George Fountain Parrott (23 December 1887 – 9 October 1918) was an officer in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

Biography

Born at Falling Creek,

Lenoir County, North Carolina Lenoir County ( )Talk Like a Tarheel
, from the North Carolina Co ...

, George Fountain Parrott was the third of seven children born to George Franklin and Julia Bizzell Parrott, and was first cousin to Marion A. Parrott. His maternal grandfather, Fountain Bizzell, had served in Company G, North Carolina 55th Infantry Regiment. George attended first the Kinston Graded School, then the Rhodes Military Institute, and finally graduated from Oak Ridge Institute in North Carolina. He was able to attend the US Naval Academy after having been appointed from the 2nd North Carolina district by the Hon. Claude Kitchin. Parrott was appointed

Midshipman A midshipman is an officer of the lowest Military rank#Subordinate/student officer, rank in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Royal Cana ...

3 July 1906 and graduated from the

U.S. Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (USNA, Navy, or Annapolis) is a federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as Secretary of the Navy. The Naval Academy is the sec ...

, class of 1911. He was promoted to the rank of Ensign March, 1912; Lt. Jr. grade March, 1914; Lt. Sr. grade April, 1917; and Lieutenant Commander August, 1918. He was the executive officer on the USS ''Shaw'' (DD–68) in the

English Channel The English Channel, also known as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates Southern England from northern France. It links to the southern part of the North Sea by the Strait of Dover at its northeastern end. It is the busi ...

. The "Shaw's own ordeal came on 9 October 1918. While escorting the giant

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

transport,

Aquitania Gallia Aquitania (, ), also known as Aquitaine or Aquitaine Gaul, was a province of the Roman Empire. It lies in present-day southwest France and the comarca of Val d'Aran in northeast Spain, where it gives its name to the modern region of Aquit ...

, Shaw's rudder jammed just as she was completing the right leg of a zigzag, leaving her headed directly towards the transport. A moment later, Aquitania struck Shaw, cutting off 90 feet of the destroyer's bow, mangling her bridge and setting her on fire". Lt. Parrott was killed during the accident. He is a recipient of the

Navy Cross The Navy Cross is the United States Naval Service's second-highest military decoration awarded for sailors and marines who distinguish themselves for extraordinary heroism in combat with an armed enemy force. The medal is equivalent to the Army ...

and listed on the World War I Honor Roll and on the Tablets of The Missing at the American Cemetery and Memorial section of

Brookwood Cemetery Brookwood Cemetery, also known as the London Necropolis, is a burial ground in Brookwood, Surrey, England. It is the largest cemetery in the United Kingdom and one of the largest in Europe. The cemetery is listed a Grade I site in the Regist ...

in Brookwood,

Surrey Surrey () is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Greater London to the northeast, Kent to the east, East Sussex, East and West Sussex to the south, and Hampshire and Berkshire to the wes ...

County,

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Namesake

USN ''Parrott'' (DD-218) was named for him.

References

: 1887 births 1918 deaths United States Navy officers United States Naval Academy alumni American military personnel killed in World War I People from Lenoir County, North Carolina Recipients of the Navy Cross (United States) Oak Ridge Military Academy alumni {{US-navy-bio-stub