Officer of the Destroyer U.S.S. LAFFEY (DD-459), during an engagement with Japanese naval forces near Savo Island on the night of 12 - 13 November, 1942. On this occasion the force to which Lieutenant Commander Hank was attached engaged at close quarters and defeated a superior enemy force, inflicting heavy damage upon them and preventing the accomplishment of their intended mission. This daring and intrepid attack, brilliantly executed, led to a great victory for his country's forces. By his indomitable fighting spirit, expert seamanship, and gallant devotion to duty, Lieutenant Commander Hank contributed largely to the success of the battle and upheld the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.

Service: Navy
Division: U.S.S. Laffey (DD-459)
General Orders: Bureau of Naval Personnel Information Bulletin No. 320 (November 1943)

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.

July 1925
Ensign, USS Texas

Others at this command:
October 1925
Ensign, USS Texas

Others at this command:
January 1926
Ensign, USS New York
October 1926
Ensign, under instruction, Naval Torpedo Station, Newport, Rhode Island

Others at this command:
January 1927
Ensign, USS Bruce
April 1927
Ensign, USS Bruce
October 1927
Ensign, USS Bruce
January 1928
Ensign, USS Bruce
April 1928
Ensign, USS Bruce
July 1928
Ensign, USS Bruce
October 1928
Lieutenant (j.g.), USS Bruce
January 1929
Lieutenant (j.g.), USS Bruce
April 1929
Lieutenant (j.g.), USS Bruce
July 1929
Lieutenant (j.g.), USS Bruce
October 1929
Lieutenant (j.g.), USS Bruce
January 1930
Lieutenant (j.g.), gunnery officer & 1st Lieutenant, USS Bruce
April 1930
Lieutenant (j.g.), USS Chester

Others at this command:
October 1930
Lieutenant (j.g.), USS Chester


Others at or embarked at this command:
LTjg Oscar Pate, Jr. '27 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 9S)
LTjg Seymour Johnson '27 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 9S)
January 1931
Lieutenant (j.g.), USS Chester


Others at or embarked at this command:
LT William Davis '22 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 9S)
LTjg Oscar Pate, Jr. '27 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 9S)
LTjg Seymour Johnson '27 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 9S)
April 1931
Lieutenant (j.g.), USS Chester

Others at this command:

Others at or embarked at this command:
LTjg Seymour Johnson '27 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 9S)
July 1931
Lieutenant (j.g.), USS Chester


Others at or embarked at this command:
LTjg Seymour Johnson '27 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 9S)
October 1931
Lieutenant (j.g.), USS Chester


Others at or embarked at this command:
LTjg Seymour Johnson '27 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 9S)
ENS John Collett '29 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 9S)
January 1932
Lieutenant (j.g.), USS Chester

Others at this command:

Others at or embarked at this command:
LTjg Seymour Johnson '27 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 9S)
ENS John Collett '29 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 9S)
April 1932
Lieutenant (j.g.), USS Chester

Others at this command:

Others at or embarked at this command:
LTjg Seymour Johnson '27 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 9S)
ENS John Collett '29 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 9S)
July 1934
Lieutenant (j.g.), Naval Gun Factory, Navy Yard, Washington, D.C.


Others at or embarked at Navy Yard, Washington, D.C.:
LT Edwin Crouch '21 (Navy Yard, Washington, D.C.)
LT Raymond Hansen '22 (Experimental Diving Unit)
October 1934
Lieutenant (j.g.), USS Hull
January 1935
Lieutenant (j.g.), USS Hull
April 1935
Lieutenant (j.g.), USS Hull
October 1935
Lieutenant (j.g.), USS Hull
January 1936
Lieutenant (j.g.), USS Hull
April 1936
Lieutenant (j.g.), USS Hull
July 1936
Lieutenant, USS Hull
January 1937
Lieutenant, gunnery officer, USS Hull
April 1937
Lieutenant, gunnery officer, USS Hull
September 1937
Lieutenant, 1st Lieutenant & gunnery officer, USS Hull
January 1938
Lieutenant, 1st Lieutenant & gunnery officer, USS Hull
July 1938
Lieutenant, Bureau of Navigation, Washington, D.C.

January 1939
Lieutenant, Bureau of Navigation, Washington, D.C.

October 1939
Lieutenant, Bureau of Navigation, Washington, D.C.

June 1940
Lieutenant, gunnery officer, USS Saratoga


Others at or embarked at this command:
LCDR Richard Moss '24 (Bombing Squadron (VB) 3)
LT William Sisko '31 (Scouting Squadron (VS) 3)
LT Harrington Drake '31 (Bombing Squadron (VB) 3)
LT John Spiers '32 (Fighting Squadron (VF) 3)
LTjg George Nicol '34 (Scouting Squadron (VS) 3)
LTjg John Ennis '35 (Bombing Squadron (VB) 3)
LTjg Raymond Vogel, Jr. '36 (Fighting Squadron (VF) 3)
ENS Edward O'Hare '37 (Fighting Squadron (VF) 3)
November 1940
Lieutenant Commander, gunnery officer, USS Saratoga

Others at this command:

Others at or embarked at this command:
LT William Sisko '31 (Scouting Squadron (VS) 3)
LTjg Jack Ferguson '35 (Bombing Squadron (VB) 3)
LTjg Francis Maher, Jr. '35 (Bombing Squadron (VB) 3)
LTjg John Ennis '35 (Bombing Squadron (VB) 3)
LTjg Raymond Vogel, Jr. '36 (Fighting Squadron (VF) 3)
LTjg Harold Shrider '37 (Scouting Squadron (VS) 3)
LTjg Patrick Hart '37 (Torpedo Squadron (VT) 3)
LTjg Edward O'Hare '37 (Fighting Squadron (VF) 3)
LTjg Macdonald Thompson '37 (Torpedo Squadron (VT) 3)
LTjg Howard Nester, Jr. '37 (Bombing Squadron (VB) 3)
April 1941
Lieutenant Commander, gunnery officer, USS Saratoga

Others at this command:

Others at or embarked at this command:
LTjg Jack Ferguson '35 (Bombing Squadron (VB) 3)
LTjg Victor Gadrow '35 (Fighting Squadron (VF) 3)
LTjg Francis Maher, Jr. '35 (Bombing Squadron (VB) 3)
LTjg Harold Shrider '37 (Scouting Squadron (VS) 3)
LTjg Patrick Hart '37 (Torpedo Squadron (VT) 3)
LTjg Edward O'Hare '37 (Fighting Squadron (VF) 3)
LTjg Macdonald Thompson '37 (Torpedo Squadron (VT) 3)
LTjg Howard Nester, Jr. '37 (Bombing Squadron (VB) 3)
ENS Howard Clark '38 (Fighting Squadron (VF) 3)
ENS Osborne Wiseman '38 (Bombing Squadron (VB) 3)
ENS Curtis Howard '38 (Torpedo Squadron (VT) 3)
ENS Marion Dufilho '38 (Fighting Squadron (VF) 3)
ENS William Brady '38 (Scouting Squadron (VS) 3)

Namesake

USS Hank (DD 702) was named for William; the ship was sponsored by his widow.


Class of 1925

William is one of 30 members of the Class of 1925 on Virtual Memorial Hall.

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