JOSEPH BUTLER
Navy
Joseph
Butler
Joseph Butler was born on November 29, 1890 at
Middle Island, New York. He was the son of Henry and Ellen Butler of
Middle Island. At the time of his enlistment in the Navy he
was working as a Fireman in Locust Valley, New York. At the time of
his induction he was married and had two children. In November, 1918
Butler came home for a short leave of absence. The battleship he was
assigned to was patrolling the coast for several months. In
March, 1919 the Patchogue Advance gave the following information "Joe
Butler who is in San Francisco, a machinist on the battleship
Marblehead, has met with a serious accident. In hauling a piece of
machinery with a crane something slipped and he was caught under the
heavy weight suffering injuries likely to disable him for several
weeks."
The USS Marblehead
The USS
Marblehead was placed in full commission 6 April 1917 at the navy yard,
Puget Sound, Wash., and on 4 May was ordered to the Pacific Patrol
Force. She was employed on convoy, patrol, and survey duty, operating
off Mexico and in search of possible German raiders in the California
area until 11 June 1918, when she proceeded via the Panama Canal to Key
West for duty with the American patrol detachment. Arriving They West 22
June, the ship spent the remainder of World War I in the Caribbean,
engaged in escort and patrol duty. Detached from patrol duty 4 December,
the veteran cruiser steamed to join Division 2, Pacific Fleet. She
arrived Mare Island 17 February 1919 and decommissioned 21 August.
Reclassified PG-27 in July 1920, Marblehead was sold 6 August 1921.