Naval History and Heritage Command

Finding aid (Word)

Biographical Note

John Cash enlisted in the Navy in December 1939. After two years of service, he was promoted from Seaman to the rate of Radioman Third Class and assigned to USS Hopkins (DMS-13). Hopkins was the flagship of Mine Squadron Two, and was operating in the vicinity of Pearl Harbor. On 5 December 1941, Hopkins, the minesweeper Long and the cruiser USS Indianapolis departed Pearl Harbor on a training exercise to Johnston Island, arriving on the morning of 7 December. While at Johnston Island, the ships received word of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, and Indianapolis departed to scout for the Japanese fleet. Hopkins returned to Hawaiian waters, and spent the next several months patrolling the area off Pearl Harbor. In late summer 1942, Hopkins returned to the U.S. for overhaul and then served in the Pacific in the area of Guadalcanal. Cash was onboard during this time, and the collection ends with him continuing to serve as a Radioman on Hopkins.

Scope and Content Note

This collection contains a diary kept by John Cash while on USS Hopkins and several documents collected by him during his World War II service. There are two series.

Series I consists of Cash's diary. There is both a handwritten version and a typewritten transcript that he made in May 1990. The transcript includes all of the entries from the handwritten version as well as entries from December 1941, which are not in the handwritten diary. Both versions of the diary end on 18 April 1942, when Cash was informed that Navy personnel were not allowed to keep a diary during wartime.

In Series II, Miscellaneous, are a number of items collected by Cash. Included are three editions of the newsletter published on Hopkins, the "Hopkins Bull-A-Ton," dated from March to May 1943. The original copies of the Bull-A-Ton are fragile, and should be handled as little as possible. Reference copies have been made and are to be used by researchers.

Also in Series II are a menu from USS Hopkins' 1942 Christmas dinner, a Naval Communications Security Bulletin, and photographs of Hopkins and the ship's radio gang.

Preferred Citation

This collection should be cited as Papers of John C. Cash, Archives Branch, Naval History and Heritage Command, Washington, D.C.

Subject Headings (LCSH)

United States. Navy--History--Sources.
United States. Navy--Radiomen.
United States. Navy--Petty officers.
United States. Navy--Job descriptions.
United States. Navy--Communication systems.
World War, 1939-1945.
Hopkins (Destroyer : DMS-13)
Destroyers (Warships)--United States.