John Drayton Baker

John Drayton Baker (born in Plainfield, New Jersey, on May 31, 1915 - died c. May 7, 1942) was an American Naval aviator who was awarded the Navy Cross for his actions during World War II.

Baker enlisted in the U.S. Naval Reserve as seaman 2d class on 21 January 1941 at Brooklyn, New York. After flight instruction at Miami and Jacksonville, Florida, he was appointed naval aviator on 26 August 1941 and received a reserve ensign's commission on 18 September. He joined Fighting Squadron (VF) 42 on 8 December 1941 aboard the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown (CV-5). Baker received a Navy Cross, posthumously, for his achievements during the Battle of the Coral Sea and the USS Baker was named in his honor. The ship was laid down on 9 September 1943 at Port Newark, New Jersey, by the Federal Shipbuilding & Drydock Co.; launched on 28 November 1943; sponsored by Mrs. Margaret Baker, the mother of Ens. Baker; and commissioned at the New York Navy Yard on 23 December 1943.

References

 This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.

• Cressman, Robert (2000). That Gallant Ship U.S.S. Yorktown (CV-5) (4th printing ed.). Missoula, Montana, U.S.A.: Pictorial Histories Publishing Company. ISBN 0-933126-57-3.
• Ludlum, Stuart D. (1997). They Turned the War Around at Coral Sea and Midway: Going to War with Yorktown's Air Group Five. Merriam Press. ISBN 1-57638-085-8.
• Lundstrom, John B. (2005). The First Team: Pacific Naval Air Combat from Pearl Harbor to Midway (New ed.). Annapolis, Maryland, U.S.A.: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-59114-471-X.