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Contact Info
Home Town Alexandria, VA
Last Address Fort Lauderdale, FL
Date of Passing Dec 17, 1975
Location of Interment Arlington National Cemetery (VLM) - Arlington, Virginia
Wall/Plot Coordinates 46 981-18
Official Badges
Unofficial Badges
Additional Information
Last Known Activity:
Rear Admiral John S. Phillips, whose exploits during World War II included safely sailing his heavily loaded tanker clear of Pearl Harbor when the Japanese attacked, died Wednesday at BethesdaNavalMedicalCenter after a brief illness. He was 80 and lived in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Adm. Phillips, a native of Alexandria, attended the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis and was a graduate of the Class of 1918, which actually graduated in 1917 to speed the young ensigns into battle during World War I.
Between the two wars, Adm. Phillips served in various posts around the country. On Dec. 7, 1941, he was stationed aboard the naval oiler Neosho at Pearl Harbor. During the Japanese attack against the naval base, Adm. Phillips, then a commander, ordered his ship to clear the harbor to remove the Neosho as a serious hazard. They steamed safely clear under a hail of bullets and bombs. Adm. Phillips received the Navy Cross for his heroism.
In May, 1942, Adm. Phillips and the Neosho were part of the American fleet that turned back the Japanese advance toward Australia during the Battle of Coral Sea. The Neosho's luck ran out during the battle -- on May 7, the tanker was struck by seven bombs and soon sank, taking more than half its crew with it. Adm. Phillips and the survivors escaped in the ship's boats. They bobbed for four days in the open sea. On May 11, a Canadian aircraft participating in the search flew overhead, signaling: "Do you need help?" Adm. Phillips signaled his response: "What do you think?"
Adm. Phillips later served in naval intelligence and taught naval courses at the university level. He retired in 1947 and settled in Arlington, where he pursued his interest in golf. He and his wife moved to Fort Lauderdale in the late 1950s.
Other Comments:
Navy Cross
Awarded for Actions During World War II
Service: Navy
Division: U.S.S. Neosho (AO-23)
Citation: The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Navy Cross to Commander John Spinning Phillips (NSN: 0-17172), United States Navy, for extraordinary heroism and distinguished service in the line of his profession as Commanding Officer of the Fleet Oiler U.S.S. NEOSHO (AO-23), during the Japanese attack on the United States Pacific Fleet in Pearl Harbor, Territory of Hawaii, 7 December 1941. At the time of the attack the U.S.S. NEOSHO was moored alongside the gasoline dock, Naval Air Station, Pearl Harbor, and had just completed discharging gasoline at that station. When fire was opened on enemy planes, Commander Phillips realized the serious fire hazard of remaining alongside the dock as well as being in a position that prevented a battleship from getting underway, got underway immediately. Mooring lines were cut, and without the assistance of tugs, Commander Phillips accomplished the extremely difficult task of getting the ship underway from this particular berth in a most efficient manner, the difficulty being greatly increased by a battleship having capsized in the harbor. The conduct of Commander Phillips throughout this action reflects great credit upon himself, and was in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.
