Scope and arrangement

Captain Bennett recounts his early background in Ohio, his experiences at the U.S. Naval Academy, and his service during World War II. Of particular importance is his description of duty on the USS SAN FRANCISCO during the naval battle of Guadalcanal, action for which he was awarded the Navy Cross and Purple Heart. He also relates the details of five war patrols in the USS QUEENFISH, rescue of Australian and British prisoners-of-war from the South China Sea, and the deep sea evasion of depth charges. Captain Bennett details postwar duties as commander of a submarine division and a flotilla and his involvement with the Navy's deep submergence programs and the bathyscaph TRIESTE. The interviews conclude with a synopsis of Captain Bennett's postnaval career in oceanography.

Administrative information

Source of acquisition

Gift of John E. Bennett

Processing information

Encoded by Apex Data Services

Copyright notice

Literary rights to specific documents are retained by the authors or their descendants in accordance with U.S. copyright law.

Metadata Rights Declaration

This record is made available under an Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International Creative Commons license.

General note

1918-1960s

General note

1918-1960s

Key terms

Personal Names

Bennett, John E.

Corporate Names

San Francisco (Cruiser)
United States Naval Academy--History
United States. Navy--Officers--Interviews
United States. Navy--Submarine forces

Topical

Guadalcanal, Battle of, Solomon Islands, 1942-1943
Oceanographers--California
Pearl Harbor (Hawaii), Attack on, 1941
World War, 1939-1945--Campaigns--Pacific Ocean
World War, 1939-1945--Campaigns--Solomon Islands--Guadalcanal

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