Jack Reid of the Veterans Group of Pine Hills in Plymouth, Massachusetts, recently shared with us the World War II journal of John Edward Jameson, a U.S. Navy veteran who served aboard the battleship USS North Carolina (BB-55). Jack carefully scanned and transcribed the original logbook entries, preserving the record of one sailor’s extraordinary service in the Pacific Theater.

John Edward Jameson was born in Boston, Massachusetts, on March 29, 1920, the son of Edmund and Mary Ellen Jameson. He registered for the draft on July 1, 1941, and enlisted in the U.S. Navy soon after. Assigned the rating of Boatswain’s Mate Second Class (BM2C), John served aboard the North Carolina from June 1942 through October 1945, experiencing the full sweep of the ship’s wartime operations. His personal journal captures the day-to-day life of a sailor during some of the fiercest naval battles of World War II.

John Jameson (Veterans Group of Pine Hills)

Following his Navy service, John returned to Boston, living with his sister’s family in Jamaica Plain. In 1951, he joined the Boston Fire Department. Tragically, his life was cut short when he and eight fellow firefighters were killed in the Hotel Vendome fire on June 17, 1972—the deadliest firefighting tragedy in Boston history.

The battleship USS North Carolina was among the most celebrated American ships of World War II. Laid down in 1937, commissioned in 1941, and nicknamed the “Showboat” for the attention she drew during her early service, North Carolina participated in every major naval offensive in the Pacific. She earned 12 battle stars for her wartime service, protecting aircraft carriers during critical battles such as Guadalcanal, the Marshall Islands, and the Philippine Sea.

Today, North Carolina rests permanently in Wilmington, North Carolina, preserved as a memorial to all North Carolinians who served in World War II.

Thanks to Jack Reid’s efforts, we are now able to present John Jameson’s logbook, both in scanned images and transcribed text. His journal entries, filled with personal observations and reflections, bring a human voice to the vast history of the Pacific War. We hope readers will find inspiration, insight, and connection in reading this firsthand account of life aboard one of America’s great battleships.

We invite you to explore the logbook below. Thank you, Jack!