Lucky Bag Yearbook

From the 1922 Lucky Bag:

JAMES EDWIN CRAIG

Pinky, Jimmy, Dizzy.

Class Swimming (2).

“JIMMY” is the idol of every wooden man Jin the Class in that he leads just the sort of life every wooden man would love to lead, if he were savvy. “Jim Ed” seems to have a standing, or rather a lying, job with old Morpheus and lives conscientiously up to the motto of “Sleep, Sleep, and More Sleep.” For awhile it was rumored that he would not graduate, due to a tentative position with Thomas Edison, but “Jimmy” was shamed out of it when the company discovered that the job was a watch-and-watch partner affair with the great four-hour-a-day sleeper. Various tales have reached us concerning the particulars of the “Panama Plot” which resulted in his being dubbed “Pinkey.” Take it, however, that he is as innocent as he claims; in which case he is, without question, a Gintlemen of the Rigiment.

“Have you been contributing lately, ‘Jimmy?’”

Loss

James was lost on December 7, 1941 when USS Pennsylvania (BB 38) was damaged during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. He was the First Lieutenant and Damage Control Officer.

Other Information

From Navsource:

James Edwin Craig, born Jacksonville, Fla. on 29 October 1901. He was appointed to the Naval Academy 3 July 1918. After graduation in 1922, he saw almost continuous sea duty until early 1929 when he received aviation training at the Pensacola Naval Air Station. As an aviator, he served at Coco Solo, C.Z., and on board Wright, Arizona, and Yorktown. He attained the rank of Lieutenant Commander in 1937 and commanded Torpedo Squadron 5 in 1938. In March 1939 he assumed command of USS Conyngham (DD 371). Two years later he became Damage Control Officer and First Lieutenant aboard Pennsylvania. Lieutenant Commander Craig was killed in action during the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor 7 December 1941.

From Together We Served:

• 1927-1928, 000X, VF-3B Starfighters
• 1928-1930, NAS Pensacola
• 1930-1932, 131X, USS Wright (CVL-49)
• 1932-1934, 131X, USS Arizona (BB-39)
• 1934-1937, 131X, USS Yorktown (CV-5)
• 1938-1939, 131X, VT-5 Tigers
• 1939-1941, USS Conyngham (DD-371)
• 1941-1941, USS Pennsylvania (BB-38)

From researcher Kathy Franz:

James married Eleanor Arden on December 24, 1923, in Florida. Their children were Eleanor and Anne.

His father was a dry goods merchant in 1910; and in 1920, he owned his own haberdasher shop.

His wife was listed as next of kin. James is buried in Hawaii.

Family

John Craig ‘30 was James’ brother.

Namesake

USS James E. Craig (DE 201) was named for James; the ship was sponsored by his widow.

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.