| Scope and content |
Personal correspondence consists of letters from Howard to his wife written from the Central Pacific theater. Letters reflect day-to-day ship activities and the responsibilities of Howard as commander of an escort task group. Letters comment on local military engagements and incidents, atrocities, Japanese prisoners-of-war, souvenir hunting, recreation problems for his men, and the sinking of submarines. General correspondence pertains to ships on which Howard served. Pacific Area Escort Division 28 records concern Howard's command of task groups 57.7 and 96.3. The bulk of the records pertain to Task Group 57.7 commanded by Howard. The log book of the USS STURTEVANT reflects convoy duty prior to World War II. Entries concern attack on Pearl Harbor, news bulletins, and the sinking of the USS REUBEN JAMES. A journal records Howard's activities while serving on the USS NIAGARA and MAYFLOWER and other duties. Entries reflect his on and off duty activities and professional and social activities. Other entries concern the fire and sinking of the MAYFLOWER, the outbreak of World War II, and Howard's stock information. |
| Access restriction | No access restrictions. |
| Cite as |
William Stamps Howard, Jr., Papers (#356), Special Collections Department, J. Y. Joyner Library, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina, USA. |
| Terms of use | Literary rights to specific documents are retained by the authors or their descendants in accordance with U.S. copyright law. |
| Acquisitions source |
Joyner- Gift of Mrs. W. Stamps Howard. |
| Biographical note | Captain William Stamps Howard, Jr. (1902-1962) was a native of Tarboro, NC, and a 1925 graduate of the United States Naval Academy. At the outbreak of World War II he commanded the destroyer USS STURTEVANT in convoy escort duty in the North Atlantic. In 1943, Howard commanded Escort Division 28 in the Pacific and subsequently oversaw various other task groups in the Marshall-Gilbert-Ellice campaigns. |
