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Capt. John Allen Midgett
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The Mirlo Rescue
[Some Photographs from USCG Headquarters Historical Files compiled
by LCDR Don Midgette, USCGR]
| John Allen Midgett, Jr. | ||
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John Allen Midgett, Jr. was born in Rodanthe on Aug. 25,
1876 to John A. Midgett, Sr. & Phoebe M. O'Neal. He
married Jazania
Spencer Payne in Rodanthe on Nov. 14, 1897 and to them were born four
children. Reared on Cape Hatteras Island near Diamond Shoals, he
attended the village school through whatever grades were prevalent at that
time. The remainder of his formal education was accomplished in a private
academy in Elizabeth City, N.C. Returning to his native soil as a very young
boy, he grew up strong in stature, absorbing the lore and lure of the sea,
knowing no fear of the vast ocean but learning a deep respect for it. With
the Midgett lifesaving tradition behind him, it is no wonder that he too
chose his life's work in becoming a member of the U.S. Life Saving Service,
enlisting from North Carolina in 1898 and serving through the merger of the
Life Saving Service with the U.S. Coast Guard until his death in 1938. Prior
to his service at Chicamacomico Station, he served at Little Kinnakeet and
Gull Shoal stations. After the Mirlo rescue he was called by the U.S. Navy
to the Philadelphia Navy Yard, probably to act briefly in the role of Coast
Guard consultant concerning the German submarine activity off the east
coast. This is supposition, since information of that nature is strictly
classified. No man in the United States Coast Guard became more widely
known than he, when a hero's fame came to him on an August afternoon in 1918
when he rescued 42 men from the burning British tanker Mirlo. Chief Warrant
Officer Midgett has had a profound influence on the Coast Guard's history
and is an inspiration to the young boot and old salt alike. On July 2, 1972,
acknowledging the contribution by the famous Outer Banks family of Midgetts
and to honor John Allen Midgett, Jr., the North Carolina Navy League
Councils, the state of N.C. and the U.S. Coast Guard proclaimed "Midgett
Day". in remembrance of Chief Warrant Midgett, his skill and daring, the
Coast Guard named its newest cutter "Midgett", and had the 378-foot ship on
exhibition at Morehead City on Midgett Day. This class of cutter is named
after either past Secretaries of the Treasury or Coast Guard heroes. The
cutter is primarily a search and rescue vessel, but plays an integral part
in the Coast Guard's many other roles such as aids to navigation, a floating
landing pad for helicopters, oceanography, meteorology and of course, in
time of war, an anti-submarine vessel. In December 1920, Midgett
received the Gold Medal for gallantry in lifesaving from the British
government, along with his Mirlo rescue crew--Zion S. Midgett, Leroy S. Midgett,
Arthur V. Midgett, Clarence E. Midgett and Prochorus O'Neal who
married a Midgett,--he received a Gold Medal and the American Cross of Honor
from his own country. He was ambitious and actively interested in politics.
An Independant from tradition, environment and conviction--voting for "the
man" rather than a party--this brave and modest man had many friends both
Democratic and Republican. He was a close friend of Franklin Roosevelt and
most of the congressmen during the Roosevelt years, many of the said
congressmen leaving their Washington seats to come to Rodanthe to attend his
funeral in 1938. He sprang from deeply religious Methodists; he was noted
for his honesty, courage and kindness. He advised justly, assisted readily,
took provocations patiently, defended courageously, and was a friend
unchangeably. He was a leader on his native Cape Hatteras, taking an
interest in education and in community improvements such as roads and better
transportation on the Outer Banks. He was a 32nd degree, Scottish Rite
Mason, having membership in the Wanchese, N.C. Masonic Lodge. On February 9,
1938, John Allen Midgett, Jr. died a "landsman's" death in the Public Health
Hospital at Norfolk, Va., as the result of complications suffered in an
automobile accident during the 1937 Christmas holidays. He would have been
63 years old, and that month would have marked the 42nd year of his active
service in the Coast Guard. The next year, as a Warrant Officer, he would
have retired, and his period of service would have remained a record for a
long while. He, his wife, and his daughter Nora, are buried in the Manteo
Cemetery on Roanoke Island, N.C.
In 1914, a proposal to combine the U.S. Life-Saving Service and the U.S. Revenue
Cutter Service was put forth, and met with the approval of the heads of the two
Services. On January 15, 1915, the two organizations were merged to form the
U.S. Coast Guard.
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© 2018
