U.S. Navy Service for James Everett Gholson 336-33-19

James E. Gholson, known as “Everett”, enlisted in the U.S. Navy 13 September 1923 as an Apprentice Seaman. He gave his birth date as November 22, 1904 in order to be accepted in the Navy.  He was really only 17, being born in 1905 and a couple months short of his 18^th birthday. 

He did not keep this a secret from the navy as they found out and sent his parents a form that they both signed stating they had no objections to their son being in the navy.

He took his training at USNTS Great Lakes, Illinois.  He started as an apprentice seaman, but on 10, November 1923 his rating was changed to Seaman 2^nd Class.

On 23, November 1923 he was assigned to  the U.S.S. RAINBOW (AS 7); a ship used as a submarine tender, that tended the submarines during his time of service after enlistment.  This old ship used coal for its boilers.

  On 3, January 1924 he transferred to the USS S-8, an (S) Class submarine that spent a lot of its time in the Pacific making runs to Pearl Harbor, the Cavite Navy Yard in the Philippines, Guam, China & Japan. He was serving on this boat when he sent money home March 31, 1924.  The S-8 crew was proud of their record run in 1924 from China to San Francisco without a break down. He wrote this note on his photo of the S-8.

On 1, September 1924 his rating changed to Seaman 1^st class

On 16, July 1925 his rating changed to Ship’s Cook 3^rd class.

On 18, October 1926 he transferred to the U.S.S. SAVANNAH (AS 8), also a submarine tender.

 The SAVANNAH was decommissioned 16 December 1926.

30 November, 1926 CinC Battle Fleet for assignment via USS SIRIUS.

 7, December 1926 U.S.S. PROCYON (AG-11) she served as flagship of the Navy’s Pacific Fleet Supply Train from 1923-1930.

8, December 1926 assigned to USS ALGORMA as Ship’s Cook

On 24, January 1927 (as ship’s cook 3^rd class) he transferred to the U.S.S. NECHES (AO-5) that fueled the fleet, and supplied fuel to bases in the Panama Canal Zone, Caribbean, and Hawaii.  James Everett Gholson has a photo of this ship that he served on.

On 8, April 1927 he was back on the U.S.S. ALGORMA  (AT-34) Fleet Tug recommissioned at Mare Island Navy Yard Vallejo, California 28 September 1924, included services to tender aircraft and towed targets and carried out routine towing duty along the California coast.

August 19^th 1927 the crew of the ALGORMA took up a collection for a wreath for the deceased mother of James E. Gholson. The collection information was typed out including the names of the crew that gave.

On 28, September 1927 James E. Gholson was discharged from the U.S.S.  ALGORMA and the U.S. Navy, and returned home to Broughton, Illinois.

He met Ruth Crawley of McLeansboro, and they were married in Benton, Illinois December 2^nd 1927.

He worked in Flint Michigan at General Motors Corp., until cut backs ended his employment during the depression era.

Their only child named Emma Lou was born June 8, 1929 in Hurley Hospital Flint, Michigan. The family moved back to McLeansboro, Illinois and the family relationship struggled and ended in divorce June 8, 1931.

With problems and no employment, he reenlisted again into the U.S. Navy 12 August 1931 and was assigned to the U.S.S. UTAH. It is unclear how much time he was on the ship as he developed ulcers of the stomach and was sent to the Norfolk Navy Hospital at Portsmouth, Va. It was here that he was honorably discharged with medical problems after 6 months service on 11 February 1932.

His ratings held; Apprentice Seaman, Seaman 2^nd Class, Seaman 1^st Class and Ship’s Cook 3^rd Class and served last enlistment as Seaman 1^st Class.

(The links below describe the ships he served on and history of the ships)

James Everett Gholson served first on the USS Rainbow, a submarine tender, an old ship that used coal. The picture below shows one of the dirtiest jobs in the Navy. The coal came in on a barge to the ship and was lifted aboard by electric hoist. The coal had to be moved around by hand. The picture below from my dad's collection shows sailors coaling the ship.

USS Rainbow coaling ship at Cavite P.I. (From Dad's collection)

USS Rainbow (AS-7) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

U,S.N. USSubmarine S-8 (From my Dad's collection)

Allotment sent home from U.S.Navy submarine S-8 in 1924

USS S-8 and USS S-6 side by side (From my Dad's collection)

USN Ships--USS S-8 (Submarine # 113, later SS-113)

Tenders - USS Savannah AS 8

USS Procyon (AG-11) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

USS Neches (AO-5) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

USS Neches (Abt. 1925 from Dad's collection)

We are very pleased to post the following link, a detailed report of the sinking of the USS Neches by the Japanese. We highly recomend the web site of a survivor, Robert D "Bob" White, "The Sinking of the USS Neches" below.

The Sinking of USS Neches (Bob White's Web Site)

DANFS: USS Algorma (ATO-34)

USS Algorma ( AT - 34 )

USS Utah (BB-31) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Missing in the above is the photo of himself and one of his ships due to deterioration. Links below to photos he brought home from his travels.

Peking leave 5 days 1924