Background
Austin was born in Warrior, Alabama.
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John Austin
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He enlisted in the United States Navy on 20 November 1920 at age 15. Between that time and 26 July 1935, he served four successive enlistments. On that date, Austin accepted an acting appointment as a Carpenter"s Mate 3rd Class (Petty officer third class) and reported on board the submarine tender Canopus then serving as a unit of the Asiatic Fleet.
On 8 August, he detached from the tender and reported for duty on Augusta.
On 4 December 1935, Austin received a permanent warrant as a carpenter (warrant officer, West-1). He left the heavy cruiser on 13 July 1937 and reported on board Tennessee on 10 September 1937.
He served in that battleship until detached on 14 June 1939 to proceed to further assignment to Rigel reporting on 18 July 1939. After 14 months on that destroyer tender, Carpenter Austin departed on 21 September 1940 bound for duty in Oklahoma and reported on board the battleship on 5 October 1940.
In October 1941, Austin he received a commission as a chief carpenter (chief warrant officer, West-2).
On the morning of 7 December 1941, Chief Austin was on board Oklahoma. The battleship, which was the first to be attacked by the Japanese on Battleship Row, capsized in only 15 minutes due to damage it received from torpedoes and bombs. Austin along with many crew members were trapped within the ship as it keeled over.
After searching for a means of escape, he found a porthole beneath the surface that offered a way out.
He assisted 15 sailors in escaping from the sunken Oklahoma. However Chief Carpenter Austin failed to get out.
The escort destroyer United States Ship Austin (Delaware-15) was named in his honor.
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Born
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Died
December 7, 1941 (aged 36) -
Nationality
American