| Scope and content |
Early correspondence is from Davis to his parents, written aboard the USS Henderson and the USS Reid after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Subsequent correspondence, both personal and official, includes a citation for bravery given while aboard the USS Salmon. The bulk of the materials pertain to Davis's loss of command of the S-18 and his attempts to have an inquiry made into the incident. Official correspondence includes letters acknowledging transcripts sent to Rutgers and Princeton from the Naval Academy, a fitness report, a Board of Inspection and Survey Report on the S-18, orders, a service record, and resignation papers. Other correspondence includes letters from a French historian and from Bob Sneed, chairman of the USS Reid reunion committee. Also contains a diary written aboard the USS Reid describing the attack on Pearl Harbor and subsequent anti-submarine patrols off the Hawaiian Islands; an ammunition log and torpedo logs for the USS Salmon; newspaper clippings concerning Davis's citation and business career after the war; and photographs documenting Davis's Naval Academy career, his participation in the war, and his family life. |
| Access restriction | No access restrictions. |
| Cite as |
Louis Poisson Davis, Jr., Papers (#452), 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 Louis Poisson Davis, Jr. |
| Biographical note | Louis Poisson Davis, Jr., son of Captain Louis Poisson Davis (1883-1978), was a 1941 graduate of the Naval Academy. He saw action in the Pacific during World War II beginning at Pearl Harbor aboard the USS Reid. In August 1942, he transferred to submarines and made war patrols aboard the USS Salmon. He later took command of his own submarine, the S-18. Following a disagreement with his squadron commander, Davis was relieved of command and resigned from the Navy in 1945. He later had a career in business and law. |
