Why there’s a US Navy ship named after a young man from Madison, Georgia

Lieutenant Albert Harris’s Fatal Stand at Guadalcanal

Lieutenant Albert Harris stood his ground when most would run.

The Madison, Georgia native was just 27 when he took command of the antiaircraft guns on USS San Francisco during the bloody Guadalcanal campaign.

On November 12, 1942, as 21 Japanese bombers swarmed the American fleet, Harris and his men kept firing. Then, a damaged enemy plane crashed directly into their battle station.

Harris died instantly alongside ten of his crew, yet their sacrifice helped save the ship.

His hometown of Madison now honors this Navy Cross recipient whose name later graced a destroyer escort launched in 1944.

Madison’s Small-Town Boy Joins the Navy

Albert Thomas Harris was born on August 29, 1915, in Madison, Georgia.

He grew up during the Great Depression but got his education at North Georgia College and later the University of Georgia. Like many young men from small Southern towns, Albert had big dreams that took him far from home.

His journey began in Georgia classrooms and led him across the Pacific Ocean.

Before Pearl Harbor, Albert Saw War Coming

Albert joined the Naval Reserve on September 10, 1940, well before America entered World War II. He spotted the growing dangers as wars spread through Europe and Asia.

The Navy trained him aboard the battleship USS New York, where he learned naval warfare basics.

By signing up more than a year before Pearl Harbor, he was ahead of the flood of volunteers who rushed to join after December 7, 1941.

Three Months Before Pearl Harbor, He Became an Officer

The Navy made Harris an ensign on September 12, 1941, after he finished officer training. This timing mattered, as Pearl Harbor happened just weeks later, pushing America into war.

Harris was one of thousands of young Americans who quickly switched from civilian life to military service as the country prepared for global war.

His training set him up for leadership roles soon tested in combat.

His First Assignment Came in Pearl Harbor’s Aftermath

Harris started work aboard the heavy cruiser USS San Francisco at Pearl Harbor on January 6, 1942. He arrived just one month after the Japanese attack, during a key rebuilding time.

The ship and crew already planned for attack missions in the Pacific as America moved from defense to offense. For a young officer from Georgia, this job put him right in the middle of America’s Pacific war plans.

The Young Lieutenant Takes Command of Ship Defenses

By mid-1942, Harris moved up to lieutenant junior grade and took over the 20mm antiaircraft guns on the San Francisco’s back machine gun platform.

His job grew more important as Japanese air attacks became more common and deadly. The young officer from Madison now had to protect hundreds of sailors on his ship.

His gun crews needed quick reactions and perfect teamwork to fight off attacking planes.

His Ship Joins the Fight for a Jungle Island

The San Francisco helped Marine landings on Guadalcanal starting August 7, 1942, marking America’s first major attack in the Pacific.

Harris and his antiaircraft crews stayed busy as Japanese planes often attacked American ships. The cruiser fired guns to support Marines fighting on shore.

The battle for this jungle island turned into one of the worst campaigns of the war, with heavy losses on both sides.

November Brings the War’s Bloodiest Naval Battles

By November 1942, the Japanese launched a big push to take back Guadalcanal, sending many naval and air forces to fight. The San Francisco got orders to protect troop ships unloading at Lunga Point.

Naval fighting around the island reached new levels as both sides threw everything into the campaign. Harris and his gun crews faced more desperate and determined Japanese attacks.

Japanese Planes Target American Ships Off Guadalcanal

At 2:16 p. m. on November 12, 1942, a wave of 21 Japanese torpedo bombers attacked the American task force. Harris calmly directed his gun crews as they fired at many enemy planes at once.

The San Francisco’s antiaircraft guns hit several bombers, making them trail smoke. The air filled with tracers, exploding shells, and roaring aircraft engines as the fierce battle unfolded.

His Final Act of Courage Saved Fellow Sailors

A damaged Japanese bomber, hit by antiaircraft fire but still flying, dropped its torpedo which missed the ship. The pilot then crashed his plane right into Harris’s position.

The crash destroyed the antiaircraft director and radar equipment.

Harris and 10 men under his command died instantly in the fiery crash, with 29 more hurt and one missing. Their sacrifice helped stop further damage to the ship and saved many other sailors.

The Navy Honors His “Remarkable Fire Discipline and Courage”

Commander Herbert Schonland later praised Harris and his men for standing firm “in the face of certain death. ” The Navy gave Harris the Navy Cross after his death for his clear bravery during the attack.

His leadership kept his gun crews firing well until the very end, even as the enemy plane flew straight at them. The award noted his calm command under extreme pressure.

A Warship Carries His Name Into Battle

On January 13, 1944, workers laid down the keel for the destroyer escort USS Albert T. Harris (DE-447) at a shipyard in Newark, New Jersey.

The ship launched on April 16, 1944, and joined the fleet on November 29, 1944. Harris’s mother attended the commissioning ceremony as the ship’s sponsor.

The destroyer escort carried the name of the small-town Georgia boy across the Pacific, continuing the fight he gave his life for at Guadalcanal.

Visiting Madison, Georgia

You can visit Lieutenant Albert T. Harris’s memorial at Fairview Cemetery in Madison, Georgia.

Harris died on November 12, 1942, when a Japanese torpedo bomber crashed into his antiaircraft battery aboard the USS San Francisco during the Guadalcanal campaign. The memorial is in section H-1 of the cemetery at 420 W. Central Avenue.

The cemetery is free and open to the public daily, along with Madison’s other historic cemetery sections.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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