Henry P. Jenks

Who was Henry P. Jenks?

Henry Pease Jenks was born in Chicago, Illinois, on 31 May 1914 and enlisted in the United States Navy on 8 October 1940. After undergoing Reserve Officer training, he was appointed Ensign on 6 June 1941 and reported to cruiser Atlanta, soon to be commissioned. In June 1942, Jenks served in Atlanta, during the epochal Battle of Midway and later during the landings on Guadalcanal, first American amphibious operation of the war. In the great Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, 13 November 1942, in which the Japanese move on the island was frustrated, Atlanta was torpedoed in the early stages of the action and damaged severely by enemy gunfire. She survived the night, but was scuttled next day off Lunga Point. Lieutenant Jenks was killed in the battle, for which his gallant ship received the Presidential Unit Citation.