Wilcox, John Walter, Jr., RADM

On the morning of 27 March 1942, the second day of the voyage, RADM Wilcox appeared unaccompanied and without a coat on the deck of the USS Washington's (BB-56) while Task Force 39 was pushing through heavy seas off Sable Island in stormy North Atlantic winter weather. He held a few brief conversations with some of the men on deck before they lost track of his whereabouts. At 10:31, a member of Washington's crew reported a man overboard and soon thereafter Tuscaloosa sighted a man struggling in the water and took evasive action to avoid running him down. The task force began a search and rescue operation. Mustering of Washington's crew found no one missing from the ship's company or Wilcox's staff, and it gradually became apparent that Wilcox himself had gone overboard.

Wasp launched four SB2U-2 Vindicator dive bombers to assist in the search, one of which crashed astern of Wasp while attempting to land, killing its two-man crew. About 80 minutes after Wilcox went overboard, the destroyer USS Livermore (DD-429) sighted his body floating face down in the rough seas, but the bad weather prevented its recovery, and it was never seen again. Task Force 39 soon suspended its search and resumed its voyage to Scapa Flow.

Navy Cross
Awarded for Actions During World War I
Service: Navy
Division: Atlantic Fleet
Citation: The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Navy Cross to Commander John W. Wilcox, United States Navy, for distinguished service in the line of his profession as Flag Secretary on the Staff of Commander, Battleship Force 2, Atlantic Fleet.

The information contained within this profile was compiled from various internet sources.