John Thomas Donohue
Electrician's Mate Third
Class, U.S. Navy
WWII Pacific Theater – USS Tench (SS-417)
John Thomas Donohue was born in
Brooklyn, New York, on April 15, 1920, and grew up during two defining periods
of American history—the prosperity of the Roaring Twenties and the hardship of
the Great Depression. After graduating from Metropolitan Vocational High School
as an electrician, he put his skills to work with several electrical
manufacturing companies before joining the Brooklyn Navy Yard as an
electrician's apprentice in 1942, where he contributed to the nation's wartime
shipbuilding effort.
Initially deferred from military
service because of the critical nature of his civilian work, John enlisted in
the U.S. Naval Reserve in August 1943 after leaving the Navy Yard. Following
basic training and assignment to the Navy's Construction Battalions, he
realized his true ambition was not to serve ashore but at sea. Demonstrating
remarkable initiative, he wrote directly to the Chief of Naval Personnel
requesting a transfer to submarine duty. His request was approved, and after
completing submarine training he joined the newly commissioned USS Tench (SS-417) as an Electrician's Mate Third Class.
Serving aboard Tench on
patrol in the waters surrounding Japan and the China Sea, John witnessed the
closing days of World War II from one of the most dangerous assignments in the
Navy. His submarine remained on station near Japan during the atomic bombings
of Hiroshima and Nagasaki before finally returning home. Whether his proximity
to those historic events had any lasting effect on his health can never be
known. Tragically, John died of colon cancer in 1962 at only forty-two years of
age, leaving behind a wife and family. His story is one of quiet courage,
determination, and devotion to duty - a young electrician who pursued the
service he believed he could best provide to his country during its greatest
hour of need.