Navy career

Williamson enlisted in the Navy at Raleigh, North Carolina

Raleigh, North Carolina

Raleigh is the capital and the second largest city in the state of North Carolina as well as the seat of Wake County. Raleigh is known as the "City of Oaks" for its many oak trees. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city's 2010 population was 403,892, over an area of , making Raleigh...

, 11 July 1940. After recruit training, he was assigned to cruiser USS San Francisco (CA-38)

USS San Francisco (CA-38)

USS San Francisco , a New Orleans-class heavy cruiser, was the second ship of the United States Navy named after the city of San Francisco, California. She saw extensive action during World War II....

.

Williamson was on board the fighting cruiser

Cruiser

A cruiser is a type of warship. The term has been in use for several hundreds of years, and has had different meanings throughout this period...

 during the attack on Pearl Harbor

Pearl Harbor

Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...

 7 December 1941 and the initial American amphibious assault of the war on Guadalcanal

Guadalcanal

Guadalcanal is a tropical island in the South-Western Pacific. The largest island in the Solomons, it was discovered by the Spanish expedition of Alvaro de Mendaña in 1568...

. He also took part in the American victory at the night Battle of Cape Esperance

Battle of Cape Esperance

The Battle of Cape Esperance, also known as the Second Battle of Savo Island and, in Japanese sources, as the , took place on 11–12 October 1942, and was a naval battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II between the Imperial Japanese Navy and United States Navy...

 in October.

On 12 November 1942 one of the many Japanese attempts to bombard American positions in the Solomons and to reinforce their own garrisons there resulted another great battle, the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal

Naval Battle of Guadalcanal

The Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, sometimes referred to as the Third and Fourth Battles of Savo Island, the Battle of the Solomons, The Battle of Friday the 13th, or, in Japanese sources, as the , took place from 12–15 November 1942, and was the decisive engagement in a series of naval battles...

. Before the main engagement, USS San Francisco (CA-38)

USS San Francisco (CA-38)

USS San Francisco , a New Orleans-class heavy cruiser, was the second ship of the United States Navy named after the city of San Francisco, California. She saw extensive action during World War II....

 and other ships were attacked by torpedo bombers off Guadalcanal.

Awarded the Navy Cross

Williamson, an antiaircraft gunner fired at an approaching torpedo plane, remaining at his station with cool determination as the enemy aircraft crashed directly at his gun mount. For his great courage in the face of this attack, Seaman First Class Williamson was awarded the Navy cross

Navy Cross

The Navy Cross is the highest decoration that may be bestowed by the Department of the Navy and the second highest decoration given for valor. It is normally only awarded to members of the United States Navy, United States Marine Corps and United States Coast Guard, but can be awarded to all...

 posthumously.

Namesake

USS John L. Williamson (DE-370)

USS John L. Williamson (DE-370)

USS John L. Williamson was a John C. Butler-class destroyer escort acquired by the U.S. Navy during World War II. The primary purpose of the destroyer escort was to escort and protect ships in convoy, in addition to other tasks as assigned, such as patrol or radar picket.She was named in honor of...

 was named in his honor. She was laid down 22 May 1944 by Consolidated Steel Corp., Orange, Texas

Orange, Texas

Orange is a city in Orange County, Texas, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 18,643. It is the county seat of Orange County, and is the easternmost city in Texas. Located on the Sabine River at the border with Louisiana, it is part of the Beaumont–Port Arthur...

; launched 29 August 1944; sponsored by Mrs. Sherman Register, sister of Seaman First Class Williamson; and commissioned 31 October 1944, Lt. Comdr. J. E. Allen in command.