Former resident remembered in ceremony for USS Wahoo

KINDRED B. JOHNSON III

A memorial ceremony for the USS Wahoo submarine was held Thursday, Oct. 11, in Hawaii at Pearl Harbor.

The USS Wahoo was one of the most significant American submarines of World War II. The overall success of the American submarine service was instrumental in the WWII vic- tory, and the USS Wahoo was a key factor in this.

During her career of seven patrols, from August 1942 to October 1943, the USS Wahoo and her crew revolutionized American submarine doctrine by transforming the service from being timid and defensive, to being aggressive and offensive.

The USS Wahoo sank on Oct. 11, 1943 in the La Perouse Strait between Japan and Russia. At the time of her sinking, the USS Wahoo was the leading American submarine, and even though the war continued for almost two years after her loss, she remains one of the top scoring.

The USS Wahoo had been missing for more than 60 years, but was found by a team of Russian divers in July 2006.

The U.S. Navy previously held a ceremony-at-sea, off the coast of Wakkanai, Japan, for the USS Wahoo earlier this year, on July 7.

One of the crewmembers lost on the USS Wahoo was Kindred B. Johnson III, torpedoman's mate, first class. Johnson was born in Millen on Aug. 20, 1920. His parents were Kindred B. Johnson Jr. and Zena Smith Johnson. His mother, Zena, moved the family to her hometown of Harriman, Tenn. after the death of her husband in 1923.

Johnson still has many relatives in the Jenkins County area. His first cousins who still reside in Jenkins County include Viola J. Taylor, Marguarite J. O'Quinn, Betty J. Echols, Jesse M. Johnson and Catherine J. Bennett. The late Edward K. Johnson of Millen, a retired Navy veteran, was also a first cousin.

For more information on the ceremony and other things relating to the USS Wahoo, visit the website, www.oneternalp atrol.com/wahoo- memorial.htm.