John R. Craig

Lieutenant Commander John Rich Craig (13 September 1906 – 22 March 1943) was an officer in the United States Navy.

Biography

Born in Jacksonville, Florida, Craig graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1930 and received flight training the following year. During 1935 and 1936 he underwent submarine training. Prior to the outbreak of World War II, he commanded USS R-17 (SS-94). He took command of USS Grampus (SS-207) 16 September 1942. During the next 6 months he led the submarine on high risk attacks against Japanese shipping. She sank two enemy transports and a cargo ship and damaged three enemy destroyers. While on her sixth war patrol, Grampus was lost in the Southwest Pacific with all hands 22 March 1943. Lt. Comdr. Craig was awarded the Navy Cross posthumously for his extraordinary heroism.

USS John R. Craig (DD-885) was named for him.

Family

With Lillian Hyde, a schoolteacher, he had a daughter, Lillian Hyde "Kitten" Craig, later known as the writer, Kit Reed. Through Reed, he is a grandfather of the writer, Kate Maruyama.

 This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.