John C. Kane papers
Scope and Contents
The collection consists of seventeen boxes of papers that document his interest in naval airships and the Naval Airship Association, of which he was a member. The collection spans the years 1933–2005.
Series I, Correspondence, includes letters both sent and received, 1945–1996. The bulk of the correspondence treats the Naval Airship Association, but also contains letters of appointment and those regarding his naval training and courses taken. Some of the correspondence includes the biographies of members of the Naval Airship Association.
Series II, Naval Orders, contains his assignments from 1943 to 1968, as well as retirement papers.
Series III, Books, has yearbooks; books on blimps, airship bases, airships, and U-boats; and a history of his hometown of Ironwood, Michigan. They were published between the years 1940 and 2001.
Series IV, Pamphlets, has pamphlets on airship rescue operations, rigid and non-rigid airships, directories of naval aviators, naval air station anniversary booklets, and the Naval Airship Association directories, 1945–2003.
Series V, Newsletters, consists of newsletters from the Navy League, the Lighter-Than-Air Society, the Aerostation newsletter, and others, 1940–2004.
Series VI, Newspaper Clippings, houses newspaper clippings, 1968–1997.
Series VII, Photographs, has shots of Kane, model airships, the St. Louis Navy League events, and award ceremonies, 1968–2002.
Series VIII, Video Tapes, and CDs, is of reunions, social events, the Hindenberg disaster, rigid blimps, briefs, and histories, 1993–2005.
Series IX contains slides of undated Naval Airships.
Dates
- Creation: 1917 - 2005
Creator
- Kane, John C. (Person)
Conditions Governing Access
Access is open to all researchers, unless otherwise specified.
Conditions Governing Use
Material in this collection is in the public domain, unless otherwise noted.
Biographical Note
John Clarence Kane was born on March 25, 1922 in Ironwood, Michigan. He attended St. Ambrose High School there, then matriculated at Michigan College of Mines in Houghton, Michigan in 1939. He won an appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy in 1940 and graduated with distinction in the class of 1943.
Kane was commissioned in 1943 and during the war flew blimps to protect convoys traversing the Atlantic Ocean. He was a navigator on the first transatlantic crossing of non-rigid airships that went from Lakehurst, NJ to North Africa in 1944, and was on a second mission in 1945. After the war, he earned a Bachelor’s Degree in aeronautical engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California, and the following year was awarded the degree of aeronautical engineer from the California Institute of Technology. His navy career included various aviation billets and staff positions in California, Texas, New Jersey, North Carolina, Panama, and Trinidad. His last pre-retirement billet was at McDonnell Aircraft Company, where he supervised the production of 3,000 aircraft, including Phantom fighter jets.
Captain Kane retired from the navy on July 31, 1968 and went on to work as an executive at McDonnell Douglas Aircraft Corporation, General Dynamics, and the Carlson Travel Company.
In 1990, he retired for the second time and held a variety of volunteer positions, including commanding officer of the Gateway Squadron, Secretary of the U.S. Naval Academy Chapter in St. Louis, Treasurer of the Naval Airship Association, and Chairman of S.C.O.R.E., an organization that helped small businesses succeed.
His medals include the American Defense Medal, the National Defense Medal, the Air Medal, the World War II Victory Medal, the American Theater Medal, the Legion of Merit and a Commendation Ribbon.
Kane died on October 11, 2005 in St. Louis, Missouri. He survivors include his wife, four children, and eight grandchildren.
Extent
17 boxes
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
Correspondence, letters sent and received, chiefly dealing with the Naval Airship Association, 1993-1996, and Captain Marion Eppes, 1993-1995; Books on Blimps, U.S. Naval Academy Pictorial, et. Al.; Booklets, Yearbooks, Anniversary booklets treating Navy topics, 1917-2005; Biographical information; Naval Orders, 1943-1968; Certificates, 1943-1998; Newsletter of Naval Airship Association, Directories; Lists, Histories; Newspaper and magazine clippings regarding naval airships, 1942-1997; Newsletters, 1947-2004; Photographs of Kane and photograph albums of Navy League Council, St. Louis, MO; Augio/Video tapes of NAA reunions, Navy League; 1993-2005; Slides of blimps/airships; Papers of Captain Marion H. Eppes, including Naval Orders 1935-1970; Correspondence, letters sent and received regarding official duties; Family matters, and the Naval Airship Association, 1940-1977; Obituaries of Naval Airship Association members, 1986-1997; USNA class of 1935 subject file, 1979-1995; Miscellany, including pamphlets, research papers, awards, certificates, and photographs.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The papers of Captain John C. Kane, USN (Ret.) were presented to the Naval War College Foundation for deposit in the Naval Historical Collection by his son, Mark Kane of Des Moines, Iowa, in July 2006. Five boxes of papers of Captain Marion Eppes, USN (Ret.) were included but form a separate collection.
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Box: 1 (Mixed Materials)
- Box: 2 (Mixed Materials)
- Box: 3 (Mixed Materials)
- Box: 4 (Mixed Materials)
- Box: 5 (Mixed Materials)
- Box: 6 (Mixed Materials)
- Box: 7 (Mixed Materials)
- Box: 8 (Mixed Materials)
- Box: 9 (Mixed Materials)
- Box: 10 (Mixed Materials)
- Box: 11 (Mixed Materials)
- Box: 12x (Mixed Materials)
- Box: 13 (Mixed Materials)
- Box: 14 (Mixed Materials)
- Box: 15 (Mixed Materials)
- Box: 16 (Mixed Materials)
- Box: 17 (Mixed Materials)
Repository Details
Part of the Naval War College Archives Repository