Memorial Page

Called “Alabammer” by the crew, he worked as an electrician aboard ship. After the service he owned his own electrical company in Oxford, Alabama, and was a well respected Master Electrician. He always spoke highly of his time aboard the Davis and his shipmates.

He was very proud of his service to the nation.

Sponsored by Norman Morrison Jr. and the Morrison family.

The Destroyer Escort George E. Davis DE-357 was named for Lieutenant Davis. The crewmen of the Davis were proud to serve on the ship bearing his name. Lt. Davis was born in Martin, Pennsylvania. After graduation at the Naval Academy he was commissioned an Ensign. His first tour of duty was aboard the U.S.S. Maryland during peacetime. In 1938 he reported for duty aboard the U.S.S. Houston which became the flag for the Asiatic fleet.

Lt. Davis was in command of the after 8″ turret that day in 1942 when a Japanese bomb struck, killing everyone in the turret.

On April 8, 1944, a new Destroyer Escort, the George E.Davis DE357, was launched and another valiant crew sailed off to war and eventual victory.

Sponsored by John E. Davis and the Davis family.

On Oct. 13 1943, before graduating from high school, Clifton “Cip” Mitchell was inducted into the Navy. He quickly set out to get his diploma and start his training as a Sonarman. On 11 Aug 1944 he reported aboard the USS George E Davis as a SoM3c, by mid 1945 he was promoted to SoM2c. He was discharged from the Navy on 21 May 1946.

In civilian life he ran his own radio sales & repair shop for a few years. Later he worked at Collins Radio as a lab tech. He worked on projects ranging from the space program to government communications. During his retirement years he split his time between Iowa and Arizona, fishing and playing softball.

Sponsored by the Mitchell family, coordinated by Dan Mitchell, son of Clifton, especially for the grandkids who will come to know pride for their history.

The son of a master tugboat captain, and with two older brothers already serving in the Navy, Carroll could not wait to join up, and he enlisted on April 5, 1944, two months before graduating high school. Assigned to the George E. Davis mid-tour, he worked in the ship’s laundry.

Upon his discharge in May 1946, he was admitted to Randolph-Macon College in Ashland, Virginia despite not having a high school diploma. He married Anne Giannotti on July 30, 1948 and the couple settled in Connecticut, where Carroll completed his degree in Economics at Wesleyan University. In his civilian life, Carroll worked for Southern New England Telephone Company as an Engineering Manager.

Carroll never lost his love of the sea. He became a local celebrity when he launched his retirement home – a 54 ft. sailing yacht he spent 11 years building in his back yard. Carroll and his wife spent several happy years sailing up and down the East Coast and through the Caribbean.

Sponsored by the Acquarulo family: Margaret Downing Acquarulo, Dominic, Christine and David Acquarulo.