Henry Rawlings Hamner was born 13 March 1922 in London, England. Appointed to the United States Naval Academy from Virginia, he graduated and gained his commission in June 1942. Hamner served to fit out and commission several new ships during the war, in addition to serving in the 12th Naval District and at Norfolk, Va. He was appointed lieutenant in July 1944. Lieutenant Hamner died 6 April 1945 aboard USS Howorth (DD-592), when the ship was crashed by a kamikaze during the suicidal Japanese kikusui massed attack of that day off Okinawa where "the fleet had come to stay"[citation needed].