# Talk:John Henry Turpin

U.S. Congressman Derek Kilmer offered to name the main Bremerton Post Office for Turpin according to local news outlet.  Perhaps this information should be added.  Damingo Sanchez (talk) 19:35, 1 October 2020 (UTC)

Turpin's sleeve has 9 hash stripes, usually meaning at 36+ years of service (4 per stripe). The article however says his service period was from 1896-1925 (29 years). The numbers don't add up. Any information? MartinezMD (talk) 02:10, 16 May 2021 (UTC)

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This article has six citation needed tags and an unsourced section. I am also unsure on breadth; there are multiple Newspapers.com sources that aren't used here and almost all of the citations are to the U.S. Navy website. charlotte 👸♥ 02:20, 12 January 2025 (UTC)

Agreed, would argue a WP:GAR is needed. Locust member (talk) 03:49, 12 January 2025 (UTC)

I note his second wife, Faye Alice (Hollis) Turpin also worked at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and there is a picture of both of them at https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/browse-by-topic/diversity/histories/milestones-at-puget-sound-naval-shipyard/1935-1960/faye-alice-hollis-turpin.html Erp (talk) 03:55, 12 January 2025 (UTC)

We can't use the following directly since it is in a master's thesis (and some of the stuff seems hyperbole, though it was also apparently published as a book in 1951); however, its sources might be mined (Nelson, Dennis Denmark (1948). The Integration of the Negro Into the United States Navy, 1776-1947 (Masters). Howard University. Retrieved 2025-01-12. pages 22-24).  "One of the legendary characters of the United States Navy of this period was John Henry (Dick) Turpin, a Negro enlisted man known to most of the old-Navy "Brass" with whom he served on numerous ships of the fleet. Turpin entered the service prior to 1896, and served continuously until 1925, when he was placed in the Fleet Reserve. He was returned to limited active duty in 1938, and was used for morale purposes during the late war, visiting many Naval installations having Negro personnel,and proved a source of inspiration to the new recruits at Great Lakes when he appeared in uniform in 1945."   It also lists the ships he served on and medals awarded (he cites Naval personnel records).   I note two items.  One he seems to have served as an "Apprentice Boy" (minimum age 15) in the Navy prior to 1896 (the thesis says he started in 1883 on the USS Vermont (1848) but 1893 assuming typo or 1891 at the earliest makes more sense given the age limit) and also that he might have been recalled to limited active duty in 1938 (presumably for recruiting and morale work). The combo might explain why his stripes (9) in the photo add up to 36+ years of service while the current article accounts for only 29 (7 stripes).  (BTW the thesis author Dennis Denmark Nelson was Navy and one of the first African Americans  to become an US Navy commissioned officer https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/browse-by-topic/diversity/african-americans/golden-thirteen.html#nelson) Erp (talk) 04:31, 13 January 2025 (UTC)
Another source which has info on his diving experience is Hermans, Francis (2016). "The little story of the underwater cutting" (PDF).  I note that it and several others places have Turpin involved in creating the Navy's underwater cutting torch but this one has the most detail.  Unfortunately again not a sufficiently reliable source. Erp (talk) 05:30, 16 January 2025 (UTC)


### John Henry Turpin